Regrettably, this video was just hit with two copyright claims. My options were to delete the video or to delete those copyrighted segments. I chose the latter option, and so that’s why the video might seem choppy now. Hopefully one day I can re-edit the entire thing, including my How the West Was Won video too perhaps, in some sort of John Ford Redux video. Let me know if anyone would have any interest in that. I’m sorry about this and for the diminished content. Hopefully everyone can understand and still enjoy the video in its current state. Thank you :)
Of course we understand. Those copyright strikes can be brutal and are frequently making the news headlines these days, a year since you published this video, in the way they’re both used and abused. It’s sad that strikes tend to be done automatically by algorithms now, rather than thinking people who might see that your use is fair, transformative and justified. And that it helps, not hurts, these companies. Studios sometimes act like the very people a John Ford hero would take down. I made an offer in the part 1 Ford video, under your thread, which was completely sincere. I hope you see it and let me know? It would be a small thing for me, but not so much for you. And it would make me very happy to help you in this small way, if you’ll accept? No strings, I promise.
@@ashroskell I saw your offer and it made my year! I can’t believe that, it would be the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me, and would inspire me greatly as I continue to make videos. Thank you thank you thank you!!! I hope you see my other reply and email me, I’m eagerly checking my inbox 🥹 Thank you Ash, from the bottom of my heart. And to answer your question, number 5 was The Quiet Man!! Which is also the movie I’ve talked most about on this channel haha, it’s come up in 4 separate videos!
I absolutely loved this video! Ford really made every film he did into art and his legend will live on forever in the film industry. This was such a great documentary. Thank you
A shame you didn't stretch it out to three episodes in which case it would've been your Ford Trilogy. Devoured this directly after watching your first installment. Yes, would dearly love to have an entire episode about the magnificent "How The West Was Won", the scenes between Grant and Sherman being a reboot of the "Colter Craven" episode of "Wagon Train" that Pappy directed in 1960 with Duke credited as "Michael Morris". Please keep us posted.
I would love to do an episode on “How the West Was Won,” and all of the Cinerama films. Your comment made me move that idea high on the priority list! Thank you again for your kind words and knowledge, I’ve loved having you here and hope you’ll enjoy my future classic Hollywood content :)
Excellent documentary. Surprising that there's still a ton of John Ford movies I haven't seen yet. I thought I'd mention a few non-Ford films: I saw Wagon Master after watching Westward the Women. Very similar stories but Westward the Women is phenomenal. Wagon Master was nice but paled in comparison. And if you want to see the classic western transition in to the spaghetti western, check out Man of the West.
Thank you very much for making these videos! John Ford is my all-time favorite filmmaker and certainly one of the greatest American poets who ever lived. My personal top 30 would probably look like this: 1. The Searchers 2. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 3. My Darling Clementine 4. The Grapes of Wrath 5. Stagecoach 6. Fort Apache 7. How Green Was My Valley 8. The Informer 9. The Quiet Man 10. The Long Voyage Home 11. Young Mr. Lincoln 12. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 13. They Were Expendable 14. Mister Roberts 15. Seven Women 16. The Prisoner of Shark Island 17. Wagon Master 18. Rio Grande 19. Drums Along the Mohawk 20. Steamboat Around the Bend 21. Sergeant Rutledge 22. Pilgrimage 23. 3 Godfathers 24. The Horse Soldiers 25. Wee Willie Winkie 26. The Hurricane 27. Donovan's Reef 28. Cheyenne Autumn 29. 3 Bad Men 30. The Iron Horse
You have excellent taste!! I especially applaud you for having The Informer in your top 10, even if I’d personally switch The Long Voyage Home and Young Mr. Lincoln (the latter has to be top 10 for me!). Thanks for watching these videos, I’m honored that you did and happy that you enjoyed them!
Thank you! Such a list is always a compromise. ‘Young Mr. Lincoln’ is pure poetry and mythic beauty, but the poignancy of ‘The Informer’ always moved me. Most people regard ‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon’ as the greatest of the cavalry films, but with all its beauty I still find ‘Fort Apache’ to be a SO much stronger film.
The director is everything. No coincidence that Ford, Huston, Hitchcock, Wilder, Spielberg never made a bad movie. They all share the unique ability to make you feel something for every character while surrounding it all with great action.
It’s worth mentioning that Three Godfathers was the template for many copies, including Leonard Nimoy’s smash hit movie, Three Men And A Baby. Nimoy was not shy about acknowledging the film’s inspiration, and several subsequent movies (internationally as well as Hollywood) thought they were copying Nimoy’s without realising they owed their debt to Ford.
@@ashroskell that’s a great fun fact, thank you :) I can see how Three Godfathers could be such a great template, it’s fantastically simple and perfectly paced.
