2020 Blind Spot Series: The Grapes of Wrath

Based on the novel by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath is the story of a family who deal with the loss of their farm during the Great Depression as they move to California to become migrant workers as they deal with the new reality of their lives. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, the film is an exploration of a family dealing with a loss that is bigger than themselves as they struggle to adapt to their new reality as they also learn they’re not alone in what had been lost. Starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Dorris Bowdon, John Qualen, and Eddie Quillan. The Grapes of Wrath is a haunting yet majestic film from John Ford.

The film revolves around a farming family who had lost their land due to the circumstances of the Great Depression as they move from their home in Oklahoma to California to become migrant workers as they deal with not just the harsh reality of their situation but also the fact in how mistreated they are as well as many others who are going through similar situations. It’s a film that follows this family as they deal with not just losing their land that they lived for many years but also trying to start a new life that has little to offer as they’re forced to go on the road. Nunnally Johnson’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it is told largely through the perspective of Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) as a man who had just been paroled from prison after a four-year stint for killing a man in a fight as he returns to his family home to realize it had been abandoned with his parents living at his uncle’s home with the rest of the family. The first act is about the Joad family and Tom’s discovery of what is happening as old family friend Muley Graves (John Qualen) reveals what happened to him as his family had already left for California and why the Joad family has decided to move to California.

The trip from Oklahoma to California would be one of loss, revelation, and adversity as the Joad family would also learn that a lot of people as far as Arkansas have been making the journey to California and have suffered the same trials and tribulations the Joad had endured. Joining the Joad in this road trip is the former preacher Jim Casy (John Carradine) who would have his own revelations of his own in what he sees as it relates to the injustices migrant workers have to face such as wages being decreased and not having a lot of say in what they can do. There are also these moments where there are characters who have to do things they’re not proud of for money as it play into Tom’s own awareness of what is happening as he would go into his own revelations in the film’s third act upon the moment he and his family would go to work camps as it is more about the quality of life and the needs of those who want to work and have a good life.

John Ford’s direction doesn’t aim for anything glossy nor wanting to romanticize the period of the Great Depression as he just goes full-tilt into the harshness of the Dust Bowl and life in the American Midwest and in California during these tough times. Shot on various locations in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and California and on the legendary Route 66 which is a major character in the film. Ford uses the wide shots to get a scope of these locations but also in this idea that California is this land of promise though Grandma Joad (Zeffie Tilbury) has a different opinion. Ford also play into this optimism that is carried in the film but it does get replaced with an air of cynicism until he finds a balance between the two as it would play into Tom’s development. Even as he is someone that already has a criminal record and can be short-tempered who is trying to maintain control but starts to seethe in rage over the injustices that is happening around him.

Ford’s usage of the medium shots and close-ups also play into a lot of the drama including a conversation with a former migrant worker who left California as he reveals what the Joads would face as the reality of their surroundings and these camps are in terrible condition. Ford would often have scenes on the road as well as a shot of the Joads driving through these camps as it has this stark tone that feels real as opposed to something extravagant that would expected in a Hollywood film. The direction also has Ford play into this idea of communism but it’s only briefly hinted as it is more about Tom and what he sees as well as the need for not wanting any more trouble. Still, he can’t un-see all of the injustice he suffers as the film does have bleak elements but Ford provides these touching moments that are defiant in the human spirit. Overall, Ford crafts a visceral yet rapturous film about a farming family moving to California to find a new life during the Great Depression.

Cinematographer Greg Toland does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it play into this stark naturalism of some of the scenes in the camps as well as its usage of available and low-key light as well as shadows for some of the interior/exterior scenes set at night as it is a major highlight of the film. Editor Robert L. Simpson does amazing work with the editing as it is largely straightforward yet it allows shots to play into some of the drama and suspense while maintaining a rhythm to help heighten up some intense moments. Art directors Richard Day and Mark-Lee Kirk, with set decorator Thomas Little, do brilliant work with the look of the camps as well as the homes of the Joad as well as the agriculture camp in the third act

Costume designer Gwen Wakeling does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the ragged look of the characters as well as a refined look for some of the people in authority. The sound work of Roger Heman Sr., Edmund H. Hansen, and George Leverett do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as sounds of trains and gunfire as it help play into the suspense. The film’s music by Alfred Newman is terrific for its usage of folk-inspired instruments as much of the score is based on the traditional song Red River Valley with the accordion and harmonium as the basis for the score while its music soundtrack largely consists of folk songs of the time with consultation from the folk music legend Woody Guthrie.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast as it feature some notable small roles from Ward Bond as a policeman, Selmer Jackson as an inspection officer, Joseph Sawyer as a ranch foreman, John Arledge as a young man who drives a caterpillar tractor to destroy Graves’ home because he needs the money, Daryl Hickman and Shirley Mills in their respective roles as the young Joad children in Winfield and Ruthie, Frank Darien as Uncle John Joad, Frank Sully as John’s son Noah, Zeffie Tilbury and Charley Grapewin in their respective roles as Grandma and Grandpa Joad, Eddie Quillan as Rose’s husband Connie, and O.Z. Whitehead as Tom’s younger brother Al. John Qualen is superb as family neighbor Muley Graves as a man who had lost his home and had been hiding at the old Joad home as he deals with what he lost and why he has no interest in going to California. Russell Simpson is superb as Pa Joad as a man who is filled with hope and optimism about going to California as he is forced to deal with reality while trying to maintain some hope for everyone else in the family.

Dorris Bowdon is fantastic as Rose of Sharon as Tom’s cousin who is hoping to start a new life as she struggles with her pregnancy but also hopelessness. John Carradine is brilliant as Jim Casy as a former preacher who joins the Joads on the road as he does what he can to help them while also coming to terms with the many injustices he sees in his journey. Jane Darwell is phenomenal as Ma Joad as Tom’s mother who tries to comprehend everything that is happening around her while being this glue to the family as well as a moral compass as there’s a radiance to her performance that includes the film’s final monologue as it just this touching yet powerful moment in the film. Finally, there’s Henry Fonda in a tremendous performance as Tom Joad as a man who had just been paroled as he tries to stay away from trouble as well as help his family any way he can while dealing with a lot of the prejudice and injustice that he sees as he feels compelled to wanting to do something not for himself but for those who are suffering as it is an iconic performance from Fonda.

The Grapes of Wrath is a magnificent film from John Ford that features great performances from Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, Greg Toland’s ravishing cinematography, emphasis on realism, and its study of inhumanity during the Great Depression. It is a film that explore a period in time when people are trying to find work and survive only to realize that they’re not alone in this endless cycle of movement and having to find work while realizing that they have the power to make their own decisions during those dark times. In the end, The Grapes of Wrath is an outstanding film by John Ford.

© thevoid99 2020

Young Mr. Lincoln

Directed by John Ford and written by Lamar Trotti, Young Mr. Lincoln is the story about the early life of Abraham Lincoln where he is a lawyer dealing with a murder case as it would define his character and what he would do later on. The film is a look into the life of the man who would later become one of the American Presidents as he is played by Henry Fonda in the first of many collaborations with Ford. Also starring Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Arleen Whelan, Eddie Collins, Pauline Moore, and Richard Cromwell. Young Mr. Lincoln is a riveting and intoxicating film from John Ford.

