1. Joel Heilman
The Field and The Quiet Man: Ireland from Two Perspectives
Our perceptionof placesisheavilyinfluencedbythe media,includingfilms.Motionpictures
showus whata countrylookslike and how the people thatlive there live theirlives;theypaintapicture
of the country in ourminds.It isimportantto rememberthe pointof view these filmsare comingfrom.
The country of Ireland,forexample,isdisplayedverydifferently,dependingonwhodirectedit.This
contrast isespeciallyprevalentin TheQuietMan and The Field.
The two filmstell surprisinglysimilarstories,withoutanyintention(TheField wasbasedoff a
real incidentthattookplace yearsafter The Quiet Man was released)(Cassidy,2003).Both tell of a story
inCountyKerry betweenanargumentbetweenanIrishmanandan Americanoveraplotof landowned
by an Englishwidow.BothIrishmenfeel the landisrightfullytheirsandbothdisagreementsendina
fight.Yetwithsuch a similarplot,the movies are very different. TheQuietMan isdirectedbythe
Americanfilmdirector,JohnFord,and TheField bythe Irishfilmdirector,JimSheridan.Thesedirectors
showhowAmericansandIrishviewIrelandinconsiderablydifferentways.
The Bull McCabe and “Red”Will Danaherare surprisinglysimilar.Theyare bothbig,burlymen
that intimidate otherstogetwhattheywant,and bothregressto violence whenprovoked. Danaher
becomesthe obviousantagonistwhoshowscompassiontonoone.The Bull transforms fromthe bully
seeninJohnB. Keane’soriginal playto avulnerable,humancharacter.The Bull’srage issomethingtobe
fearedandyetunderstood.He symbolizesthe strugglewithinIrelandona fundamental level,making
himquite the heroicfigure (Ryder,2009).
Both characters care for landmore than anythingelse.Inone scene,the Bull recallshismother’s
death.Hisfathertoldhimto fetchthe priest,buthe asked“Whatabout gettingthe hayin?”This

2. highlights the Bull’sprioritiesinlife;the fieldismore important. Danahertriestoobtainthe widow’s
land,and doeshisbesttomarry her,not because he lovesher,butbecause he wantsherland.The
importance of land-ownershipishighlightedinbothstories,althoughin TheField itis notonly a signof
wealth,buta meansto survive.Thisharshrealityisnotdiscussedin TheQuietMan.
The Americanisalsoportrayeddifferently.The original shortstory, TheQuietMan,by Maurice
Walsh,depictsthe Americanasan Irishmanwhoreturnedto IrelandafterfifteenyearsinAmerica.He
keepstohimself andisveryshy.He strugglestoconfrontBig Liam(Danaher) abouthiswife’sdowry.
JohnFord changesthe character dramatically,makinghimmore “JohnWayne-like,”andmakinghim
more American. He movedtoan Americanas a youngchildinsteadof asan adult. JohnWayne (who
playsthe American,SeanThorton) isthe AmericanWesternherowhogetsstuff done andisnotafraid
of anyone.He’stall andintimidating,unlike the shortheroWalshintended.Infact,he barelyseems
“quiet”at all.He doesn’thesitate orwaittoconfrontthe girl he likes;insteadof watchingherfromafar
inmass everyweek,he greetsherrightaway.Althoughhe doesretainthe wantingof aquiet,peaceful
life,andhe remainssilentabouthisexperience inAmerica.
In manyways, SeanbecomeswhatmanyAmericanswouldagree ismore American.He’sstrong,
independent,andnotafraidof anyone. He comesto see Irelandasa nice quietplace tolive,awayfrom
the worriesof America.He’sverysentimental aboutcomingbacktothe place he came from, as many
Americansare aboutthe placestheirancestorscame from.
In The Field, the Americanalsocomesback“lookingforhisroots.” But“The Bird” O’Donnell says
it ina spiteful way.More importantly,he comeswithentrepreneurial interests.He planstobuild
highwaystohelpmodernizethe country. He hasno respector understandingforwhatisgoingon inthe
country.All of the Irishunderstandwhata bad ideaitis to oppose Bull,butthe Americanisignorantto
the way thingsare in Ireland.The Bull seesthe Americanasan outsider,the same outsiderswholet