The BEST documentary on John Ford ever. You, Sir, have gained a subscriber. SUPERBLY put together. I wish you the best. If your videos continue at the masterful level of these two on John Ford, you will rapidly gain subscribers. In any list of the top ten Directors of All time, there are only positions 4 to 10 to fill. Because the top three, are John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford, to paraphrase Orson Wells!
This comment made my week!! Thank you so much for your support :) These videos take a lot of work but it’s all worth it for comments like this, and if even one person walks away from my channel learning something new about classic Hollywood, then I’ll be thrilled :D Thank you so, so much!!
I memorized that quote by heart. When asked about who Welles favorite directors were he simply stated: “Well I prefer the old masters. By which I mean John Ford, John Ford and John Ford. He’s a poet and a comedian. With Ford at his best, you get a sense for what the Earth is made of.” Chills
36:20 Re: Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry, Gene was comparing his show's concept with that of the successful and long-running Western TV series WAGON TRAIN. WAGON TRAIN had a core group of regulars, but each episode focused more on the characters who made up, or those who encounter the wagon train. An anthology series, not one with a season-wide plot or even multi-episode arcs, is what Roddenberry was proposing. That, and Gene wanted to use a TV hit favorite, as a point of comparison.
Thanks for the added context, I wasn’t sure exactly why Roddenberry made the comparison but your explanation is very informative :) Wagon Train is actually a tv adaptation of the Ford film Wagon Master, as I understand it.
In case you missed it, this is part 2 of a 2-part Ford series! The first part, The Legend of John Ford, can be found here: th-cam.com/video/dqaEDqhEbd4/w-d-xo.html
Gideon’s Day was the last movie I ever watched with my dad, while visiting him from Scotland, down in England. We were as fascinated by Ford’s take on our British culture, at a time that my dad was old enough to remember distinctly, since he was 14 when the war ended. It’s an oddity, since its humour is pervasive, if rather understated, but the bank robbery scene is brutally violent and quite jarring in this context of an otherwise rather cerebral detective thriller with gentle (and gentlemanly) humour in it. The villains are deliciously diabolical. Far from one of Fords best, or even one of his more memorable movies, but an elegant collectors item with charming performances and a decent script nevertheless, not to be overlooked by the Ford connoisseur.
I congratulate you on your video. I've seen many videos, I've seen I think about twenty-five of Pappy's films and I love him very much as a director together with our Sergio Leone. I noticed in your video a very pleasant flow, a rightly unconcealed enthusiasm and I really liked recognizing myself in many things you said. I think How green was my valley is an absolute masterpiece that is very difficult to surpass and I will look at it again and again for as long as I live....Ah last thing... a piece of the video is missing or you didn't mention the quiet man? I don't think I was distracted, I think it's a very good film. Well done and thank you!
Good morning and thank you for your kind words! They really put a smile on my face :) I adore The Quiet Man but unfortunately the segment of the video where I talked about it (it was about 3-4 minutes long) had a copyright claim and I had to decide between editing out that segment or deleting the whole video. As much as it pains me to not talk about The Quiet Man in my Ford doc, luckily I have talked about it two other times now on this channel, so if you’re interested in my thoughts on it you could check out these videos: th-cam.com/video/SEsM5Xk3R74/w-d-xo.htmlsi=suJLCAhHfIj3XUM2 th-cam.com/video/e9xiiRg1mFw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FZ6BAJmrGz3pkZ1F Cheers and thank you again for your kind comment. Have a great day!
John Wayne and William Holden got along great on “The Horse Soldiers,” according to both Scott Eyman and Stephanie Powers. They even bonded over their shared opposition to Ford’s ‘no drinking’ policy on this shoot. What is your source for your contention that they couldn’t stand each other?
I still can’t believe that man directed 140 films, that’s amazing! These past two videos were super informative and entertaining! The amount of work you put into each one of your videos always blows me away 🤩
This is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of your 2 video essays on Ford. He is one of my favorite filmmakers along with Hitchcock in that they used cinema in visual terms. Visual storytelling at its finest. Just curious, but what is your #2 Ford film as you mentioned The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance being #1, Wagon Master being #3. Any plans to do one on Hitchcock as well?
Thank you for the kind words! I go back and forth but I’d probably say The Grapes of Wrath. The top 7 or so would be Liberty Valance, Grapes of Wrath, Wagon Master, The Long Gray Line, Young Mr. Lincoln, The Searchers, and My Darling Clementine. But there’s so, so many that I love. And yes! I think a big Hitchcock video in this vein will be something I release in the beginning of 2024 to kick off a “Season 2” of the channel :) Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it.
@@whenthepicturesgotbigger Anytime and that sounds awesome. Kudos to the best video essay on Ford. Looking forward to checking that out. Your editing skills are fantastic and as a result your video essays have the potential to turn anyone interested. I just had a hunch that you might do one on Hitchcock. Your profile pic gave it away lol
I saw the documentary five came back recently and they placed a great deal of emphasis on They Were expendable including many anecdotes. Hoping to see it soon.
