MoMA Presents Revisiting The Quiet Man: Ireland on Film May 20-June 3

The Museum of Modern Art and Irish Film Institute presents Revisiting The Quiet Man: Ireland on Film, running May 20 through June 3, 2011, in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters as part of Imagine Ireland: Culture Ireland's Year of Irish Arts in America 2011. The exhibition, curated by renowned Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, takes The Quiet Man (1952), John Ford's iconic portrayal of rural Ireland, as the starting point for an exploration of representations of Irish identity in cinema. Byrne has identified key themes in the film-an emigré's sense of "home," politics, the role of women, religion, and Irish identity-and selected films from and about Ireland that further develop and amplify them. The Quiet Man is emblematic of the American representation of Ireland that dominated international perceptions of the country until 1958, when the establishment of Ireland's national film studios allowed Irish filmmakers to express their own voices and visions. This exhibition presents alternative depictions of Ireland on screen and provides a multifaceted view of America's complex cinematic relationship with the Irish.

The exhibition opens with The Quiet Man, Ford's romantic and rollicking vision of a pastoral Ireland that tells the story of a returned ex-boxer trying to settle back into the land of his birth and marry the girl of his dreams. A discussion with Byrne and other special guests will follow the screening on May 20. The documentary Dreaming The Quiet Man (2010), directed by Sé Merry Doyle, features contributions from well-known commentators and film-makers, including Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Jim Sheridan, and Maureen O'Hara, as they wrestle with the fifty-year legacy of Ford's signature Irish-American film. The festival also includes such highlights as Ken Loach's class-conscious historical drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), winner of Cannes Film Festival's Palme D'Or; John Ford's critically acclaimed The Informer (1935), winner of four Academy Awards; Jim Sheridan's biographical film In the Name of the Father (1993); Peter Mullan's The Magdalene Sisters (2002), winner of Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion Award; and Steve McQueen's Irish political drama Hunger (2008).

Revisiting The Quiet Man: Ireland on Film is curated by Gabriel Byrne. Presented by The Museum of Modern Art and Irish Film Institute as part of Imagine Ireland: Culture Ireland's Year of Irish Arts in America 2011. This program is facilitated by Charles Silver, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art; Sunniva O'Flynn, Curator, Irish Film Institute; and Sarah Glennie, Director, Irish Film Institute.

Hours: Films are screened Wednesday-Monday. For screening schedules, please visit our Film Exhibitions.

Film Admission: $10 adults; $8 seniors, 65 years and over with I.D. $6 full-time students with current I.D. (For admittance to film programs only.) The price of a film ticket may be applied toward the price of a Museum admission ticket when a film ticket stub is presented at the Lobby Information Desk within 30 days of the date on the stub (does not apply during Target Free Friday Nights, 4:00-8:00 p.m.). Admission is free for Museum members and for Museum ticketholders.

Public Information:
The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019, (212) 708-9400