Reviews of movies directed by John Ford.
Monday, July 21st 2008
Grade: B-
Synopsis: PT boat captains (Robert Montgomery and John Wayne) defend the Philippines against the Japanese in World War II, despite little initial support from Navy brass.
They Were Expendable is a different kind of war film, in that it feels more like a “slice of life” war picture rather than a traditional story. While the dangling plot threads and non-ending will no doubt be off-putting for some, the film is better because of them. Director John Ford handles the scope of the picture well, framing the character’s individual struggles against the greater battle for the Philippines, and the lack of a traditional plot allows him to capture the uncertain nature of life during wartime. MORE »
Posted at 3:22 PM in Movie Reviews, John Ford and John Wayne.
No responses
Friday, July 18th 2008
Grade: B
Synopsis: A cavalry captain (John Wayne) nearing retirement, leads a final patrol to stop a pending Indian attack.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is a beautifully photographed and solidly built western that marks the second part of director John Ford’s informal “Cavalry Trilogy.”
Perhaps inspired by John Wayne’s performance in Howard Hawks’ Red River one year earlier, Ford has the Duke in age makeup, playing an old Cavalry officer on the verge of retirement. Wayne’s fun in the role, but lacks the gravitas he would acquire with age and use to great effect in later films like The Searchers (1956) and Rio Bravo (1959). That said, Wayne still works because the film as a whole is fairly lighthearted. It’s stagy, but in a familiar, comforting way, like a bedtime story that substitutes soldiers for knights and marauding Arapaho Indians for dragons. MORE »
Posted at 4:38 PM in Movie Reviews, John Ford and John Wayne.
No responses
Friday, July 11th 2008
Grade: B
Synopsis: A man (John Wayne) moves home to Ireland and falls in love with a woman (Maureen O’Hara) whose ornery brother picks a fight.
Despite the presence of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, biggest star of The Quiet Man is Ireland itself. The scenery is amazing, and director John Ford takes full advantage of it.
Majestic landscapes aside, The Quiet Man is also notable for the great tandem of John Wayne and Victor McLaglen. McLaglen, one of the few men who can match Wayne both in terms of presence and stature, provides the perfect foil, and their climatic battle is a cinema classic, even though Ford obviously, and unwisely, sped up the film in some parts. MORE »
Posted at 6:59 PM in Movie Reviews, John Ford and John Wayne.
No responses
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.
No responses
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.
No responses
← older | newer →