Hey AC, yeah that’s a great one! I watched it as well, and really wanted to make a video on Ford at War, covering his wartime PSAs and the movie They Were Expendable, and a few others. That may come eventually! But that’s why I kind of glossed over those productions in this video
Ford got along well with Ava Gardner (who was an Irish American, of both Catholic and Protestant heritage). She was a better actress than she ever got credit for. Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (Stepin Fetchet) and Ford were close friends. (Both were devout Catholics).
I generally enjoyed this video, but it contains at least one embarrassing factual error. Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek to studio executives as "Wagon Train to the Stars," not "Wagon Master to the Stars." Thus, the reference was to the popular tv series of the day, not Ford's film "Wagonmaster."
(Will watch this in full soon but wanted to mention this first) How do you rationalize the problematic themes and aspects of his westerns that people critique nowadays and how we can make Viewers more accepting ? I know people who absolutely will not watch Searchers. I even TA’d a class this year (*clears throat* at AFI) where the students protested the showing of it to a man and petitioned the Dean to stop the class lecture before it could happen without fully understanding the teacher’s reasons for using it for the lesson. 🤦🏻 I can’t help noticing some of the issues and getting slightly triggered say in Searchers. I also never liked Wayne’s acting and persona as much as most. I don’t know I just find him wooden and feel he’s very ego driven. I prefer other western actors such as Gary Cooper or James Stewart. High Noon is my favorite western. But I still saw the film Searchers, unlike those students, and found some things to appreciate.
Hi, thank you so much for your comment! I hope when you’re able to finish the video that you like the rationalizations of the problematic themes, but in short the thesis of this video is simply that Ford was a lot more liberal than people realize. Especially after World War 2, which of course includes The Searchers, I find a lot of Ford films to be surprisingly empathetic and anti-prejudice. For The Searchers, I note how Ethan Edwards is possibly more “savage” than any of the Native American characters, and in the pseudo-sequel to The Searchers (Two Rode Together), Ford doubles down on this idea that the cowboys are the most savage characters of the frontier. Additionally, films like Cheyenne Autumn, 7 Women, Sergeant Rutledge, etc., which were all made near the end of Ford’s career, continue to demonstrate empathy for under-represented characters of the first half of Ford’s career. Which isn’t even beginning to cover the repeated sympathy for the working class which appears in nearly every Ford film. In short, I won’t deny the problematic aspects of certain Ford films, nor would I condemn anyone who chooses not to watch his movies for that reason. But I would urge anyone who believes that Ford is too problematic and old-fashioned for his movies to be any good - and yet has never actually seen a John Ford film - to at least give one of those aforementioned late-career films a chance. Ultimately, I’d rationalize making these videos and watching these films simply out of interest in classic Hollywood, and in making a one-stop video which covers every year and every film from Ford’s legendary career. I really appreciate this comment :) And hopefully we can make viewers more accepting the same way that services like Max or Disney+ include content advisories before their more-problematic films: by contextualizing them. The Searchers wasn’t made today, but it should still be studied for how it affected what is made today.
@@whenthepicturesgotbiggerappreciate the in depth analysis! I’ll make a trip down papi Ford’s filmography in the next few months. Keep on posting videos!
If I can intrude, I'd say watching Ford's films are basic to anyone interested in cinema as he is, in my opinion, the greatest filmmaker ever and one of the greatest artists. Being such a monumental artist, of course he will have his contradictions, but that's what makes him so interesting. Ford sure is out of touch with today's correct ways of portraying minorities but still his whole career is about telling stories of different groups and cultures interacting. The Searchers seems to be the most criticized today, but I see it as the greatest film on intolerance ever made, showing how both indians and whites become desensibilyzed by hatred. Taking the movies for their face value and not giving a more profound thought to them seems to me the easy way out. The Quiet Man, which is my favorite Ford movie, ends with John Wayne pushing Maureen O'Hara through the country so he can return her to her brother. That's maybe the most sexist thing to put on a movie and there's no doubt it wouldn't happen in any movie today, but still O'Hara's character is one the of the greatest in Ford's films, and it's a whole movie about how society, culture and traditions comes in the way of love, and that's very much a modern theme. I wouldn't say he isn't conservative in some ways (and there's nothing wrong with that alone, Howard Hawks was much more conservative than Ford and is also a genius), but as I said it is what makes him great. Just as an example, he loves the american ways and institutions but constantly is showing them destroying his characters lifes (for example, the army in Fort Apache, Long Gray Line and Wings of Eagles), this is way more interesting than an army propaganda or a simple denial of the army. So I think simply writing Ford out as a problematic old director is really sad, since the guy is an artist to be studied in all his good and bad portraits, in the things we still find relevant and the old-fashioned in his movies.