Set mainly in 1837 Springfield, Illinois, the film revolves around Abraham Lincoln who has just started a law firm with John Stuart (Edwin Maxwell) where a murder occurred during an Independence Day celebration where a deputy had been killed following a fight with two young men. It’s a film that plays into a man who is destined for great things as he takes his first steps into greatness yet remains humbled in his pursuit of doing what is right. Lamar Trotti’s screenplay begins in 1832 in New Salem, Illinois where Lincoln is trying to decide what he wants to do where he is encouraged by this then-flame Ann Rutledge (Pauline Moore) to embark in studying law just before she would pass. Much of Trotti’s script play into Lincoln’s time in Springfield as he’s trying to settle small matters as well as be someone the town can count on.

Even as these two brothers in Matt and Adam Clay (Richard Cromwell and Eddie Quillan, respectively) had gotten into a fight with deputy Scrub White (Fred Kohler Jr.) who is killed where their mother Abigail (Alice Brady) witnessed what happened but isn’t sure. With the Clay brothers in trouble and to be hanged, it is Lincoln who is willing to defend them for Abigail Clay while wanting to get an understanding of what had happened as he is able to get the brothers a fair trial to defend them. The script also showcase Lincoln having encounters with the woman who would become his wife in Mary Todd (Marjorie Weaver) who is often accompanied by a future political rival of Lincoln in Stephen Douglas (Milburn Stone).

John Ford’s direction is largely simple in its compositions and setting where it is a more intimate film with a few wide shots of some of the locations that was mainly shot in soundstages in Hollywood. Ford would use close-ups and medium shots to maintain an intimacy into the way Lincoln interacts with other characters including what he does in Springfield such as judging pies and taking part in activities relating to the Independence Day celebration. Yet, it would be overshadowed by the fight between White and the Clay brothers as the former had been harassing one of their sisters earlier that day as it’s a scene that Ford would shoot on a wide shot to get perspective of what is happening and what Abigail sees as there is a confusion into what had happened. There are scenes that play into Lincoln’s personal life as well as his encounters with Todd as Ford would maintain this simplicity yet it is the film’s climatic trial scenes that showcase the air of drama and tension that looms. Especially where Lincoln who is handling his first case is aware of what he’s up against yet he uses common sense and reasoning to get what he’s needed where Ford just captures the tension but also this air of determination to do what is right that would define Lincoln as a man. Overall, Ford crafts a rich and engaging film about the early life of Abraham Lincoln.

Cinematographers Bert Glennon and Arthur Miller doe brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its rich look for some of the interiors in the day as well as the interior scenes at night including the jail cells the Clay brothers were staying at. Editor Walter Thompson does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in terms of its rhythmic cuts for dramatic effect as well as a few humorous moments in the film. Art director Richard Day and Mark-Lee Kirk, with set decorator Thomas Little, do fantastic work with the look of the courthouse, Lincoln’s law office, and other buildings to create 1830s Springfield. Costume designer Royer does amazing work with the costumes from the suit and big tall top hat that Lincoln wears to some of the lavish dresses that Mary Todd wears.

Makeup artist Clay Campbell does nice work with the look of Lincoln from his chin and moles as well some of beards and sideburns men had at the time. The sound work of Eugene Grossman and Roger Henan is terrific for its approach to sound in how gunfire would sound from afar as well as some of the quieter moments in the trial. The film’s music by Alfred Newman is wonderful for its somber yet elegant orchestral score that is largely driven by string arrangements while musical director Louis Silvers provides a soundtrack that mainly features a lot of the traditional music of the times.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Spencer Charters as the trial judge Herbert A. Bell, Fred Kohler Jr. as Deputy Scrub White who would harass one of the Clay sisters that would eventually lead to a fight with the Clay brothers and his death, Donald Meek as Prosecutor John Felder trying to prove that the Clay brothers murdered White with intent, Richard Cromwell and Eddie Quinlan in their respective roles as Matt and Adam Clay, Arleen Whelan as their sister Alice, Eddie Collins as a local in Efe Turner, and Milburn Stone as Lincoln’s future political rival Stephen A. Douglas who is also a rival vying for the affections of Mary Todd. Ward Bond is terrific in a small role as Deputy White’s friend John Palmer Cass as a man who claims to saw what happened while raising questions about what he really saw.

Pauline Moore and Marjorie Weaver are fantastic in their respective as Ann Rutledge and Mary Todd with the former being a guide to Lincoln in his career and the latter being someone interested in the man as someone who is driven and determined. Alice Brady is excellent as Abigail Clay as the mother of the Clay brothers who saw what happened but is in conflict to reveal the truth as she doesn’t want to put one or both of her sons in jail. Finally, there’s Henry Fonda in a phenomenal performance as Abraham Lincoln as a man who would become a lawyer as he tries to make sense over a murder case as well as meet the people he’s defending where Fonda displays this air of sensitivity and humbleness as a man that just wants to do what is right and be helpful to everyone.

Young Mr. Lincoln is a spectacular from John Ford that features a great performance from Henry Fonda. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous photography, and its story of a young Lincoln trying to be a man that people can count on. It’s a film that showcases a man who would be great as he would take his first steps but also keep his feet on the ground to know that he’s just trying to be a good man. In the end, Young Mr. Lincoln is a sensational film from John Ford.

© thevoid99 2019

2017 Blind Spot Series: The Lady Eve

Based on the story Two Bad Hats by Monckton Hoffe, The Lady Eve is the story of a con artist who boards an ocean liner to con a rich heir only to fall for him. Written for the screen and directed by Preston Sturges, the film is a screwball comedy that is set in an ocean liner where a woman is torn in her feelings for this heir as well as doing the job. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, Martha O’Driscoll, Melville Cooper, William Demarest, Janet Beecher, and Eric Blore. The Lady Eve is a whimsical and delightful film from Preston Sturges.

The film follows a woman who is part of a trio of con artists with her father and a friend of her father’s as they target the heir of a popular ale brewery who is socially-awkward due to his fascination for snakes rather than women. It’s a film with a simple story as it explore a woman pretending to fall in love with this man only for things to not go her way as she becomes conflicted in her feelings to do her job as well as falling for him. Preston Sturges’ screenplay explores not just who Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) is as this man that just arrived from South America to an ocean liner in carrying a rare snake. He’s also this man who is quite naïve and shy around women until a woman accidentally trips him in Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck) who woos him as she is really targeting him for his money. Jean pretends to be a rich woman with her father (Charles Coburn) pretending to be a colonel yet Pike is accompanied by his minder/valet Muggsy (William Demarest) who is suspicious towards Jean and her father.

Sturges’ script would be filled with some stylish dialogue that is very playful as well as carry the story as much of the first is about Pike’s attraction to Harrington as well as the growing conflict in Harrington as she is on the ship. The film’s first half mainly takes place on the ocean liner from South America to New York City as the second half takes place in parts of the city as well as the countryside where Pike lives with his rich father Horace (Eugene Pallette). It is where the film takes a bit of a change in tone where it would become funnier once Harrington would take part in another con game as it becomes something extremely comical with Pike being the cuckold all of a sudden.

