Early Throwback Thursday- St Patrick’s Day Edition-The Quiet Man (1952)

There are some movie stars that are so iconic, that even the mere mention of their name conjures up certain images.

John Wayne is one of them.

In 1952, he decides to change movie genres. Re-paired with frequent leading lady Maureen O’ Hara, they were cast in the John Ford film, The Quiet Man.

Sean Thornton (John Wayne) was born in Ireland, but left with his family as a young child. A generation later, he returned as an American boxer to reclaim his family’s land and move on from the past. He does not expect to fall in love with and marry Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara). Their relationship gets off to a rocky start and is not helped by Mary Kate’s ill tempered brother, Squire “Red” Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), who is determined to keep them apart.

I have mixed feelings about this movie. While I love this on-screen pairing, I have to remind myself that this movie was made in 1952. But the chemistry between the Wayne and O’Hara is electric.The fact that this movie was filmed on location and not on a sound stage just adds another level of reality to this film.

I recommend it.

 

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Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule Book Review

History is often written by the dominant voices of the time.  But sometimes, we need to pull back the curtain to hear other voices who are not as dominant.

Best selling author Jennifer Chiaverini latest book, Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule was released a few weeks ago.  The book pulls back the curtain on the dominant white men of the era to tell the stories of two women, one black and and one white.

Julia Grant (nee Dent) was the wife of the Civil War General and 18th President Of The United States Ulysses S Grant. Jule (originally named Julia, but shortened to Jule) was purchased for Mrs. Grant when she was a young girl to be her ladies maid. They grew up as sisters, but the reality of their world was a bitter pill to swallow, especially for Jule. While Julia reveled in her role as mother and wife to the man who would be both a General and  a President, Jule felt trapped by the constraints the slavery held on her.

Written in vivid detail and colorful storytelling, the author bring back to life the world that existed before, during and after the Civil War. I was instantly hooked into the journey of the characters.  History can often feel staid and boring, as if we are disconnected from the events of the past. This book connects the reader to a time and place that does not exist anymore and reconnects them to people whose mortal coils have long since shuffled off this world.

I highly recommend it.