Surely, the Dollars Trilogy of Sergio Leone’s would be the logical comparison to Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy? Three iconic westerns, by auteur’s, starring the same actor who is not necessarily playing the same character in all three, but can easily be doing so in our head canons? More so than the Cornetto Trilogy, which references the Dollars Trilogy in all three movies, without referencing Ford’s, at any rate. But the Dollars Trilogy references Ford visually repeatedly.
@@ashroskell yep, and the biggest similarity is that they’re two of the best trilogies ever made! (I do like the cornetto trilogy too, but Shaun of the Dead is no The Good The Bad and The Ugly, haha)
Thank you very much :) And yes I did, as with all copyright claims we get. It’s so unpredictable. Sometimes the challenges are accepted and the copyright gets overruled, and sometimes we’re rejected again with no further explanation. I agree with you though, as far as I’m concerned showing 10 seconds of The Quiet Man should be no issue :/
Hah, there's a pub in Cong where the Quiet Man was shot where they play the movie around the clock on videotape. Don't tell anyone though :)@@whenthepicturesgotbigger
You don't know how great a character 1SG Braxton Rutelage was, if you have not served. The LT played by Jeffrey Hunter is probably a good officer since he had a great 1SG . . . .
When Straight Shooting was released in 1917 starring Harry Carey, critics described it as fast paced and made DW GRIFFITHS movies look “sluggish”. I ’ve done my research, read my fair share of books and opinions on John Ford. He’s not only the greatest director (4 best director Oscar awards, not one for a freakin western) but probably the most important director ever as well. His influences on the art form of filmmaking is so immense we can’t even comprehend how many filmmakers he’s inspired. Orson Welles watched Stagecoach daily while filming Citizen Kane. Kurosawa when asked about what he studied to get his framing he said “I study John Ford”. Leone, obviously. David Lean, Kazan. Hitchcock (the anti Ford in terms of style) said “Fords pictures are visually gratifying. This is all prior to the Movie Brat/New Hollywood era of the 70s that everyone today references. Spielberg and Scorsese constantly cite not only Ford, but The Searchers as one of there favorite movies. Just watch Star Wars and The Searchers back to back uncanny. Spielberg’s visual style for Private Ryan came from Fords live Battle of Midway documentary. All I’m saying is the directors that were inspired by Ford went on to Influence pretty much everyone else. Fincher, Tarantino, Nolan, PTA. It all starts from Admiral Ford. And it always will.
Say what you will about the man. He was born in the early 1890s. A man of his time. The only guy I will hear an argument for being more important that Ford in the art of film is Stanley Kubrick.
I also 1000% agree that My Darling Clementine is one of the best movies ever made. It’s very underrated on his lists and is my solid number 2 Ford western. A mix of noir and a western. How great is that! It’s free on TH-cam and I recommend all film fans to watch.
Him and Spike Lee both have been on record saying that. I can point to at least 3 different "doorway" inspired scenes from the Searchers into Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. And if he's influenced by De Palma and Leone then he has to be somewhat influenced by Ford. De Palama loves My Darling Clementine. Knows it shot for shot. Leone obviously loved the Mann, Ford Hawks westerns. It all stems back to this guy whether they know it or not. @@guileniam
@@CMC050 name the doorway scenes I'm intrigued. He's obvs influenced by the people he inspired but direct inspiration? I wonder if a director who loathes Ford would be squirming to put a Ford type shot in
However I did NOT appreciate how you showed Samwell Tarly (Sam the Slayer), in both of the GOT clips but not Jon Snow; Born of Ice🐺and Fire🐲, The Bastard of Winterfell, The White Wolf, The Prince that was Promised, The greatest Swordsman who ever walked, The Resurrected, The first to make allies with Wildlings, The Beater of Bastards, The Knower of Nothing, The Killer of White Walkers, The Protector of the Wall, A man of the Nights Watch, The Savior of Westeros, The Lord of Winterfell, The one true heir to the Iron Throne, The 998th Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, The Lawful son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, and The King in the North. But other than that, loved the Ford Video! 👍
I’m sure I’m not the first to correct your pronunciation of Andy Devine. It’s pronounced like divine-like God. Not “Deveen.” Good work otherwise from a very old, old movie fan.
A couple of other things: Kirby Yorke in Fort Apache and Rio Grande is the same character at different ages so John Wayne played two characters, not three, in the cavalry pictures. Both films are based on stories by the same writer, James Warren Bellah. And I don't think Ford was quite that liberal. He may have changed with the times but so did his audiences and, as an entertainer, he probably sensed it acutely. To me, "Sgt. Rutledge," "Cheyenne Autumn," "Donovan's Reef" and even "Seven Women" espouse liberal sentiments but aren't as believable as "The Grapes Of Wrath" from an earlier era.
Bets part of the video is when you talked about the cavalry trilogy and Sergeant Rutledge. The Buffalo soldiers are always forgotten but youre right this was even before To kill a mockingbird. I always liked Ford
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :) And yeah, the cavalry trilogy are some of my absolute favorite Ford films, with Sergeant Rutledge (and, in a way, Wagon Master) being nice little epilogues and spiritual sequels to that trilogy. One day I’d love to see Criterion release all 3 or 5 of those films. There really isn’t a single dud there.