Sturges’ direction definitely has some elements of style though much of the compositions he creates in the film are quite straightforward. Shot mainly in soundstages, Sturges would play into some of the light-hearted moments that goes on throughout the film as he would use some wide shots for scenes involving big crowds or for a party scene during its third act. Yet, he would emphasize mainly on medium shots with some close-ups to play into the moments between Pike and Harrington as they get to know each other or be involved in something comical. Sturges would also allow these scenes to play out in a few minutes for some shots so that it can focus on the actors reciting dialogue and not show too much or cut immediately during a conversation. For the film’s third act revolving around a party, Sturges would create gags that are very inventive as he knows where to show the joke and moments that do bring in big laughs. Especially as it relates to Pike dealing with the situation he’s in as it relates to Harrington as well as the con he is being roped into with Harrington becoming more torn over her love for Pike. Overall, Sturges creates a witty yet heartfelt film about a beautiful con artist falling for her mark in a socially-awkward ale brewery heir.

Cinematographer Victor Milner does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white photography in the usage of lights for many of the interior scenes including the party scene in the third act. Editor Stuart Gilmore does brilliant work with the editing as it is very straightforward in playing up to the humor and some of the dramatic moments it would use some rhythmic cuts for some of the funnier moments of the film. Art directors Hans Dreier and Ernst Fegte do fantastic work with the look of the sets such as the dining room in the ocean liner to the interiors at the Pike family mansion.

The costumes of Edith Head does amazing work with the look of the suits that Pike wears as well as the dresses and gowns of Harrington. The sound work of Harry Lindgren and Don Johnson do terrific work with the sound as it is quite straightforward with the exception of a few created sounds for the ship and cars. The musical direction of Sigmund Krumgold is wonderful as it features an array of music from different composers as the music ranges from some light-hearted orchestral pieces to bits of jazz and the pop music of the times.

The casting by Robert Mayo is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Luis Alberni as Pike’s chef, Robert Grieg as Pike’s butler, Martha O’Driscoll as Pike’s maid, Janet Beecher as Pike’s mother, Melville Cooper as Mr. Harrington’s associate Gerald, and Eric Blore as a fellow con artist who claims to be a royal in Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith. William Demarest is superb as Pike’s minder/valet Muggsy as a man whose job is to watch out for Pike as he is suspicious about Harrington and her father as he provides some very funny moments. Eugene Pallette is terrific as Pike’s father Horace as a man that is trying to make sure his son finds the right woman while providing some big laughs such as a scene about the whereabouts of his breakfast.

Charles Coburn is fantastic as Mr. Harrington as a man pretending to be a colonel in an attempt to swindle Pike from his money as he wonders what his daughter is doing being aware of her own internal conflict. Finally, there’s the duo of Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Charles Pikes and Jean Harrington. Fonda provides this very low-key approach to his performance as someone that is quite shy and awkward where it his reactions that are funny while he proves to be adept in performing physical stunts. Stanwyck’s performance exudes charm as she says some of the funniest lines as well as be quite seductive and cool where she is a joy to watch. Fonda and Stanwyck together display have some great chemistry and comic timing as they are the highlights of the film.

The Lady Eve is a spectacular film from Preston Sturges that features incredible performances from Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck. Along with its witty script, dazzling comic sequences, and top-notch visuals, it’s a film that is a fun romantic comedy that play with the conventions while providing moments that are funny. In the end, The Lady Eve is a rapturous film from Preston Sturges.

Preston Sturges Films: (The Great McGinty) – (Christmas in July) – Sullivan's Travels - (The Palm Beach Story) – (The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek) – (Hail the Conquering Hero) – (The Great Moment) – (The Sin of Harold Diddlebock) – (Unfaithfully Yours) – (The Beautiful Blond of Bashful Head) – (Vendetta (1950 film)) – (The French, They Are a Funny Race)

© thevoid99 2017

2016 Blind Spot Series: Fort Apache

Based on the short story Massacre by James Warner Bellah, Fort Apache is the story of a cavalry officer who is asked to help his commander from preventing a war between the cavalry and the Native Americans during the Indian Wars. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by Frank S. Nugent, the film is the first of a trilogy of films devoted to the cavalry in the American West during the late 1800s where it explores two men with different views and tactics trying to work together to avoid conflict with the Native Americans. Starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Victor McLagen, Ward Bond, Pedro Armendariz, and John Agar. Fort Apache is a riveting and thrilling film from John Ford.

Set in the late 1800s after the American Civil War and during the Indian Wars between various Native American tribes and the American Cavalry. The film revolves around a lieutenant-colonel who arrives to Fort Apache to command a cavalry as he deals with his role as well as trying not to mess with a treaty involving the Apaches. Still, he finds himself having to deal with the way the fort is run as well as those trying to adhere to his rules where a captain finds himself at odds with his commanding officer but doesn’t want to stir trouble. It’s a film that isn’t just about two men who have different ideas of how to run things but also what to do from preventing a war. Especially as it relates to dealing with the Apache where Lt. Colonel Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) knows very little about while Captain Kirby York (John Wayne) is someone that sees the Apache as just people wanting to live in peace.

Frank S. Nugent’s screenplay doesn’t play into the conflict of ideologies in Lt. Col. Thursday and Cpt. York but also how would affect the way the fort is run as the latter is trying to play nice and not question the former. Among those living in the fort is Lt. Col. Thursday’s daughter Philadelphia (Shirley Temple) who takes a liking to the young Lieutenant Mickey O’Rourke (John Agar) whose father Sgt. Major Michael O’Rourke (Ward Bond) is a leader of the regiment that also includes men he fought with in the Civil War as part of the Irish Brigade. Lt. O’Rourke’s attraction towards Philadelphia makes her father uneasy not because he’s protective but also due to class prejudice that would eventually upset Sgt. Major O’Rourke at one point as he had tried to do what his superior officer had said much to the chagrin of some of his men. There is also some unique complexities to the characters where Lt. Col. Thursday is seen as egocentric and arrogant but is also a man that is aware of what he has to do despite his reluctance to lead this regiment.

The script also shows complexities in Captain York where despite being an officer that is often friendly with his fellow soldiers while sometimes having dinner with the O’Rourke family. He is still a man of duty and does what is asked without question where he does have to take the criticism of the men who revere him. When it comes to dealing with the Apache following an incident that left two soldiers killed as it relates to the actions of a corrupt agent in Meacham (Grant Withers). The ideologies of Captain York and Lt. Col. Thursday start to go at odds where the latter sees the Apache as savages while the former sees them as real people who don’t want conflict. The film’s third act is about this conflict between the cavalry and Apache where there is an air of respect when they meet before battle but it also show the flaws of Lt. Col. Thursday in dealing with someone like Cochise (Miguel Inclan) as Cpt. York made a deal with him as it also leads to the concept of honor which is something that starts to be questioned during the film’s climatic battle.

John Ford’s direction is truly mesmerizing for the way he captures the American West where he shoots the film largely at Monument Valley in Utah with some of the locations set in California. The locations definitely have a grand look to it as Ford takes advantage of the locations to play into its beauty as there’s a lot of depth of field in the wide and medium shots as well as creating compositions that are just gorgeous. The attention to detail in the wide shots from the way the clouds look above the desert to a wide shot of the entire regiment ready for battle with the wives looking on the balcony in the background. It’s all part of the world that Ford creates as it says a lot to what was happening in those times where it was this uneasy conflict where the American government tried to instill their own rules towards the natives as Lt. Col. Thursday is a representation of that ideology. There are these moments that are intimate as the first scene involving Cpt. York has him in a dance with the officers and soldiers along with their wives as it shows him as someone who is very open and friendly to the soldiers.

