Ken Loach directs Barry Ward, Simone Kirby and Jim Norton in this glorification of a rural Irish communist. 

A minor movie from Loach but also one of his most beautiful and likeable ones. A red flag The Quiet Man for all intents and purposes, catnip to me. You get plenty craftsy period lushness, peaty rainsoaked romance moments and cheeky escapes. You also suffer from Loach’s habit of casting authentic people rather than pro actors in support roles. Here the amateurs really struggle and detract. Sure, it is all viewed through rose tinted glasses and a thick layer of one sided lefty beatification… but then why shouldn’t normal people who fought for education, solidarity and social freedom be treated like saints in this movie age of winsome princesses and billionaire vigilantes?

7