3. Irelandstarve.“Idrove themout!” The Bull exclaims,“Me andmy kind.” The Bull’s tenacitytoaccept
these outsiders symbolizessome real-lifeissues,like the sufferingsfeltduringthe potatofamine.Many
Irishblame the Britishfortheirloss,asthe Bull does.It’salsosymbolicof the rejectionof modernization
inIreland.The Americancouldalsorepresenthow the IrishviewAmericans.The Americancomesinto
be the hero,withoutanyregardto the local customs,and inrealityhe’sthere justtotake advantage of
the situationandmake a quickbuck.
The countryside isseenverydifferentlyinbothmovies.In TheField,the skyis almostalways
cloudyandgloomy.A lot of dull colorsare usedthroughoutthe movie. These helptoconveythe
harshnessof livinginIreland.The openingsceneisthe prime example,withnotalkingatfirst,onlythe
crashingof the waves andthe howl of the wind. The brightestcoloristhe field;it’sabeautifulgreen
amongstthe grey world.This helpssymbolizethe value of the field;it’sthe onlyhope of abetterlife ina
harsh world. TheQuiet Man paintsa much differentpicture.JohnFordusesalotof brightcolorsto
showa cheerful Ireland.The widecamera shotsof the Irishsceneryshow the romanticgreen
countryside asalmosta fantasyland.Itpaintsapicture of the landAmericanslongtolive-in,awayfrom
the dailygrindof theirrealities.
Violence isakeytheme inbothmovies,butisportrayedindifferentways. TheField shows
violence assomethingveryserious.Atfirstthe violence ispetty:adonkeyiskilled,cartiresare slashed,
but people die before the end(Cochran,2009). By no meansisviolence somethingtobe laughedabout.
There are twofacesto violence in TheQuietMan.The flashbackscene toAmericashowsthe
horror on Sean’sface whenhe seeshe’skilledsomeone.ViolenceinAmericaisreal withreal
consequences.However,inthe simplevillage of Inisfree,violence isn’tsoserious. The final showdown
betweenSeanandDanaherisplayful,evencomedic.Theyeventake abreaktoshare a drinkinthe pub.
At the end,theycome home togetherforsupper.

4. The Field doesa goodjobhighlightingthe drudgeryof everydaylife.It’sclearthatto maintain
the field,the Bull andhisson,Tadgh,mustwork hard.This isincontrast to those in The Quiet Man.
Work ismentioned,butnotreallyaworryfor anyone.Noone isworriedaboutstarving.The Bull wants
the fieldtosurvive,while Danaherwantsitmore forpersonal gainandprestige.
Despite all the differences,thereare several commonthemes;elementsthatbothdirectors
believedwere neededtodescribe Ireland. Theyare describingthe same countyafterall.Stereotypes
people have aboutotherplacesorpeople are oftenbasedoff alittle truth.
The most commonIrishstereotype isdrinkingatthe pub.The QuietMan usesMichaeleen Flynn
to highlightthe Irishknackfordrinking.Ontwooccasionshe claimstohave a drythroat as an excuse to
drink.The horse stoppingabruptlyatthe pub indicatesthathe spendsmostof histime there. TheField
has little emphasisondrinking;however,the pubisstill the commonmeetingplace of the town. Itis
clearthat drinkingisan importantpartof Irishculture.
Both movieshave examplesof unspoken,informal rules.In TheQuiet Man, Seanhasto learn
aboutthe Irishcourtingandmarriage customs.Theyaren’tformal laws,buttheyare a way of doing
thingsthat are strictlyfollowed(unlessnoone islooking).Seanfailstounderstandthe importance of his
wife’sdowry. He keepssayinghe doesn’tcare aboutmoney,buthe completelymissesthe point.In The
Field, no one daresto bidon “the Bull’sfield.”There isnolaw preventingthem, butthere are
consequencesforpursuingsuchanaction.The onlyone whodaresbidon the fieldisthe American,who
istotallyoblivioustothe local customs.Hisactionseventuallyleadtohisdeath,justlike Sean’sactions
leadto a dispute withhiswife.
The Irelandshowninbothmovieshasminimal technological advances.Buildingsdon’thave
electricity,andautomobilesare mostlyabsent. InTheField, onlythe Americanhas a car, emphasizinghis
wealthandpushfor modernism.In TheQuiet Man,Seansuggestsgettingatractor,but hiswife