It’s a very interesting way in how Ford introduces a major character as opposed to Lt. Col. Thursday and his daughter as they’re introduced when they’re riding on a stagecoach on their way to Fort Apache. It’s among some of the intriguing moments in the film while Ford isn’t afraid to put some humor as it relates to some of the soldiers and how they found some whiskey that they’re supposed to get rid of. The film’s climatic moments involving the cavalry and the Apache are quite intense with its sprawling usage of the dolly tracking shots to capture the chases as well as the wide shots to play into the scope of these battle scenes. The way Ford was able to present the climax is nothing short of astonishing as it has a lot of what is happening but also destroy some of the mythical aspects that is the American West. Overall, Ford crafts an exhilarating and compelling film about two cavalry officers dealing with their different ideas of conflict while dealing with the Apache.

Cinematographer Archie Stout, with un-credited work from William H. Clothier, does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the beauty of the daytime exterior scenes as well as some unique lighting for some of the interiors set at night. Editor Jack Murray does excellent work with the editing with its usage of dissolves and fade-outs for structural reasons along with some rhythmic cutting for the action. Art director James Basevi does amazing work with the design of the fort as well as some of the houses and such in the desert to play into the look of the West. The sound work of Joseph I. Kane and Frank Webster is superb for some of the natural elements in the locations along with the way the bugles sound and some of the more broad elements in the action involving gunfire. The film’s music by Richard Hageman is fantastic for its bombastic orchestral score with its usage of string arrangements and brass section to play into some of the moments of action along with the usage of traditional music for some of the more intimate moments.

The film’s incredible cast include some notable small roles from Irene Rich as Major Sgt. O’Rourke’s wife, Anna Lee as Captain Collinwood’s wife who knew Lt. Col. Thursday’s wife, Movita as Lt. Col. Thursday’s cook Guadalupe, Guy Kibbee as the surgeon Captain Wilkens, and Miguel Incan as the famed Apache warrior Cochise. Victor McLagen is terrific as Lt. O’Rourke’s godfather Sgt. Mulcahy who likes to drink and have fun as he doesn’t like Lt. Col. Thursday while Pedro Armendariz is superb as Sgt. Beaufort as a former Confederate who aids Captain York in talking with the Apache. Grant Withers is wonderful as the scheming agent Silas Meacham who had caused trouble with the Apache as he’s disliked by many though is protected by the government much to Cpt. York’s dismay.

George O’Brien is fantastic as Cpt. Sam Collinwood as an old friend of Lt. Col. Thursday who tries to deal with what his superior wants as well as making the move to transfer to another company. John Agar is pretty good as Lt. Mickey O’Rourke as a young lieutenant, who like Lt. Col. Thursday is a West Point graduate, who is trying to find his footing while falling for Philadelphia much to her father’s dismay. Ward Bond is excellent as Major Sgt. O’Rourke as Lt. O’Rourke’s father who was part of the revered Irish brigade during the Civil War as a man who is proud of his duty as a soldier only to find himself at odds with Lt. Col. Thursday over class. Shirley Temple is brilliant as Philadelphia Thursday as Lt. Col. Thursday’s daughter who falls for Lt. O’Rourke while trying to understand the ideas of duty as she is just fun to watch.

Henry Fonda is great as Lt. Col. Owen Thursday as this officer who is trying to do his duty and do everything he is asked where he is also arrogant in his ways as it’s a very chilling role from Fonda who intentionally plays a man that looks stiff in the way he looks and does things but it is one of his finest performances. Finally, there’s John Wayne in a phenomenal performance as Captain Kirby York as this man that has encountered and knows a lot about the Apache as he tries to help Lt. Col. Thursday every way he can while swallowing some of his pride to do his duty unless he knows something isn’t right as it’s Wayne at his best.

Fort Apache is a sensational film from John Ford that features top-notch performances from John Wayne and Henry Fonda. With a great script, a superb supporting cast, and gorgeous visuals, the film isn’t just one of Ford’s great westerns but also a study of ideologies and myths surrounding the American West. In the end, Fort Apache is a tremendous film from John Ford.

© thevoid99 2016

2015 Blind Spot Series: My Darling Clementine

Based on the novel Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal by Stuart N. Lake, My Darling Clementine is the story of the O.K. Corral shoot-out where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday go up against the infamous Clanton Gang. Directed by John Ford and screenplay by Samuel G. Engel and Winston Miller from a story by Sam Hellman, the film is an exploration into the code of the West as a man tries to maintain law and order in the unruly world as well as deal with a group of criminals. Starring Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Linda Darnell, Cathy Downs, Tim Holt, Ward Bond, John Ireland, and Walter Brennan. My Darling Clementine is a rich yet engrossing film from John Ford.

Set in 1882 in Tombstone, New Mexico, the film plays into the legendary OK Corral shootout between the Clanton Gang and the town’s marshal Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and Doc Holliday (Victor Mature). A shootout that is considered one of the most legendary tales of the American West. Yet, the film is a dramatic account of what happened where it begins with Wyatt Earp and his brothers that include Virgil (Tim Holt), Morgan (Ward Bond), and James (Don Garner) driving cattle to California where they stop at the town of Tombstone. Things get complicated when Wyatt finds James killed along with their cattle stolen prompting Wyatt to become the town’s new marshal as he held the job at another town while dealing with the Clayton Gang led by its father (Walter Brennan).

The film’s screenplay by Samuel G. Engel and Winston Miller doesn’t rely entirely on historical facts as the actual showdown happened a year earlier. Instead, it’s about a man trying to do what is right in a world that is unruly as he only stopped by to get supplies and a shave where he is the only person that doesn’t just stand up to the Clayton Gang but also keep things in order. Even as he would get the aid of the town’s doctor/gunslinger Doc Holliday whom he would befriend but also have a friendly dispute with. Still, the two would together to deal with the brutish presence of the Clayton Gang who would often have things their way but Earp knows that he can’t stop them unless he has evidence to take them down. At the same time, Holliday deals with a former flame, whom Earp is smitten by, as well as the advances of a saloon singer as it plays into the different world of women who are trying to live their lives where men are often the dominant species in the West.

John Ford’s direction is very entrancing for the way he presents the world of the West in its sense of beauty but also with a sense of terror. Shot on location in Monument Valley, the film does play into a world that feels like a period in time where the West is still in its infancy as towns are popping up and people are trying to live decent lives. Yet, there is also the sense of unruliness as a lot of the cowboys go to saloons to drink and gamble while wondering if someone crazy will disrupt their sense of peace. The direction has Ford bring a lot of attention to detail in not just the landscapes but also in his approach to framing in the way he would put an actor into a frame whether it’s in a wide or medium shot. It adds to the sense of how vast the world of the West is and why it has this balance of rules and no rules which is quite exciting in some respects. The direction also has Ford create some unique compositions in the way he presents his actors in not just the use of close-ups but also in how they interact with one another.

