John Ford's 'The Quiet Man" has been a phenomenon ever since its release in 1951. Our documentary intends to tell the untold story of the drama surrounding the making of the film, which for better or worse, gave a new world identity to Ireland.

We meet surviving original cast and extras who throw light on the great adventure. The hard-core worldwide fan clubs who trek to the locations as if they are holy shrines add a humour to the film. The annual re-enactment by amateur actors playing the parts of John Wayne, Maureen O Hara, and Barry Fitzgerald, is played-out against the originals.

John Ford's romantic notions of his original homeland are investigated using the original locations in Cong and Connemara in the west of Ireland. We show how Ford changed the film from being a gung ho, IRA against the Brits, to an Irish western.

The stories behind the making of the film are legendry but there are also the diverse reactions the film had at the time of release and continue. There are those who cite the film as the source of the "Oirish" stereotype that pervaded a host of other American films set in Ireland and there are those that say it is a liberating film and throws a light on the unique lifestyle of rural Ireland.

There are a lot of potential interviewees who could appear from Maureen O'Hara, Steven Spielberg, and Jim Sheridan.

Director: Sé Merry Doyle
Producer: Jackie Larkin
Music: Laura Forest Hay
Location: Ireland and the United States
Format: Digi Beta
Running Time: TV Hour