Wow. You pulled me up short there. I’ll admit that I was multitasking when I heard you call out The Long Gray Line, a movie I saw once, a decade ago or more and had forgotten was one of John Ford’s. Not his best by a long chalk, nevertheless, a thoroughly entertaining movie that made me reevaluate my opinion of Tyrone Power as naught but a swashbuckler. Great inclusion in your review. 🫡
I adore The Long Gray Line! And I agree that it’s not one of Ford’s absolute best (which is a testament to his incredible canon more than anything); nevertheless I’m glad to have included it in this video if only for your comment! Thank you and thanks for watching :)
This is very good. But it's a pity the narrator has one of those now typical modern American accents. i can't describe it in print but a whining raise at the end of words or sentences: ''that way of making moviess'' '' 7 Womennn '' . It's quite a new thing. Older Americans don't do it. It sounds awful and in some cases unbearable. Someone told me it's known as the ''high rising terminal'' or ''up talk''. Another person told me that it's known as ''vocal fry'' but someone else said that the whiny sound is neither of these ? Don't mean to be rude but it spoils and undermines an otherwise excellent analysis.
Agreed, I love the music in Ford’s films and wish that I had talked about it more. But alas, it’s hard fitting Ford’s career into two videos without cutting out quite a bit. Perhaps I can make another video solely on how Ford uses music in his movies! Thank you for watching and commenting :)
Generally good, yet weakened by applying today’s sensibilities to yesterday’s films. Add to it, Admiral Ford’s war service and films are trivialized. Sex Hygiene is truly strange - Ford himself didn’t like it - yet it is an effective instructional film. The services were still using it over 30 years later. The two Oscars awarded for the wartime documentaries speak for themselves. Add to this, he supervised combat photography for the Normandy invasion, supervised collection of film evidence for the Nuremberg trials, and supervised production of numerous instructional and informational films contributing to the war effort. He did this at a great personal and financial sacrifice, even donating his salary from They Were Expendable for construction of the Field Photo Farm, a retreat for his wartime unit. As Robert Parrish said, he was the only one of the wartime directors who didn’t forget his men.
Thanks for giving a shout-out to The Long Voyage Home. I think Ford is the greatest of the old school Hollywood directors (though I think Hitchcock, Wilder, Wyler, Zinnemann and Walsh aren't far behind.) In How Green Was My Valley, the great man turned the Welsh into Irish. (That said, the scene between Donald Crisp and Roddy McDowell near the end always brings me to tears.) And he always put plains Indians in Monument Valley with the wrong language and headdress. BTW -- Ford does something brilliant at the beginning of Sex Hygiene. He opens it as a film within a film about soldiers going to see a sex hygiene film. I think the idea was to stem the embarrassment of the subject by showing all the soldiers entering the theater. And I think December 7th and Battle of Midway are great even though they were intended as military propaganda.
« Better than 99% of movies made since 1939 ». Seriously ? 2:17 get over yourself. Was legit interested until I heard this. Tuned out immediately. Bye.
Regrettably, this video was just hit with two copyright claims. My options were to delete the video or to delete those copyrighted segments. I chose the latter option, and so that’s why the video might seem choppy now. Hopefully one day I can re-edit the entire thing, including my How the West Was Won video too perhaps, in some sort of John Ford Redux video. Let me know if anyone would have any interest in that.
I’m sorry about this and for the diminished content. Hopefully everyone can understand and still enjoy the video in its current state. Thank you :)
Of course we understand. Those copyright strikes can be brutal and are frequently making the news headlines these days, a year since you published this video, in the way they’re both used and abused.
It’s sad that strikes tend to be done automatically by algorithms now, rather than thinking people who might see that your use is fair, transformative and justified. And that it helps, not hurts, these companies.
Studios sometimes act like the very people a John Ford hero would take down.
I made an offer in the part 1 Ford video, under your thread, which was completely sincere. I hope you see it and let me know? It would be a small thing for me, but not so much for you. And it would make me very happy to help you in this small way, if you’ll accept? No strings, I promise.
P.S. Your number 5 pick wound up completely expiated. Now, I’m left wondering what it was?
@@ashroskell I saw your offer and it made my year! I can’t believe that, it would be the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me, and would inspire me greatly as I continue to make videos. Thank you thank you thank you!!! I hope you see my other reply and email me, I’m eagerly checking my inbox 🥹 Thank you Ash, from the bottom of my heart.
And to answer your question, number 5 was The Quiet Man!! Which is also the movie I’ve talked most about on this channel haha, it’s come up in 4 separate videos!