Most notably scenes involving Earp and Holliday sharing a drink as they try to understand each other as well as the tension between the saloon singer Chihuahua (Linda Darnell) and Holliday’s old flame Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs) at a saloon where Chihuahua is sneering at her with Carter not doing anything. Ford’s presentation of the drama is simple he adds a sense of intensity into the action and shootouts including the climatic showdown at the OK Corral. It’s a moment where it’s not about the violence but rather strategy and to see if Earp can convince the Clayton Gang’s leader to surrender and serve time or suffer the consequences as the results are very riveting as it plays to the idea of justice in the West. Overall, Ford creates a sensational and compelling film about a man trying to do what is right in the unruly world of the American West.

Cinematographer Joseph MacDonald does incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography to play into the look of the West and its many locations along with some unique lighting for the scenes set at night as it is one of the film‘s major highlights. Editor Dorothy Spencer does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with some unique rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s dramatic and suspenseful moments. Art directors James Basevi and Lyle Wheeler, with set decorator Thomas Little, do amazing work with the look of the saloons and buildings in the town of Tombstone as it plays into the world of the West as well as the church that is being built during that time.

The costumes by Rene Hubert are fantastic for the look of the clothes the men wear as well as the dresses that the women wore in those times. The sound work of Eugene Grossman and Roger Heman is superb for not just in the sound effects but also in how things sound on location and in the scenes at the saloons. The film’s music by Cyril Mockridge, with music direction by Alfred Newman, is brilliant for its bombastic orchestral score as well as traditional music of the times provided by Newman as it includes some of the songs that were made during those times.

The film’s cast is great as it features some notable small roles from J. Farrell MacDonald as the bartender Mac, Jane Darwell as a kind restaurant owner Kate Nelson, Roy Roberts as Tombstone’s mayor, and Alan Mowbray as a visiting stage actor who arrives to entertain the locals only to be harassed by the Clayton Gang. John Ireland and Grant Withers are terrific in their respective roles as two of the Clayton brothers in Billy and Ike while Don Garner is noteworthy as the youngest Earp brother James who is killed early in the film. Tim Holt and Ward Bond are fantastic in their respective roles as the elder Earp brothers in Virgil and Morgan who aid Wyatt in keeping Tombstone safe. Walter Brennan is excellent as the Clayton patriarch Newnan Haynes Clayton as the head of a gang leader who makes sure that his boys do whatever it takes to rule the town as well as get whatever he wants at any cost.

Linda Darnell is wonderful as the saloon singer Chihuahua who is a lover of Holliday that is eager to be with him as she contends with Clementine’s presence as well as Earp’s sense of control. Cathy Downs is brilliant as Clementine Carter as a former flame of Holliday who comes to town to see him as she is greeted with kindness by Earp whom she befriends. Victor Mature is amazing as Doc Holliday as a skilled gunslinger/doctor with a serious illness to tuberculosis that sort of owns the town yet copes with feelings for Carter as well as Earp’s new sense of control as he would admire the man for sticking to his guns and do what is right. Finally, there’s Henry Fonda in a magnificent performance as Wyatt Earp as Fonda brings this very straightforward yet lively approach to the character as there is bits of humor in his performance but he’s all business as it’s one of Fonda’s finest performances.

My Darling Clementine is an outstanding film from John Ford that features an incredible performance from Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp. Along with great supporting work from Victor Mature, Cathy Downs, Linda Darnell, and Walter Brennan. The film isn’t just a compelling film that explores the ways of the West but also a man trying to maintain a sense of law and order in a world that is out of balance. In the end, My Darling Clementine is a spectacular film from John Ford.

© thevoid99 2015

How the West Was Won

Directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall and written by James R. Webb, How the West Was Won is a five-part story about the life of a family told through four generations in the development and migration of the American west. Narrated by Spencer Tracy, the film is a mixture of the epic films of mid-20th Century mixed in with the broad canvas of the western. Starring Carroll Baker, Walter Brennan, Lee J. Cobb, Andy Devine, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Harry Morgan, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, and Richard Widmark. How the West Was Won is a majestic yet sprawling film from John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall.

The film is a five-part series that tells the story about one family in the course of fifty years that would shape the American west through various periods in American history. All of which plays into the lives of a few people in the family known as the Prescotts where they travel on the Erie Canal to find a new home where two sisters would later take different paths in the second act. One goes to California to claim a piece of land she’s inherited with a gambler while the other settles into farm life with a trapper she fell for during her family’s journey in the river. The story then moves into the 1860s where the son of these women becomes part of the Civil War and later a cavalryman dealing with the changing times and the arrival of the railroad until he would meet his aunt for the very first time in the final part of the story.

It’s all part of James R. Webb’s extraordinary story about a family living in a period where the American west is discovered as they also endure the many changes in those fifty years as it’s told by Spencer Tracy as his narration only fill in moments about what has happening in America instead of the story about the Prescotts. All of which is separated in five parts with the first part being about the Prescotts at the Erie Canal and the treacherous journey they take where one of the daughters in Eve (Carroll Baker) falls for a trapper named Linus (James Stewart). The second part is about Eve’s sister Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and her journey through the prairies where she and a gambler named Cleve (Gregory Peck) go to the west to get some land she’s inherited. The third part is about Eve’s son Zeb (George Peppard) and his encounter with the Civil War as he becomes a key player in the fourth and fifth part where he deals with the railroad where he meets an old friend of his father in Jethro Stuart (Henry Fonda).

It would play into this family’s encounter with history and how times are often changing in the West as they deal with the chaos of the Civil War, conflict with the Native Americans over the railroad, and also criminals and bandits over cattle and such. Notably as Zeb in the film’s third act realizes the horrors of war and the greed that comes into play involving the railroad as he definitely carries a sense of pride and honor that his father and uncle would carry in their lives. Even in the fifth and final part where he meets his aunt Lilith for the very first time while having to deal with a criminal named Charlie Gant (Eli Wallach) who has a grudge with Zeb.

The film’s direction is definitely vast in not just its composition but also in the way it wanted to tell a story about the development of the American west. Shot in the curved-three screen projector that was known as Cinerama, the film has this truly grand scale to capture not just the landscape of the American west but also the moments that shaped that world in the span of five decades. Under the vision of three filmmakers, with transitional scenes helmed by Richard Thorpe, the film does have this sense of unification in the filmmaking while each director does bring in their own ideas to the story to add that sense of epic storytelling. The Civil War segment is helmed by John Ford as it features not just some extravagant battle scenes but also some intimate moments where Zeb encounters the horror of war while meeting a Confederate drifter (Russ Tamblyn) as it’s a very telling piece to display Zeb’s sense of loss and his desire to find himself in an ever-changing world.

The railroad segment is helmed by George Marshall as it displays a lot of dramatic tension and some very intense scenes involving a buffalo stampede which would play to Zeb’s resolve over the conflict between the railroad company and a tribe of Native Americans. The rest of the film is helmed by Henry Hathaway who maintains the same sweeping vision like his other filmmakers as he also creates his own ideas that includes some intense moments involving the Prescotts in the rapids as well as other suspenseful moments such as Gant’s attempted train robbery. All of which plays to the grand spectacle of the west as the overall results is a very sensational yet engaging film about a family living in the changing times of the American west.

