I am uncertain how to critique this film objectively. I will start by making a critique of some other critiques. One complaint is the 'stereotypes' of the Irish. These complaints reveal both the Political Correctness of the complainers and their ignorance. The Director, John Ford (real name Sean Aloysius O'Fearna) was born and raised in Ireland and was very much the moving force in producing this movie. Why? Because he liked the script. The leading lady, Maureen O'Hara (real name Maureen Fitzsimons) was also born and raised in Ireland. She also helped get the film produced. Why? Because she liked the script.
Now, If these two Irish born participants in the picture don't find anything offensive, why should we? The greatest offense seems to be depicting the Irish as people who like to drink and fight. Having known many Irishmen I can say many do, in fact, like to drink and fight. Stereotypes usually originate in a firm foundation of fact.
Secondly, they are horribly offended by the 'violence against women', blah, blah, blah. Now, the Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne characters in this movie were repeated pretty much hereafter in every picture they did together. It is, in fact, a very old theme. People who hate the idea of a fiery, strong willed female finally tamed by a confident, dominant male can find equal hatred for Shakespeare, just read 'Taming of the Shrew'. It was an old theme when Shakespeare wrote it.
Sadly, they were so busy being offended they missed what a fine athletic performance Maureen O'Hara gave as John Wayne dragged her along. She was a real trooper. That bit of athletic performance was no mean feat.
Now, back to the film. It seemed syrupy, smalzy and contrived. So bad, at times, it was cloying and annoying. The plot seemed paper thin and artificial, merely a threadbare artifice to generate false conflict. The characters were all stock characters and hence all wholly predictable as was the inevitable outcome. Thus, with no genuine tension and no real character development that drew you in; it was hard to sustain interest in this film.
My difficulty is, as a boy, I use to love all of the John Ford/Maureen O'Hara/John Wayne pictures. Yet, I doubt most of them were any better than this. So why now do I find this so unengaging? I think because as a boy, as did the larger society, we believed these simple smarmy sentiments. I probably believed that when two men fought they would afterwards become friends ( a frequent theme in films of this era). I now know that the victor usually feels contempt for the loser and the loser has a burning hatred of the winner for the humiliation inflicted on him. And so it is with the other sentimental claptrap.
However, it may also be the era in which we live. Now we live where every disgusting, evil human perversion is just a click of the mouse away. Where car jacking, once shocking, are now just accepted as normal life. Where terrorists kill by the thousands and drug dealers enslave by the tens of thousands. We live in an era that has grown callous and cynical. Simple, smarmy sentiments like mom, home and apple pie simply don't hold much water anymore.
So, is impatience for the sugary sentiment in this picture merely a matter of growing up? Is it like the Bible says, "When I was a child I thought like a child and acted as a child, but now I am a man and have put aside childish ways".
Or, is it because both I and the society at large have grown hard, callous and cynical? Perhaps a little of both.
But remember, the generation that saw the release of this film loved this film. Even Hollywood did, giving it two Academy awards. And they were grown ups, having lived through a Great Depression and a World War. Certainly, they had no illusions.....
So perhaps it is just us..... A newer generation without illusions, but also without faith.
Now, If these two Irish born participants in the picture don't find anything offensive, why should we? The greatest offense seems to be depicting the Irish as people who like to drink and fight. Having known many Irishmen I can say many do, in fact, like to drink and fight. Stereotypes usually originate in a firm foundation of fact.
Secondly, they are horribly offended by the 'violence against women', blah, blah, blah. Now, the Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne characters in this movie were repeated pretty much hereafter in every picture they did together. It is, in fact, a very old theme. People who hate the idea of a fiery, strong willed female finally tamed by a confident, dominant male can find equal hatred for Shakespeare, just read 'Taming of the Shrew'. It was an old theme when Shakespeare wrote it.
Sadly, they were so busy being offended they missed what a fine athletic performance Maureen O'Hara gave as John Wayne dragged her along. She was a real trooper. That bit of athletic performance was no mean feat.
Now, back to the film. It seemed syrupy, smalzy and contrived. So bad, at times, it was cloying and annoying. The plot seemed paper thin and artificial, merely a threadbare artifice to generate false conflict. The characters were all stock characters and hence all wholly predictable as was the inevitable outcome. Thus, with no genuine tension and no real character development that drew you in; it was hard to sustain interest in this film.
My difficulty is, as a boy, I use to love all of the John Ford/Maureen O'Hara/John Wayne pictures. Yet, I doubt most of them were any better than this. So why now do I find this so unengaging? I think because as a boy, as did the larger society, we believed these simple smarmy sentiments. I probably believed that when two men fought they would afterwards become friends ( a frequent theme in films of this era). I now know that the victor usually feels contempt for the loser and the loser has a burning hatred of the winner for the humiliation inflicted on him. And so it is with the other sentimental claptrap.
However, it may also be the era in which we live. Now we live where every disgusting, evil human perversion is just a click of the mouse away. Where car jacking, once shocking, are now just accepted as normal life. Where terrorists kill by the thousands and drug dealers enslave by the tens of thousands. We live in an era that has grown callous and cynical. Simple, smarmy sentiments like mom, home and apple pie simply don't hold much water anymore.
So, is impatience for the sugary sentiment in this picture merely a matter of growing up? Is it like the Bible says, "When I was a child I thought like a child and acted as a child, but now I am a man and have put aside childish ways".
Or, is it because both I and the society at large have grown hard, callous and cynical? Perhaps a little of both.
But remember, the generation that saw the release of this film loved this film. Even Hollywood did, giving it two Academy awards. And they were grown ups, having lived through a Great Depression and a World War. Certainly, they had no illusions.....
So perhaps it is just us..... A newer generation without illusions, but also without faith.