In 1996, "The Quiet Man" topped an "Irish Times" poll for the best Irish film of all time. This book involves both critical analysis of aspects of "The Quiet Man" as myth, commodity and fetish and the celebration of a film that has sustained considerable academic attention and popular appreciation since its release in 1952.

This book involves both critical analysis of aspects of The Quiet Man as myth, commodity, and fetish and the celebration of a film that has sustained considerable academic attention and popular appreciation since its release in 1952. Among the topics considered are the complexity of the film's relation to Ireland. Irish literature, and to John Ford's other films; its perceived place with regard to indigenous Irish cinema; and the phenomenon of its circulation and reception as a cult film over the years.