Cinematographers William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Charles Lang Jr., and Joseph LaSelle do fantastic work with the film‘s very colorful and vast cinematography to capture the vast beauty of the different landscapes in the American west along with some amazing shots set at night and the interiors to display some of the film‘s vibrant look. Editor Harold F. Kress does brilliant work with the editing in not just bringing some energy to some of the shootouts and battle scenes but also going for a methodical approach to some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Art directors George W. Davis, William Ferrari, and Addison Hehr, along with set decorators Henry Grace, Don Greenwood Jr., and Jack Mills, do excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the rafts in the first segment to the farms and buildings made during the film‘s duration and how it would evolve over time.

Costume designers Walter Plunkett and Ron Talsky do terrific work with the costumes from the showgirl costumes that Lilith wear in the second segment along with her dresses to some of the more low-key costumes most of the characters wear in their journey. The special visual effects work of A. Arnold Gillespe and Robert R. Hoag do nice work with the visual effects for the scenes set in the river rapids despite the fact that it sort of looks fake given the primitive technology that was used at the time. Sound editor Van Allen James does superb work with the sound to capture the extravagance of some of the gunfights and battles along with more intimate moments in some of the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Alec Newman is wonderful for its array of themes from broad and sweeping to more serene yet somber in their orchestral arrangements while the soundtrack also includes lots of traditional folk and country songs some of which are actually sung by Debbie Reynolds.

The film’s cast is phenomenal as it features some small but notable appearances from Lee Van Cleef as a river pirate, Harry Dean Stanton as a member of Gant’s gang, Raymond Massey in a brief scene as Abraham Lincoln, Harry Morgan as General Ulysses S. Grant, Russ Tamblyn as a Confederate deserter that Zeb meets, Carolyn Jones as Zeb’s wife Julie in the fifth segment, Thelma Ritter as Lilith’s traveling companion Agatha Clegg, and John Wayne in a small yet amazing performance as General William Tecumseh Sherman who gives a great monologue about not giving up the Civil War. Other noteworthy and memorable performances include Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead as Lilith and Eve’s parents in the first segment, Walter Brennan and Brigid Balzen as a couple of river pirates, Robert Preston as a wagon master who tries to win Lilith’s heart, and Lee J. Cobb as a marshal who reluctantly helps Zeb to battle Gant.

Eli Wallach is excellent as the smarmy criminal Charlie Gant who is eager to cause trouble for Zeb Prescott while Richard Widmark is terrific as an immoral railroad baron who is more concerned with making money with the railroad no matter what the cost is. Henry Fonda is great in a small but memorable role as Linus’ old friend Jethro Stuart as a man who helps Zeb out over the conflict between the railroad and a Native American tribe as he would also help Zeb find his way in life. Gregory Peck is superb as the gambler Cleve Van Valen who is smitten by Lilith as he hopes to do whatever it takes to make her a proud woman. James Stewart is brilliant as the trapper Linus Rawlings who helps out the Prescotts in navigating the river while dealing with river pirates as he falls for Eve.

George Peppard is wonderful as Zeb as a man who has the same sense of pride and honor like his father Linus while dealing with the chaos in the changing times he encounters. Carroll Baker is amazing as Eve Prescott as a woman who falls for Linus as she deals with the dangers of the river. Finally, there’s Debbie Reynolds in a remarkable performance as Lilith Prescott as a woman who is very tough as well as talented as she is someone trying to define herself as a woman while finding a good man in Cleve as she later helps Zeb’s wife in the way Zeb is when it comes to action.

How the West Was Won is a sensational film from John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall. Thanks to its sprawling vision, engaging story about a family encountering historical moments in the course of five decades, and a brilliant ensemble cast. The film is definitely an epic-western that has to be seen in a big screen or a big TV to display its vast images. It’s also a film that explores the life of a family and how they manage to define themselves in the American west no matter how troubling it is. In the end, How the West Was Won is an incredible film from the trio of John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall.

© thevoid99 2013

Once Upon a Time in the West

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Extensive Revisions.

Directed by Sergio Leone and screenplay by Leone and Sergio Donati, with English translation by Mickey Knox, from a story by Leone, Dario Argento, and Bernardo Bertolucci, Once Upon a Time in The West is the story about an outlaw and a mysterious man protecting a woman from hired killer who is trying to attain a piece of land for a railroad baron. The film serves as Leone's first part of a trilogy about the changes of American life as well as an exploration into revenge and gain. Starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Once Upon a Time in the West is a grand yet operatic western from Sergio Leone.

At a desert far from the town of Flagstone, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) prepares for a feast as he's set to pick up his new wife Jill (Claudia Cardinale). Suddenly, a gang of gunslingers arrive to kill the McBain family as its led by its leader in Frank (Henry Fonda). Jill arrives at the town of Flagstone via train from New Orleans as she waits for the arrival of McBain as she ends up taking a ride from a local named Sam (Paola Stoppa) where they stop at a bar where she hears a mysterious man (Charles Bronson) playing the harmonica as another man named Cheyenne (Jason Robards) arrives with his gang. Jill watches Cheyenne confront the mysterious man known as Harmonica as she continues to ride with Sam to the McBain home where she learns about what happened. After the local sheriff finds evidence believing that Cheyenne is the killer, Jill decides to stay at the McBain home.

After news spread about the McBain massacre, Harmonica tortures a man named Wobbles (Marco Zuanelli) who reveals information about who killed the McBain family as it relates to the involvement of a paralyzed railroad baron named Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti). Morton isn't happy about what Frank and his gang did as they conspire to own the entire railroad system so that Morton can have a legacy to hold on to as they learn that Jill has arrived. After hearing Harmonica's playing, Jill attempts to leave only for Cheyenne to arrive at his home with his gang where they talk about her life in New Orleans as Jill realizes that Cheyenne isn't the killer. Harmonica later arrives after Cheyenne's departure as he reveals some information about what happened to McBain. Harmonica and Cheyenne decide to work together to figure out what Frank and Morton are up to while Jill makes a discovery of her own about the land her late husband had bought.

Frank kidnaps Jill for his own reasons as he tries to convince her to sell the McBain land at an auction that is held until Harmonica arrives with a tied-up Cheyenne to get the reward money so he can buy the McBain land. Jill realizes there is a connection between Frank and Harmonica as Frank's alliance with Morton falters as Frank discovers about the plans McBain had fro the land. This would eventually lead to a showdown between Frank and Harmonica as Cheyenne watches from afar realizing that the days of the West is about to end.

In Leone's past trilogy of Westerns with Clint Eastwood, he wanted to reveal what was great about the genre while giving it a fresh coat of European sensibility in terms of its violence. For this particular film, Leone clearly wanted it to be not just his best Western but a tribute to the genre itself. Leone aimed for an operatic end of the genre by making the film play as a background where it's the time where the railroad starts to emerge where it's the start of modernization and the end of the West. In some ways, the film is considered to be a political film by Leone since the railroad is where the power is. In many ways, it's Leone's most complex film among his Westerns while the structure and plot is a bit more simple.

The script's structure and timing might seem slow to some viewers but its pacing and observation is deliberate to the way Leone tells his story. The credit for hashing out Leone's script is his co-writers in Sergio Donati and Mickey Knox plus contributions from Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento. What the script reveals is Leone's transition from action-driven, stylized Westerns to more dramatic elements that helped evolve his unique ability as a storyteller. While there's only a few main characters of the film, they're all wonderfully developed and fully realized in their intentions and in the presence they bring. Particularly the way heroes and villains are portrayed as multi-dimensional characters. Cheyenne and Harmonica aren't true good guys since Cheyenne is a fugitive who does bad things but at least has his own morals while Harmonica is a bit more vicious since he's here for far more personal reasons in a vendetta.

