Thank you, TCM
I am a definite fan of John Ford's work, from the beautiful backgrounds that highlight his westerns to depth of understanding that marks his most serious work. This collection includes one piece one would term 'serious,' "Cheyenne Autumn." The desperate flight of the Cheyenne group is seen largely through the sympathetic eye of Richard Widmark's army officer, with some divergence into a full third-person perspective (including sections with a voice-over) to fill out the events of the trek. The film is deeply moving, with curious flecks of comedy (the Dodge City episode) serving to highlight the absurdity of the American concern with persecuting a few starving Indians.
"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is a western standard, notable for John Wayne, Ben Johnson, and others 'doing their thing' and for the near-peaceful resolution of the immediate conflict. The location work is beyond compare, with the thunderstorm on the desert a highlight.
"Wagon Master" with Ben Johnson and Ward...
All in all, a good bargain
I bought this 4-movie set primarily for Wagon Master and 3 Godfathers having seen neither of them. All four movies are classic John Ford westerns and are all good in their own way.
Wagon Master is the only one in black and white but Ben Johnson, Ward Bond, and Harry Carey Jr. make you forget all about that. The scenery is spectacular and the plot was decent: Mormons being driven out of one town to settle in another area. Ben Johnson is always a treat to watch as he was a true, honest-to-goodness cowboy and it shows in every movie he was in. Harry Carey Jr. is perfect as his sidekick and Ward Bond is the crusty, short-tempered Mormon leading the wagon train. All in all, a good actioner.
3 Godfathers is a departure from regular westerns. Three friends who have robbed a bank and are running from the law come across a woman who's about to give birth. She entrusts the baby to them and the story goes from there. The movie was made in 1948 and introduces Harry...
Get it for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon if nothing else
Nice, bargain priced collection of John Ford. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon has some of his best cinematography (up there with The Searchers and Cheyenne Autumn) and one of John Wayne's greatest performances. Wagon Master is another solid Ford (supposedly one of his personal favorites), that gives his usual cast (Harey Cary, Ward Bond, Joanne Dru, Ben Johnson, et al) a chance to shine on their own. Anyway it's a pretty good collection for the money.
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