Reviews of movies directed by John Ford.
Friday, June 20th 2008
Grade: C-
Synopsis: A married anthropologist (Grace Kelly) and a chorus girl (Ava Gardner) fight over a white hunter (Clark Gable) in Africa.
Time has not been kind to Mogambo. The overwrought melodrama, grainy jungle footage, and 1950’s sensibilities are all glaringly obvious fifty some years later, and, were it not for the combined star power of Clark Gable, Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner, Mogambo would be entirely forgettable.
Director John Ford seems unsure just how best to combine the script’s two stories, one an adventure showcasing the wilds of Africa, and another involving a man torn between good-girl Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner. Perhaps he should have taken a cue from John Huston and just made two separate movies, as Huston’s two films, The African Queen (1951) and The Night of the Iguana (1964), combined tell a similar story and manage to age amazingly well. MORE »
Posted at 12:55 PM in Movie Reviews and John Ford.
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Friday, May 23rd 2008
Grade: B-
Synopsis: The estranged wife (Maureen O’Hara) and son of a Calvary officer (John Wayne) join him at a fort out west.
Rio Grande was something of a throwaway film for director John Ford. While it’s now considered part of the director’s “Calvary Trilogy,” at the time, Ford made the picture as part of a deal in order to secure financing for his pet project, The Quiet Man. Thus, it’s understandable that Rio Grande is somewhat thinner than Ford’s other Calvary pictures, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Fort Apache.
That’s not to say Rio Grande isn’t entertaining, far from it. Leads John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara are dynamite together, and the supporting cast includes great turns by Ben Johnson and Victor McLaglen, both of whom played different characters with the same names in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Ford handles the action well, and the script includes a great, action packed third act that leaves a very pleasant taste in your mouth once the credits roll. MORE »
Posted at 12:19 PM in Movie Reviews, John Ford and John Wayne.
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Thursday, May 22nd 2008
Grade: C
Synopsis: A group of merchant seamen endures the early days of World War II.
The Long Voyage Home is an entertaining melodrama, provided you can accept John Wayne as a Swede.
At the time, The Long Voyage Home was only John Wayne’s second pairing with director John Ford, after his breakout performance in Stagecoach (1939), and though he has top billing, Wayne’s role is essentially a minor character in an ensemble story. Thus, it’s easy to see how audiences of 1940 probably had an easier time swallowing Wayne as a naïve, lumbering Swede –accent and all. Nowadays, it’s near impossible.
That said, the film is a nice little melodrama, featuring some excellent effects during the storm sequences, and great turns from Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter and Ward Bond. MORE »
Posted at 6:25 PM in Movie Reviews, John Ford and John Wayne.
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Tuesday, May 20th 2008
Grade: C-
Synopsis: A slow-witted Irishman (Victor McLaglen) sees his world crumble around him after he informs on a fellow countryman.
The Informer is an uneven, moody melodrama from director John Ford.
The film starts off pretty shaky. Victor McLaglen, a regular of Ford’s, is good in the lead, but the female supporting cast’s tendency to overact can be grating. Fortunately, the film settles down and finds its stride as mediation on guilt and loyalty.
And once it clicks, The Informer proves to be very potent, as McLaglen’s character’s slow, painful descent into a hell of his own making is relentlessly compelling. MORE »
Posted at 4:30 PM in Movie Reviews and John Ford.
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Wednesday, April 23rd 2008
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A folksy judge (Will Rogers) outwits his rivals in a small southern town.
Judge Priest is somewhat similar to star Will Rogers and director John Ford’s previous pairing, Doctor Bull (1933). Again, Rogers plays a folksy professional facing upheaval within a small town, but Judge Priest is much lighter in tone than Doctor Bull, and, as such, works better.
Will Rogers is perfect as the titular character, and his natural charm carries the film well. The supporting cast is a mixed bag though, as Tom Brown is a little stiff as Rogers’ character’s nephew, though Berton Churchill and Henry B. Walthall are excellent as Rogers’ character’s chief rival and the town Reverend respectively. MORE »
Posted at 12:13 PM in Movie Reviews and John Ford.
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