The Quiet Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Quiet Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 20, 2016

Winner of Oscar Awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography, John Ford's "The Quiet Man" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary by John Ford biographer Joseph McBride; new featurette with Peter Bogdanovich; new featurette with actors Hayley Mills, Juliet Mills, and Ally Sheedy; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Sean Thornton

Olive Films' new Blu-ray release of John Ford's The Quiet Man is part of the label's recently announced Signature Line. It is sourced from the same 4K restoration of the film which was initially introduced on Blu-ray in 2013. The new release offers a better technical presentation of the 4K restoration, as well as more supplemental features. For a complete analysis of the film, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's review of the first release here.

The Quiet Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Ford's The Quiet Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release is sourced from the same recent 4K restoration of the film which Olive Films initially introduced on Blu-ray via this release in 2013. The technical presentation here is clearly superior, but my take on the restoration is a bit different, as is my final score.

The new release is encoded better. To be perfectly clear, all of the big blocky patterns that are visible on the previous release have been eliminated. The darker/indoor footage looks stronger, and generally speaking grain is now better resolved. During daylight close-ups the improvements are especially easy to see (see screencapture #2). This being said, I find the film's overall appearance to be rather inconsistent. The bulk of it can look very good, but there are select segments that convey some anomalies that I think should have been avoided. For example, I find the color temperature a bit too warm. During a lot of the darker/indoor footage there is also unnatural crushing that has collapsed existing detail. Elsewhere there are also traces of denoising corrections that have affected the film's dynamic range and introduced a very obvious digital flatness. These effects can vary, but the most obvious ones typically emerge as rather large blocks of milky grays (you can see examples in screencaptures #8, 13, and a very obvious one in 23). As a result, there are sporadic drops in terms of depth, though I must make it clear that there are also purely native fluctuations that can be traced back to the original film elements. There are no problematic sharpening. Overall image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no distracting damage marks, cuts, debris, flecks, or stains. So, despite the various reservations that are highlighted above, currently this is the best presentation of The Quiet Man in the U.S. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Quiet Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical anomalies to report. It is obvious that the audio has been remastered because none of the distracting issues that typically plague older audio tracks -- distracting background hiss, buzz, pops, and distortions -- are present here. Dynamic intensity is also very good, though one should always keep in mind that this is an older film with some native production limitations.

The Quiet Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Old Man: Peter Bogdanovich Remembers John Ford - in this featurette, Peter Bogdanovich recalls his final encounter with John Ford (with Howard Hawks also present) and his first encounter with the legendary director (apparently a very unique one), and discusses his working methods, the beauty of The Quiet Man, John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara's performances, the documentary film about the dierctor and his work he made years ago, etc. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• The Making of The Quiet Man - this archival featurette, written and narrated by film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, takes a closer look at the production history of The Quiet Man and the life and legacy of dierctor John Ford. The featurette previously appeared on the old R1 DVD release of the film from Republic Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (28 min, 480/60i).

• Free Republic: The Story of Herbert J. Yates and Republic Pictures - in this short but very informative featurette, archivist Marc Wanamaker discusses the fascinating history of Republic Pictures and some of its biggest hits and flops. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Don't You Remember It, Seanin? - presented here is a new visual essay by film historian Tad Gallagher which focuses on some of the special qualities that define John Ford's work and Sean Thornton and Mary Danaher's relationship in The Quiet Man. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• A Tribute to Maureen O'Hara - in this new featurette, actors Hayley Mills (The Parent Trap), Juliet Mills (The Rare Breed), and Ally Sheedy (Only the Lonely) recalls their work with Maureen O'Hara and discuss her glamorous image and personality. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, John Ford biographer Joseph McBride (Searching For John Ford), discuses in great detail the important relationship between the director's real life and the story The Quiet Man tells, the various locations where segments from the film were shot, the film's expressive visuals (with some excellent comments about the director's attitude towards dialog in cinema), Sean Thornton and Mary Danaher's relationship, the female roles in John Ford's films, etc.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet with technical information.

The Quiet Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Olive Films' new Signature Edition of John Ford's The Quiet Man offers the best technical presentation of the recent 4K restoration of the film. The release also comes with a better selection of supplemental features, including a very entertaining interview with Peter Bogdanovich and wonderful audio commentary with John Ford biographer Joseph McBride. RECOMMENDED.