5. complainsthattheirsmellyandpricey;theysimplyaren’tworththe hassle.It’snotjustthatthe Irish
don’thave any money;theyrejectmodernismforthe wayof life theyknow.
The lack of technologycontributestothe people almostbeingcut-off fromthe world.People
flockto anythingmildlyinteresting,asif nothingimportantusuallyhappens.WhenSeangoestofinally
confrontDanaher,the whole townfollowshim, andthe old man,whoappearsto be dying, rushesoutof
bedto see the commotion. Whenthe crane showsup in The Field, the people flocktoit,presumably
because they’ve neverseenanythinglike itbefore.The Birdevencomparesittoa dinosaur.
The central theme to The Field isthe importance of land;however, TheQuietMan alsoplacesan
emphasisonthisidea.LandownershipinIrelandiseverything.Itshowswealthandsocial status,aswell
as simplyameansto survive.Historically,the Irishhave hadalotof landtakenfromthem. Followingthe
Treatyof Limerickin1691, only14% of the landwasleftinCatholichands(González,1992). They’ve had
to fightforit, as the Bull discussesinone scene.Landownershipisthe initial catalystforthe fightsthat
occur in bothmovies.
AmericansandIrishsee Irelandincompletelydifferentways,butthe directorsof the twofilms
may notbe the bestrepresentationsof theirrespectivecountries. JimSheridanspentagoodportionof
hislife livinginCanadaandthe UnitedStates. JohnFordwasonlya firstgenerationAmerican,his
parentscomingfromIreland.He wasraisedCatholic,spentalot of time inIreland,and on occasion liked
to thinkof himself asIrish. TheQuiet Man wasconsideredUn-Americanbymany.Insteadof immigrating
to Americatoseeka betterlife,Seanleavesitfora betterlife inIreland.Seandescribesthe steel millsof
Pittsburghandtheir“pigironfurnacesso hotit makesa man forgethisfearof hell.” The difference
betweenIrelandandAmericaforSeanisthe same as the difference betweenheavenandhell (Schwartz,
2013). So to describe the perspectivesastrulyIrishandtrulyAmericanmaybe stretch,buteach tellsthe
storyin a way onlysomeone fromtheirowncountrywould.

6. Despite the similarities,JohnFordandJimSheridanhave leftuswithtwoverydifferentIrelands.
The place we are from changesourperspective of the world. These differenceshighlighthow people
fromAmericaand IrishviewIreland.Itisthisdifferencethatleadstosomuch misunderstandingof the
real world.

7. Works Cited
Cassidy,C.(2003). DeathinKerry:The StoryBehindThe FieldbyJohn. RTÉ.
Cochran,P. (2009). The QuietMan and The Field. Word Press,2, 1-4.
Ford, J., Cooper,M. (Producers),&Ford,J.(Director).(1952). The Quiet Man [Motionpicture].United
States:RepublicPictures.
González,R.(1992). The Unappeasable HungerforLandin JohnB. Keane'sThe Field. Revista Alicantina
de EstudiosIngleses,5, 83-90.
Keane,J.(1991). The Field. MercierPress.(Original workpublished1965)
Pearson,N.(Producer),&Sheridan,J.(Director).(1990). The Field [Motionpicture].UnitedKingdom:
Granada Films.
Ryder,S.(2009). Modernity’sOther:The QuietMan,The FieldandThe Commitments. Liffey Press.
Schwartz,B. (2013). The Subversive St.Patrick'sDayClassic. New Republic.
Walsh,M. (1935). The QuietMan. Appletree Press,125-150.