Nothing like a John Ford film the more time passes by the more he will be celebrated …..such absolute shattering poetry in every story he told ❤
I absolutely loved this video! Ford really made every film he did into art and his legend will live on forever in the film industry. This was such a great documentary. Thank you
Thank you for watching!! I completely agree and I’m glad to have viewers like you too :)
A shame you didn't stretch it out to three episodes in which case it would've been your Ford Trilogy. Devoured this directly after watching your first installment. Yes, would dearly love to have an entire episode about the magnificent "How The West Was Won", the scenes between Grant and Sherman being a reboot of the "Colter Craven" episode of "Wagon Train" that Pappy directed in 1960 with Duke credited as "Michael Morris". Please keep us posted.
I would love to do an episode on “How the West Was Won,” and all of the Cinerama films. Your comment made me move that idea high on the priority list! Thank you again for your kind words and knowledge, I’ve loved having you here and hope you’ll enjoy my future classic Hollywood content :)
Excellent documentary. Surprising that there's still a ton of John Ford movies I haven't seen yet. I thought I'd mention a few non-Ford films: I saw Wagon Master after watching Westward the Women. Very similar stories but Westward the Women is phenomenal. Wagon Master was nice but paled in comparison. And if you want to see the classic western transition in to the spaghetti western, check out Man of the West.
Wagonmaster was just Ford poetry and wasn't one of his great profitable Westerns but Ben Johnson stands out. Such a natural cowboy actor.
Thank you very much for making these videos! John Ford is my all-time favorite filmmaker and certainly one of the greatest American poets who ever lived. My personal top 30 would probably look like this:
1. The Searchers
2. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
3. My Darling Clementine
4. The Grapes of Wrath
5. Stagecoach
6. Fort Apache
7. How Green Was My Valley
8. The Informer
9. The Quiet Man
10. The Long Voyage Home
11. Young Mr. Lincoln
12. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
13. They Were Expendable
14. Mister Roberts
15. Seven Women
16. The Prisoner of Shark Island
17. Wagon Master
18. Rio Grande
19. Drums Along the Mohawk
20. Steamboat Around the Bend
21. Sergeant Rutledge
22. Pilgrimage
23. 3 Godfathers
24. The Horse Soldiers
25. Wee Willie Winkie
26. The Hurricane
27. Donovan's Reef
28. Cheyenne Autumn
29. 3 Bad Men
30. The Iron Horse
You have excellent taste!! I especially applaud you for having The Informer in your top 10, even if I’d personally switch The Long Voyage Home and Young Mr. Lincoln (the latter has to be top 10 for me!). Thanks for watching these videos, I’m honored that you did and happy that you enjoyed them!
Thank you! Such a list is always a compromise. ‘Young Mr. Lincoln’ is pure poetry and mythic beauty, but the poignancy of ‘The Informer’ always moved me. Most people regard ‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon’ as the greatest of the cavalry films, but with all its beauty I still find ‘Fort Apache’ to be a SO much stronger film.
The director is everything. No coincidence that Ford, Huston, Hitchcock, Wilder, Spielberg never made a bad movie. They all share the unique ability to make you feel something for every character while surrounding it all with great action.
I love the husband wife relationship in the long gray line John Ford ❤
It’s worth mentioning that Three Godfathers was the template for many copies, including Leonard Nimoy’s smash hit movie, Three Men And A Baby. Nimoy was not shy about acknowledging the film’s inspiration, and several subsequent movies (internationally as well as Hollywood) thought they were copying Nimoy’s without realising they owed their debt to Ford.
@@ashroskell that’s a great fun fact, thank you :) I can see how Three Godfathers could be such a great template, it’s fantastically simple and perfectly paced.
The BEST documentary on John Ford ever. You, Sir, have gained a subscriber. SUPERBLY put together. I wish you the best. If your videos continue at the masterful level of these two on John Ford, you will rapidly gain subscribers. In any list of the top ten Directors of All time, there are only positions 4 to 10 to fill. Because the top three, are John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford, to paraphrase Orson Wells!
This comment made my week!! Thank you so much for your support :) These videos take a lot of work but it’s all worth it for comments like this, and if even one person walks away from my channel learning something new about classic Hollywood, then I’ll be thrilled :D
Thank you so, so much!!
I memorized that quote by heart. When asked about who Welles favorite directors were he simply stated:
“Well I prefer the old masters. By which I mean John Ford, John Ford and John Ford. He’s a poet and a comedian. With Ford at his best, you get a sense for what the Earth is made of.”
Chills
36:20 Re: Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry, Gene was comparing his show's concept with that of the successful and long-running Western TV series WAGON TRAIN. WAGON TRAIN had a core group of regulars, but each episode focused more on the characters who made up, or those who encounter the wagon train. An anthology series, not one with a season-wide plot or even multi-episode arcs, is what Roddenberry was proposing. That, and Gene wanted to use a TV hit favorite, as a point of comparison.