Part of Harmonica's story is told in flashback since his objective is to find Frank where it eventually reveals itself in a flashback and how he got the name. The main villain of Frank is truly one of the most chilling villains in the history of cinema. Notably for his lack of remorse as he is willing to kill anyone including women and children without no pretenses and morals. He is a sadist and he doesn't have a care in the world except for money and pride. While another villainous character in Morton is in the story, he's not that much of a villain since he has his own morals and his desire to dream of a legacy. Plus, he’s the brunt of abuse in his already tumultuous business relationship with Frank where all Frank cares for is money and power. The real hero of the film is the most unlikely hero of any of Leone's film and that is in the part of a woman.

In the films prior to this one, the women Leone had were often portrayed as hookers or mothers trying to take care of their children. For this film, his main protagonist is a woman where she ends up becoming an unlikely heroine. Not with shooting or playing cowboy but a woman who isn't playing a just a former hooker, but someone who ends up helping create a lost dream while maintaining her dignity. It's in not just the script of Leone but his wandering direction that allows the characters to connect while making them their own as characters that audiences can care about or totally dislike. In his epic vision, Leone aims for a scope where all the tricks he used in previous films work for him where he goes from a close-up of a house and then have the camera move to show an entire town in one long shot.

Leone's love for conventional Western cliches, notably the shootouts are done with great style while making them unconventional at the same time. He starts off with a near-ten minute opening where for a while, nothing happens until Harmonica arrives playing this haunting, harmonica melody. Then, the film immediately opens with a shootout. Even the final shootout between Harmonica and Frank is done with great complexity about the history that reveals a key point to the film's plot in Harmonica's hatred for Frank. Its his presentation that gives voice to the Western while declaring it dead at the same time. While his love for many Westerns including the ones by John Ford are mentioned, he also breaks them to give the genre a great send-off where we understand some of Frank's motives for not wanting the McBain dream to stay alive. In many ways, what Leone would do for ending the West with Once Upon a Time in the West. Sam Peckinpah would confirm it even more in its ideology a year later for his 1969 film, The Wild Bunch.

Helping Leone out in his epic, visual-scope is his longtime cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. Colli's widescreen photography is not very good when its shown on a fullscreen format but on widescreen, the presentation is beautiful. Taking advantage of the light from the sun in many of the film's exterior settings and giving the interior a grungy yet true atmosphere to the genre. The photography in the film is wonderfully authentic in every frame. Two more of Leone's longtime collaborators also do great work in their respective trade. Longtime art director/costume designer Carlo Simi whose presentation of the Western towns and bars is wonderful in its detail while his creation of the Flagstaff town is rumored to be worth more than the entire budget of Leone's first Western in A Fistful of Dollars. Simi's costume work is great while giving Henry Fonda a great look to his villainous persona and doing great work on the clothing of Claudia Cardinale.

Editor Nino Baragli whose iconic cutting style in The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly is used to great form as he does great work in dissolves and transitional cuts to create a wonderful atmosphere and pacing to the film. Helping with the film's sound work are Fausto Ancillai and Claudio Maielli who help create the atmosphere of the West. Notably, the film's first scene where the sound is amazing from its windmills, creaking chairs, and the noise of a fly. The makeup team of Alberto and Giannetto de Rossi do great work in getting the tanning look to help create the heat of the West along with the red sand of the American West.

The final key collaborator of all of Leone's great films is the work of music composer Ennio Morricone. The score of Morricone is divided into four themes to be played for its main characters. The first is a sweeping, operatic arrangement of strings for the character of Jill while Cheyenne gets a rhythmic, banjo-like guitar accompaniment that plays to the film's humor. The character of Harmonica has a theme to the tune of a haunting harmonica melody while Frank gets a droning, dorbo-like guitar riff when his character arrives. Each arrangement and note Morricone would put would often mix into some of the greatest score work ever assembled which he wrote just before the film was even made. Morricone aims for the same tone of opera and tension, notably in the film's final shootout where the arrangements are sweeping to convey the sense of momentum. In the end, it's one of the best film scores ever composed by the always brilliant Ennio Morricone.

Now we come to the film's amazing, large ensemble cast. While there's some nice, memorable roles from Claudio Mancini as Harmonica's brother and Dino Mele as the young Harmonica in a flashback sequence along with Marilu Carteny and Enzo Santaniello as the McBain children. There's some great performances from veteran Western character actors Jack Elam, Woody Strode, and Al Mulock in the film's opening sequence. Notable small roles like Paola Stoppa, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, and Marco Zuanelli are memorable as is Frank Wolff as the ill-fated McBain. The most memorable supporting role is the role of Morton by Gabriele Ferzetti. Playing a cripple, Ferzetti brings a complexity to his role of a villain who wants to hold on to a final dream as he keeps on hearing and looking at images of the sea. Ferzetti holds his own in many scenes, especially with Henry Fonda as its really two actors just acting with each other while being very comfortable. While he may not be known to Americans, Ferzetti holds a lasting impression.

Claudia Cardinale gives an amazing performance as the hooker with dignity known as Jill. While most of her dialogue was dubbed to cover up her heavy Italian accent, Cardinale still maintains a presence that is matched by her beauty while most of her performance is in reaction shots and observance. It's truly one of the best performances in any Western while she becomes an unlikely heroine despite her past as a hooker. Cardinale has great chemistry with her co-stars but its with Jason Robards that has the greatest impact of sensitivity. The late Jason Robards gives a great performance as the sensitive but dirty Cheyenne whose knowledge of morals and codes of the West brings a man with a lot of integrity despite his criminal background. Robards also plays the moral conscience in the film of sorts despite his deeds while he is the only one to calm someone like Harmonica and bring some good company to Jill. It's a great role from the late actor who also had a great performance in another Western, the often-underrated Sam Peckinpah film, The Ballad of Cable Hogue.

The late Charles Bronson is great in his role as the mysterious Harmonica. Bronson brings a dark, quiet presence to the film where the audience is aware that he's dangerous and he's got something up on his sleeve. His face also carries a sense of pain and mystery as he uses his body language to maintain a performance that is minimalist in its lack of emotions. It's truly an iconic performance from the late actor, who has been an icon in being a badass. The film's most shocking performance goes to none other than the late but legendary Henry Fonda. Throughout his career, especially in films like The Grapes of Wrath and 12 Angry Men, Fonda has played men of struggle and men who just wants to do and do the right thing. In this film, he does the exact opposite. Fonda uses the right look and tone to play a character that is pure evil from every of his intentions for his own gain. Fonda truly captures everything that a villain is needed to the point that he's a villain some can like despite his actions. It's truly one of his many iconic performances.

The 2003, 2-disc Special Edition Region 1 DVD from Paramount is truly one of the best packages of any DVD. Particularly since it's the uncut version of the film where the American release cut 25 minutes from the film in 1968 where in later releases, the scenes that got cut were restored. Presenting the film in the preferred widescreen format that is the only true way to watch a Leone epic. The film looks wonderful in all of its glory while its 16x9 aspect ratio is perfect for TV. With 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound plus restored mono audio in English and French along with English subtitles. The 2-disc set features the first disc presenting the entire film in all of its glory with its only special feature is a huge audio commentary track. The second disc is filled with several documentary shorts plus cast profiles, theatrical trailers, and photo galleries.

