My Darling Clementine

John Ford is the undisputed great when it comes to westerns. His collaborations with John Wayne are the ones that have stood the test of time. Sure, there have been the likes of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood in the years to come, but Ford is frequently the first name that comes to mind when westerns are concerned.

My Darling Clementine sometimes isn't held in the same regard as Stagecoach or The Searchers. (Probably because it doesn't star Wayne.) Perhaps it's because the film's easily the most human of the entire western genre, a trait seldom applied to others.

Being the first post-war production for both Ford and star Henry Fonda, My Darling Clementine also displays a sense of maturity frequently found in works from this time in Hollywood. Both established and emerging names were coming home from the war, and they wanted the movies they worked on to be real.

My Darling Clementine doesn't rely on the violence so much as other westerns did in the years to come. Instead, Ford focuses more on the myth of the Wild West as it slowly builds up to the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral. (That's a detail you can only find in a Ford film.)

It doesn't take much to see that My Darling Clementine is another of Ford's many great films. Gorgeously shot by Joseph MacDonald, it's the kind of picture you need to see at least once in your lifetime.

My Rating: *****

The Long Gray Line

Stagecoach. The Grapes of Wrath. The Quiet Man. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. These are just a few prominent titles among John Ford's filmography. Of course when there's a career that lasted for over half a century, there are those titles that frequently get overshadowed.

Take for instance The Long Gray Line. It was released the year before The Searchers and a few years after the Korean War ended. (Incidentally, it was released the same year as Mister Roberts, which Ford half completed before being replaced by Mervyn LeRoy.) And it has a few known traits if Ford's other films (acknowledging Ford's Irish heritage is a big one here), so that alone should be worth a look, yes?

By this time in Hollywood, many of its stars (both established and rising) had served in World War II and some of their work alluded to that. Such is the case with Tyrone Power in The Long Gray Line. (And of course Ford himself was involved in the war too.)

Now Power by this point in his career was trying to move away from his matinee idol status and he did have some success several years earlier. He's good here though his Irish accent either waivers or has him sounding more like James Doohan on Star Trek. (It's really telling when he shares a scene with Maureen O'Hara.)

The Long Gray Line has its moments but it's definitely lesser Ford. It's similar to the likes of Yankee Doodle Dandy with its storytelling methods but it feels stretched out here. Still, the work from Ford, Power and O'Hara warrant at least a look.

My Rating: ****

Stagecoach

There were many directors who could gorgeously and effortlessly capture the Old West (Hawks, Leone), but none could top John Ford. He could blend action and character study with complete ease. He was definitely one of a kind.

Want the best proof of his magic? Try Stagecoach, which many call one of the best titles of 1939. It's pretty easy to see why that is. Who else but Ford could mix Bert Glennon's cinematography and the work of the many actors with no problem whatsoever? No one, that's who.

Speaking of the actors, they're great. John Wayne is his usual badass self with a touch of heart thrown into the mix. And he's one of the many draws of Stagecoach. My personal favorite was Claire Trevor as a frowned-upon prostitute. I mean, you can't help but feel sorry for her.

Early in the film, Thomas Mitchell tells Trevor, "We're the victims of a foul disease called social prejudice." Amusingly, the portrayal of social outsiders is a common theme for Ford. (It also depicted quite wonderfully in The Grapes of Wrath.) Here in Stagecoach, those characters are very much the strongest ones in the bunch.

Stagecoach is another great title from Ford's extensive filmography. (And that's saying a lot because of all those films he made.) Every element just works wonders. I shouldn't be explaining every great thing about it. Go watch it yourself to witness a staple in cinema (and to understand why Orson Welles watched it 40 times before making Citizen Kane).

My Rating: *****

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

With Westerns, there's always that certain theme running throughout. Most of the time, the theme involves the main character(s) and their morals.

Such is the case with John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. When Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) first arrives in the town of Shinbone, he's shocked at the lack of backbone against violent bandit Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Stoddard is fresh out of law school, so he's looking to have Valance thrown in jail.

The only person in Shinbone that's both for and against Stoddard's ideas is Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). He agrees that Valance needs to be put behind bars, but claims (as with the rest of Shinbone) that Valance is impossible to capture without a fight. Like that's going to stop Stoddard.

It's interesting with Stewart and Wayne cast alongside each other. For someone who has seen enough movies with each of them, they both have a different way of creating an understanding between them and others. With Stewart, he'll use talking and logic as a way to understand the heart of the matter. Is it the same with Wayne? Hell no. With him, it's either agree with him or get slugged.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance shows how one's morals can either stay put or shift, especially when the going gets rough. Ford has done such a theme before, particularly in The Grapes of Wrath. Here, he has mastered the theme.

My Rating: *****

The Searchers

Long before Clint Eastwood became synonomous with kick-ass westerns, John Wayne held that honor. And today, many still believe he continues to hold that honor.

Ethan Edwards (Wayne), returning from the Civil War to the ranch of his brother, hopes to find a home with his family and to be near the woman obviously but secretly loves. But a Comanche raid destroys these plans and Ethan sets out, along with his 1/8 Indian nephew Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), on a years-long journey to find the niece kidnapped by the Indians under Chief Scar (Henry Brandon). But as the quest goes on, Martin begins to realize that his uncle's hatred for the Indians is beginning to spill over onto his now-assimilated niece. Martin becomes uncertain whether Ethan plans to rescue Debbie (Natalie Wood)...or kill her.

With this being only the second John Wayne movie I've seen (the first being Red River), I have managed to develop a greater appreciation for westerns. It's gripping from beginning to end and the action definitely delivers.

My Rating: *****

The Grapes of Wrath

Although I've only seen three of his movies, I know enough that Henry Fonda is a very talented actor. It kind of shocks me that he was only nominated for an Oscar twice (three times if you count that producer credit for 12 Angry Men).

Tom Joad (Fonda) returns home after spending time in jail to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his uncle's farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new life...hopefully.

I really loved Fonda's performance as Joad. You always root for him. Jane Darwell was also very good as Ma Joad, particularly with her speech at the end of the movie. John Ford's directing makes you feel like you're in the Great Depression. Although the mood throughout is bleak and depressing, it's still uplifting in a majority of parts.

My Rating: *****