Thanks for the added context, I wasn’t sure exactly why Roddenberry made the comparison but your explanation is very informative :) Wagon Train is actually a tv adaptation of the Ford film Wagon Master, as I understand it.
...and when you consider that Ward Bond was the star of "Wagon Train"@@whenthepicturesgotbigger
I've always loved, loved, loved Wagon Master. So glad you like it, too. Fabulous film.
In case you missed it, this is part 2 of a 2-part Ford series! The first part, The Legend of John Ford, can be found here:
th-cam.com/video/dqaEDqhEbd4/w-d-xo.html
Well done 👏 My Darling Clementine ...Grapes Of Wrath ...remarkable films 🎥 💚
Gideon’s Day was the last movie I ever watched with my dad, while visiting him from Scotland, down in England. We were as fascinated by Ford’s take on our British culture, at a time that my dad was old enough to remember distinctly, since he was 14 when the war ended.
It’s an oddity, since its humour is pervasive, if rather understated, but the bank robbery scene is brutally violent and quite jarring in this context of an otherwise rather cerebral detective thriller with gentle (and gentlemanly) humour in it. The villains are deliciously diabolical.
Far from one of Fords best, or even one of his more memorable movies, but an elegant collectors item with charming performances and a decent script nevertheless, not to be overlooked by the Ford connoisseur.
Really good video and it helps a lot before I start my own deep dive on ford. Really appreciated
I think it’s spooky, the facial resemblance between Ford and David Lynch.
As Snagglepuss would say, "Indubitably!"
I congratulate you on your video. I've seen many videos, I've seen I think about twenty-five of Pappy's films and I love him very much as a director together with our Sergio Leone. I noticed in your video a very pleasant flow, a rightly unconcealed enthusiasm and I really liked recognizing myself in many things you said.
I think How green was my valley is an absolute masterpiece that is very difficult to surpass and I will look at it again and again for as long as I live....Ah last thing... a piece of the video is missing or you didn't mention the quiet man? I don't think I was distracted, I think it's a very good film. Well done and thank you!
Good morning and thank you for your kind words! They really put a smile on my face :)
I adore The Quiet Man but unfortunately the segment of the video where I talked about it (it was about 3-4 minutes long) had a copyright claim and I had to decide between editing out that segment or deleting the whole video.
As much as it pains me to not talk about The Quiet Man in my Ford doc, luckily I have talked about it two other times now on this channel, so if you’re interested in my thoughts on it you could check out these videos:
th-cam.com/video/SEsM5Xk3R74/w-d-xo.htmlsi=suJLCAhHfIj3XUM2
th-cam.com/video/e9xiiRg1mFw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FZ6BAJmrGz3pkZ1F
Cheers and thank you again for your kind comment. Have a great day!
I just LOVE Stagecoach. It's just such a fascinating movie.❤
John Wayne and William Holden got along great on “The Horse Soldiers,” according to both Scott Eyman and Stephanie Powers. They even bonded over their shared opposition to Ford’s ‘no drinking’ policy on this shoot. What is your source for your contention that they couldn’t stand each other?
Really loving your videos; incredible for a small channel
Thank you so much!! That’s so kind of you to say :) I’ll continue to work really hard on my content and output.
I still can’t believe that man directed 140 films, that’s amazing! These past two videos were super informative and entertaining! The amount of work you put into each one of your videos always blows me away 🤩
Thank you so much for always watching and all your kind comments!! Yeah, Ford was very prolific!
I think over half of his films were silent films made before 1928. It includes a lot of two reel (20 minute) Westerns.
@@allanalogmusicat78rpm
Many are lost sadly.
This is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of your 2 video essays on Ford. He is one of my favorite filmmakers along with Hitchcock in that they used cinema in visual terms. Visual storytelling at its finest. Just curious, but what is your #2 Ford film as you mentioned The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance being #1, Wagon Master being #3. Any plans to do one on Hitchcock as well?
Thank you for the kind words! I go back and forth but I’d probably say The Grapes of Wrath. The top 7 or so would be Liberty Valance, Grapes of Wrath, Wagon Master, The Long Gray Line, Young Mr. Lincoln, The Searchers, and My Darling Clementine. But there’s so, so many that I love.
And yes! I think a big Hitchcock video in this vein will be something I release in the beginning of 2024 to kick off a “Season 2” of the channel :)
Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it.
@@whenthepicturesgotbigger Anytime and that sounds awesome. Kudos to the best video essay on Ford. Looking forward to checking that out. Your editing skills are fantastic and as a result your video essays have the potential to turn anyone interested. I just had a hunch that you might do one on Hitchcock. Your profile pic gave it away lol
Undoubtfully John ford is the goat of film making tbh.
He’s inspired nearly every great director to this very day whether directly or indirectly.
Nice vid kid. Nice channel too. Keep it coming )))
Thank you! I’m really glad you enjoyed it :) This comment made my morning!
Again absolutely incredible documentary work!