The first disc features a full-on audio commentary track with excerpts recorded separately from different places. On the commentary are film historians Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr. Sheldon Hall, film directors John Carpenter, Alex Cox, and John Milius, and from the actual movie, co-writer Bernardo Bertolucci and the film's star Claudia Cardinale. While John Milius and Claudia Cardinale had brief commentary tracks, they're wonderfully informative as Milius talks about his friendship with Sergio Leone. Claudia Cardinale comments on her love scene with Henry Fonda which she thought was a terrible day since she and Fonda were shooting the scene in front of journalists and Fonda's wife at the time. The shooting made things tense as Cardinale recalled though she had a good time with the legendary actor. She also talks about how Leone is compared to the great directors she worked with like Federico Fellini in 8 1/2 and Luchino Visconti.

Alex Cox and John Carpenter provide the more enjoyable commentaries as Cox talks about some of the scenes that got cut in the heavily-edited American version. Carpenter talks in a couple of scenes from a technical standpoint and his enjoyment of Leone's tracking and crane shots along with the editing and pacing style that was inspired the Japanese films of Kurosawa and Ozu. Bernardo Bertolucci also had a couple of cuts where he talked about the writing of the film and how pleased he was with the film's final cut while talking about his love for the Western genre as a kid and how Leone got him to regain his love for the genre after being enamored with the French New Wave. The more informative commentaries come from Dr. Sheldon Hall and most of all, Sir Christopher Frayling where they talk about the scenes that got cut while Frayling describes a lot of the mythology of the film. Plus, the noted references into the many movies of John Ford whom Leone loved among all Western directors while the harmonica playing is a reference to Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar.

The second disc of the DVD features several little documentaries relating to the movie. Three of them is about the film with interviews from Cardinale, Bertolucci, Cox, Carpenter, Milius, and Frayling along with late cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli and Gabriele Ferzetti. The first of the three-part documentary is a 30-minute segment called An Opera of Violence where Frayling discusses Leone's film background where his father was a silent film director and mother was an actress that did the first ever Italian Western. Leone would eventually become an assistant director for Mario Soldati in many Roman-like epics while doing some camera work in other movies like Cleopatra and Ben-Hur where Leone was part of the crew shooting the chariot scene. When Soldati died during production of a film, Leone took over to finish where he got to do his first ever film entitled Colossus of Rhodes in 1961.

Then in the early 60s, the Italian film industry went bust after the era of Roman epics were gone, Cleopatra just bombed while Luchino Visconti's Il Gatopardo also failed commercially. Frayling discusses that the Italian industry was at the time, an industry that will go on one trend and then make films of that same style. While there were films by Visconti, Federico Fellini, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Roberto Rosellini and Vittorio de Sica at the time, they weren't big commercial films. Then came Leone with the trilogy of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. The Italian industry went up and running again while Leone was becoming a hero. During the premiere for The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly in December 1966, Leone met with a then-new filmmaker named Bernardo Bertolucci and a local film critic from Rome named Dario Argento. Though Leone had planned to do an epic mob movie that would eventually become Once Upon a Time in America, he didn't want to do another Western.

Paramount from the U.S. convinced Leone thanks to the international buzz of his Western trilogy as he decided to do one more Western with help from Bertolucci and Argento. Bertolucci talked about how he came up with the idea of getting a female protagonist for the film which Leone resisted at first only to be won over by the idea. Claudia Cardinale discusses how she got contacted and how she wanted the part to be more complex and it helped the writing more. The documentary also features rare interview clips from Leone in 1984 when he was finishing Once Upon a Time in America and an old 1975 interview with Henry Fonda talking about taking the role for Once Upon a Time in the West. Part of a trilogy of the events that touched America, Leone wanted to pay homage to the West but also attack the American ideology while Alex Cox talked about the opening scene where there's a legendary story about the stars of The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly playing the part of the three men only to be killed in the first five minutes.

The second doc short for The Wages of Sin is a 20-minute segment where the discussion is on Leone's working style. John Carpenter, Cox, and Delli Colli discusses his precise detail for everything right. They discuss the photography style of Delli Colli as well as the work of the late art director/costume designer Carlo Simi. Frayling talks about while most of the film was shot in Spain with some interiors in Cinecetta studios in Rome. The famous shot of Jill with Sam riding through Monument Valley was one of the few scenes in America. Before shooting, Leone and Delli Colli went to America for a tour group to look at Monument Valley where Leone acted like a kid in a candy store since that's where John Ford shot some of his Westerns. Leone and his crew even went up to get the red sand from Monument Valley to use for the film. The segment also discusses the Leone close-ups and his canvas where Carpenter, Cardinale, and Frayling all feel it's the key to being a great storyteller.

The third and final part of the documentary is an 18-minute segment called Something to Do with Death where they discuss the music of Morricone where in this film, it was the first time he wrote an entire score just before the film was even shot. They discuss the themes he wrote and how Leone got inspired by them. The opening scene of the film originally was supposed to have music but the themes Morricone and Leone tried to use didn't work until Morricone went to a performance art show about a guy making sounds with ladders. There, it gave the idea for the film's opening scene with its array of amplified sounds. This leads to the discussion of the film's release where in Europe, it was a success but in the U.K. and U.S., it wasn't. Especially in America where they cut 20 minutes of the film for length reason, which would be the case for the remainder of his films in the years to come where they would get chopped up in the editing room.

The short six-minute featurette entitled Railroad-Revolutionizing the West is a short doc about the evolution of the railroad and its impact that it had on the West. Especially in its influence on the cinema where Alex Cox reveals that it talks about the process of industrialization where machines came and the beginning of the end of man. Two galleries appear for the DVD. First is a locations gallery to compare and contrast the locations of the film where many of the railway locations from Spain show no railroad but more grass. The McBain house looks more colorful while keeping the wood that was actually taken from a film by Orson Welles. The look of Monument Valley remains insatiable in its red look while the trail don't exist only as a path of sorts. The film photo gallery features black-and-white stills of the cast and crew working including a deleted scene that never made the final cut of Harmonica being assaulted by the town's sheriff.

Also included are the cast bios of the five main actors, French and English subtitles, and the original theatrical trailer for the film. Overall, this is a fantastic DVD though the only flaw is its packaging where both discs are on top of another and if anyone is trying to get the second disc. Get the first one out or you'll cause some scratches.

Once Upon a Time in the West is a majestic and outstanding film from Sergio Leone. Featuring incredible performances from Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. It is truly one of the great films that transcends the western genre as it also serves as a worthy introduction for anyone new to the western. The film also features amazing technical work as well as an awesome score by Ennio Morricone that is truly one of the great film scores ever composed. In the end, Once Upon a Time in the West is a remarkable film from Sergio Leone.

Sergio Leone Films: The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film) - The Colossus of Rhodes - A Fistful of Dollars - For a Few Dollars More - The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly - Duck, You Sucker! - Once Upon a Time in America

Related: Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone - The Auteurs #16: Sergio Leone

(C) thevoid99 2012