Movie Stats:
Released 1952 (UK)
American, in English (minor, non-translated Gaelic)
Director - John Ford
Stars - John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Victor McLaglen
Warnings:
Heavy violence; minor gore; sexual assault (non-consensual kissing).
The Verdict:
To save you the trouble of watching a single second of this steaming pile of shit, I’m doing things a little differently with this review. I’m going to tell you the whole entire plot, so obviously this contains SPOILERS.
Sean Thornton (Wayne), born in Ireland but largely raised in America, returns to the town of his birth upon retiring from a boxing career, after he’s accidentally killed a man in the ring. Due to his guilt over this incident, he refuses to fight. He falls in love with Mary Kate Danaher (O’Hara)—after seeing her one time, of course—and wants to marry her. There’s just one problem: Sean pissed off Mary Kate’s brother, town bully “Red” Will Danaher (McLaglen), buy purchasing his own childhood home, property that Red wanted himself.
Red refuses to let Sean marry Mary Kate. Unbeknownst to both Sean & Mary Kate, the townspeople then conspire to trick Red into letting them marry, by telling him that his love interest Sarah Tillane (Natwick) will want him after he’s gotten Mary Kate out of the house (because you can’t have 2 women in one household, natch). On the wedding night, when he finds out that he’s been tricked, Red refuses to let Mary Kate have her dowry. Sean doesn’t care because the money doesn’t matter to him, but once they get home Mary Kate refuses to do her wifely duties until she has her dowry.
Thus, she begins urging Sean to confront Red for the money, which will mean a fight. Although the whole town seems to think she’s being ridiculous (as do I), they encourage Sean to fight because 1. They think he’s a coward if he doesn’t & 2. They hate Red but they’re all too big of cowards themselves to fight him. There’s a lot in the film that disgusted me, but this really took the cake, a whole town full of people pushing a man who’s been traumatized by his past in fighting to fight, for their own selfish gain.
Eventually, Mary Kate leaves Sean. He marches down to the train station to get her back and proceeds to physically, violently drag her the 5 miles back to town. The townspeople follow to enjoy the spectacle; one even givens him a stick to beat Mary Kate with (he doesn’t, but it’s not the only wife beating joke in the film). Sean gets the dowry, and he and Mary Kate throw it in the incinerator (WHAT?). She goes home to cook. Sean proceeds to fight Red. The whole town—from the vicar to the police to a dying man—turns out to watch & bet on this fight. When it’s over, Sean and Red become friends. THE END.
In addition to being sexist, condoning violence of the regular and domestic variety, moral bankruptcy, and rampant stereotyping (All Irish men are drunks! Women with red hair have fiery temperaments!), I thought it was gross in pretty much every way imaginable. I hated it with every fiber of my being. It has exactly 2 redeeming qualities: 1. The cinematography & 2. The (I think intentional) point it makes about being careful of rushing into marriage, so that you don’t end up with someone whose personality and customs you don’t understand.
As for the performance? I hated O’Hara in it, and I really hated her backwards, narrow-minded, angry, ridiculous character. Other performances of hers I’ve reviewed: How Green Was My Valley. Oh look, I hated her in that too.
I give this garbage film one stinking, rotten .25 star.
Oh dear. I'm so sorry this movie hasn't translated well to today's world. I made a reference to it to Matt recently, and he hadn't seen it. "We should watch it, it's good." I told him. Then wondered how well it had held up. I think I've got my answer. All the things I would overlook because "it's from a different era" and "I saw it and liked it as a child" would not fly with him, either.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Maureen O'Hara performance is as the mom in the Parent Trap, which I re-watched recently. It's great,* in a 1961 way. There are good scenes of wealthy ladies being catty, which I enjoy (while also appreciating that we've gotten to move away from that particular way of doing battle.)
Have you seen her in Miracle on 34th street? That's my only other Maureen O'Hara reference.
*And by "great" I mean that I watched it a lot growing up, so much so that I can't really objectively review it.
There are a lot of "it's a movie of its time" things I'm willing to forgive, but this film repulsed me on pretty much every level imaginable. It definitely has not aged well.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen "Miracle on 34th Street," but if I decide to give her another try in my "second chance" project, that's the film of hers I'll watch.