The Quiet Man ('52) on March 16 at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Newtown's Edmond Town Hall Theater (45 Main Street) will screen “The Quiet Man” (1952) on Thursday, March 16 at 1 PM and 7 PM.  Tickets are $3, available at the box office, and the matinee will be subtitled for the benefit of the hearing impaired.  

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Director (John Ford) and Best Cinematography, "The Quiet Man” is a film starring John Wayne (Sean) as an Irish-born American boxer who returns to Ireland to reclaim his childhood home, and start a new life free from the dangers of boxing.  No sooner does he arrive, but Maureen O’Hara (Mary Kate) catches his eye.  She seems interested too, but her brother Will, the Squire, soon despises Sean when the Widow Tillane decides to sell the land back to Sean and not the Squire. 

At the heart of the film, Sean’s independent American ideals clash with the deep-rooted, Irish family tradition. Not surprisingly, the courtship of Mary Kate goes anything but smoothly, especially when her brother refuses to pay the dowry on their wedding day.   Ultimately, the only thing that will satisfy the bullheaded Squire is for Sean to give him the satisfaction of a fight.

Originally filmed in Technicolor, this beautifully restored, high definition presentation will transport audiences back to the rustic Ireland of more than 50 years ago.  Many scenes were filmed in and around the village of Cong in County Mayo, on the land of Ashford Castle.  The fictional village of Innisfree is Ford’s idealized Ireland, where Catholics and Protestants get along congenially.  Several Irish tunes compliment the film, including “The Wild Colonial Boy,” “Rakes of Mallow,” and “The Isle of Innisfree."

This film was requested and sponsored by the Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance, and Gary and Donnette Dolzall.  The Someday Cinema Series is presented by the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission.  Visit http://bit.ly/SomedayCinemaSeries to see the entire lineup for 2017, and fb.me/SomedayCinemaSeries.