Quiet Man, The

John Ford's 1952 masterpiece The Quiet Man is a far cry from the film director's usual subject matter, the Old West. But it is a deeply felt work about an Irish-born American boxer who returns home after an early retirement and attempts to reestablish himself in Ireland. The movie has a comic, romantic tone, and its location shooting gives it an authentic air. Not least of the film's virtues is Victor Young's score, which is steeped in Irish tunes and other invented melodies that reflect the light mood of the story. Young's work is spirited and lilting, as much a part of the overall theme as the Irish landscape. Young conducted excerpts from the score for a 10" LP issued at the time of the film's release, but this 1995 recording by the newly formed Dublin Screen Orchestra under the direction of Kenneth Alwyn is the "first complete recording," as a banner on the cover proclaims. Along with Young's music, it contains vocal performances of "The Isle of Innisfree," "The Wild Colonial Boy," and "Galway Bay," songs performed in the film. The result is a long-overdue treatment of one of Young's best scores. ~ William Ruhlmann|