Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 158: Johnny Irish

It's sometimes interesting to see people outside of their comfort zone so when Johns both Wayne and Ford collaborated on The Quiet Man it was somewhat of a shock as they're primarily known for their westerns. Previously on the Oscar Search we've seen them work together on Stagecoach while later films included The Man who Shot Liberty Valace and The Searchers but in The Quiet Man it is much more of a serene affair with Wayne playing a romantic lead. The plot sees Wayne play Sean Thornton a man who was raised in the Irish town and returns ready to purchase his old family farm but raises the ire of local businessman Will Danaher when he outbids him for the property. Sean also becomes besotted with Will's sister Mary Kate and after some traditional yet bizarre courting rituals the two marry however when Will finds out that he has been duped by the pair he refuses to give her all of his dowry. Mary Kate wants her new husband to defend her honour but he keeps claiming that he didn't marry her for her money but thanks to the local town holy men he later learns that traditions mean a lot to the locals. Will challenges Sean to a boxing match however in his old life he was a boxer who quit when he killed an opponent but after getting over his nerves he battles his brother-in-law all over town before they get over their differences and end up in the pub.

The main thing I remember about The Quiet Man is the focus on traditional customs and culture with Wayne as the outsider baffled by some of them as we the audience similarly are. For example in one set piece the men ride horses to collect the Easter bonnets of the women they intend to court while the courting itself is supervised by one of the town elders. If I was someone who didn't know about Ireland and therefore thought this was accurate portrayal then I certainly would think it was a backward place where squabbles are sorted out with boxing matches and all women care about is money. Wayne also feels outside of his comfort zone here and his trademark slowed down speech doesn't suit a film in which everyone else is in high spirits with fast-paced Irish accents. Thankfully co-stars Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald and Victor McLaglen are all in high spirits and try to aide Wayne as much as they can. Though the Irish customs are rather outdated the Irish countryside is beautifully shot and the film deserved its Best Cinematography award though I'm not quite sure about Ford winning yet another Best Director prize. The best way to describe The Quiet Man is a quaint romance with an unsure male lead but some stunning camera work that beautifully captures the Irish scenery.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 10: The (Bad) Luck of The Irish

Another nominee from 1936, and although The Informer didn't win Best Picture it won four awards at the ceremony. The most historic of those had to be Best Director for John Ford who won his first of four awards. But unlike most of his other films this wasn't a western. Instead The Informer is quite a moody thriller set in 'Ireland' about Gypo Nolan who informs the police about his fugitive friend Frankie and gets £20 for his trouble which he intends to use for two plane tickets to America for him and his girl so they can escape the life they have. But instead he spends it on booze, girls and food and at the same time incurs the wrath of the Irish rebels who want to find out who informed on Frankie and make him pay. As John Ford is known for his big shoot outs and elaborately shot sequences The Informer is quite dark and feels quite insular as we are transported into Gypo's sad and lonely life as his guilt takes over him. Although the final sequences where he has to escape the rebels are very exciting what comes before it is very mundane and at times quite boring compared to the all-action Captain Blood and the all-singing all-dancing Top Hat this is obviously the worst of the films form that year so far. Another problem was obviously a lot of the cast members aren't Irish and the film isn't filmed in Ireland and there isn't a lot done to disguise either of these issues so in a way it felt a bit sloppy.

One Oscar I think the film did deserve was Best Actor for Victor McLaglen. In a time when leading men were dashing like Errol Flynn, charming like Clark Gable or could dance like Fred Astaie, the ordinary looking McLaglen gave a performance that was ahead of its time. Quite subtle and able to convey emotions without launching into a massive monologue this was a performance by what we refer to today as a 'character actor'. In fact he beat both Gable and Charles Laughton for that year's winning film Mutiny on The Bounty, to the award. Apart from Ford and McLaglen the other two awards were for Best Score (moody and set the tone very low-key) and Best Screenplay (not the best but then definitely not the worst from that era). As for Ford he would go onto bigger and better things but we all have to start somewhere.