MOVIE TRIBUTE ALL DONE ON THE QUIET; Maths prof takes 15 years to

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Nov 12, 2000 | by MAEVE QUIGLEY

A CORK-BASED maths professor has realised a dream of creating the most comprehensive guide to one of the world's favourite Irish films.

The Complete Guide To The Quiet Man was painstakingly compiled by Des MacHale over 15 years and the finished product was finally launched in Dublin yesterday.

Des, whose day job is Professor Of Mathematics at University College, Cork, has already written 50 books - mostly jokes and puzzles.

But his Quiet Man obsession started in 1953 when he was only seven years old.

"I fell in love with it then and there and from that point I became a 'Quiet Maniac'.

"I finally decided to write the book in 1985 and of course I was not a film critic so I had to learn to be a film critic and historian over that time.

"I also had two very good researchers working with me - Charlie Harold who was assistant manager at Ashford Castle when filming was taking place and Liam O'Reilly.

"But even with their superb help it was still the most back- breaking job I've ever done."

The Quiet Man was mostly filmed in the Cong area of West Ireland and even today, film fans from all over the world flock to see where John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara made screen history.

And in his new book, the 54-year-old professor leaves no stone unturned.

"I spent a long time in the areas trying to find the positions, the locations and the camera angles," he told Sunday Mirror.

"I talked to the surviving extras, identified the bit players and identified the music."

In his Oscar-winning film Irish-American director John Ford reworked a short story by Kerry man Maurice Walsh who was paid the princely sum of pounds 10 for the film rights.

John Wayne played Sean Thornton, an Irishman who returns from America to reclaim his homestead and escape his past.

But he falls in love with gorgeous and fiery Mary Kate Danaher, played by Maureen O'Hara, a beautiful but poor girl who also has the misfortune of being related to the ill-tempered Red Will Danaher played by Victor McLagen.

The tempestuous relationship that forms between Sean and Mary Kate, punctuated by Will's pugnacious attempts to keep them apart, form the main plot, with Sean's past as the dark undercurrent.

All those involved made cinematic history and Des says the film's ingredients were part and parcel of its now legendary success.

"It's amazing," he said. "I would maybe compare it to something like Danny Boy - why does one song grip the hearts of so many people across the world?

"No one knows for sure but The Quiet Man works in virtually the same way. There's something magical that we just can't understand.

"John Ford was probably the greatest movie director of all time. Orson Wells said there were three great movie directors - John Ford, John Ford and John Ford.

"And the on-screen chemistry between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara is electric.

"They had a platonic friendship offscreen but when they kissed or embraced on screen there were fireworks.

"They both liked each other appreciated each other as actors but for long periods of The Quiet Man they weren't actually speaking.

"Maureen O'Hara even broke a bone in her hand trying to hit Wayne during one of the scenes."

One of the Oscars The Quiet Man received was for Colour Cinematography as it was the first time the beautiful scenery of the west had been shown in full technicolour to the world.

"The scenery is still breathtaking to look at and I think The Quiet Man did more for Irish Tourism than any other single event.

"Thousands of people still visit Cong to see where the film was made, to see where different things were filmed and to visit the replica cottage."

But Ireland was very close to the hearts of those involved, as Des explains.

"John Ford was an Irish- American and he wanted to come to Ireland to show his roots. So in ways he didn't just direct this film - he lived it.

"John Wayne had Irish roots too - on his father's side his people came from Co Antrim and his mother's people came from Co Cork originally.

"And of course Maureen O'Hara is intensely proud of being Irish.

"Even though she's lived in America all these years she has never lost her accent

"They all wanted to pay tribute to Ireland in the film and I think it certainly shows."

During the course of his research Des realised one of his childhood dreams by meeting Maureen in the flesh.

"During the summer Maureen lives in west Cork and I introduced myself to her while I was writing the book. We've since become good friends and she has given me lengthy interviews about The Quiet Man.

"She has been very kind to me and she has given me information that money can't buy - exact interpretations of the script and the inside story of someone who was there in the thick of it.

"For example, when Sean drags Mary Kate across the countryside by the hair it is actually meant to be a put-up job to fool Red Will into giving her money back.

"That's the way John Ford told Maureen to play it so in actual fact Sean wasn't being nasty at all - the two of them were conspiring together."

Although it will be 50 years old next year, The Quiet Man has been voted Top Irish Movie Of All Time and the video has been translated into countless different languages.