Thank you Nick!! I really appreciate your support on both videos here :)
Bravo! Many thanks for this thorough look at Ford!
Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate you watching :)
I saw the documentary five came back recently and they placed a great deal of emphasis on They Were expendable including many anecdotes. Hoping to see it soon.
Hey AC, yeah that’s a great one! I watched it as well, and really wanted to make a video on Ford at War, covering his wartime PSAs and the movie They Were Expendable, and a few others. That may come eventually! But that’s why I kind of glossed over those productions in this video
Remarkable career 👏 #JohnFord ...to put it lightly
Ford got along well with Ava Gardner (who was an Irish American, of both Catholic and Protestant heritage). She was a better actress than she ever got credit for.
Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (Stepin Fetchet) and Ford were close friends. (Both were devout Catholics).
Wagon Master is one of the best films ever made, in my opinion.
I generally enjoyed this video, but it contains at least one embarrassing factual error. Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek to studio executives as "Wagon Train to the Stars," not "Wagon Master to the Stars." Thus, the reference was to the popular tv series of the day, not Ford's film "Wagonmaster."
As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point!
@@jubalcalif9100 The above it true and it is also true that Wagon Train was WagonMaster for TV.
Also John Ford directed one episode of Wagon Train in which John Wayne also appeared, also the gorgeous Anna Lee from Fort Apache.
Great video! I subbed!! woohoo!!
Thank you very much! Glad to have you as part of the community!!
I liked parts of What Price Glory? It is one of the better films about the pre-World War II USMC . . . .
Life is but a world made up of shadows. The shadow that John Ford still casts is large and broath
Very enjoyable tribute. Many thanks.
(Will watch this in full soon but wanted to mention this first) How do you rationalize the problematic themes and aspects of his westerns that people critique nowadays and how we can make Viewers more accepting ?
I know people who absolutely will not watch Searchers. I even TA’d a class this year (*clears throat* at AFI) where the students protested the showing of it to a man and petitioned the Dean to stop the class lecture before it could happen without fully understanding the teacher’s reasons for using it for the lesson. 🤦🏻
I can’t help noticing some of the issues and getting slightly triggered say in Searchers. I also never liked Wayne’s acting and persona as much as most. I don’t know I just find him wooden and feel he’s very ego driven. I prefer other western actors such as Gary Cooper or James Stewart. High Noon is my favorite western. But I still saw the film Searchers, unlike those students, and found some things to appreciate.
Hi, thank you so much for your comment! I hope when you’re able to finish the video that you like the rationalizations of the problematic themes, but in short the thesis of this video is simply that Ford was a lot more liberal than people realize. Especially after World War 2, which of course includes The Searchers, I find a lot of Ford films to be surprisingly empathetic and anti-prejudice.
For The Searchers, I note how Ethan Edwards is possibly more “savage” than any of the Native American characters, and in the pseudo-sequel to The Searchers (Two Rode Together), Ford doubles down on this idea that the cowboys are the most savage characters of the frontier.
Additionally, films like Cheyenne Autumn, 7 Women, Sergeant Rutledge, etc., which were all made near the end of Ford’s career, continue to demonstrate empathy for under-represented characters of the first half of Ford’s career. Which isn’t even beginning to cover the repeated sympathy for the working class which appears in nearly every Ford film.
In short, I won’t deny the problematic aspects of certain Ford films, nor would I condemn anyone who chooses not to watch his movies for that reason. But I would urge anyone who believes that Ford is too problematic and old-fashioned for his movies to be any good - and yet has never actually seen a John Ford film - to at least give one of those aforementioned late-career films a chance. Ultimately, I’d rationalize making these videos and watching these films simply out of interest in classic Hollywood, and in making a one-stop video which covers every year and every film from Ford’s legendary career.
I really appreciate this comment :) And hopefully we can make viewers more accepting the same way that services like Max or Disney+ include content advisories before their more-problematic films: by contextualizing them. The Searchers wasn’t made today, but it should still be studied for how it affected what is made today.
@@whenthepicturesgotbiggerappreciate the in depth analysis! I’ll make a trip down papi Ford’s filmography in the next few months. Keep on posting videos!
If I can intrude, I'd say watching Ford's films are basic to anyone interested in cinema as he is, in my opinion, the greatest filmmaker ever and one of the greatest artists. Being such a monumental artist, of course he will have his contradictions, but that's what makes him so interesting. Ford sure is out of touch with today's correct ways of portraying minorities but still his whole career is about telling stories of different groups and cultures interacting. The Searchers seems to be the most criticized today, but I see it as the greatest film on intolerance ever made, showing how both indians and whites become desensibilyzed by hatred.
Taking the movies for their face value and not giving a more profound thought to them seems to me the easy way out. The Quiet Man, which is my favorite Ford movie, ends with John Wayne pushing Maureen O'Hara through the country so he can return her to her brother. That's maybe the most sexist thing to put on a movie and there's no doubt it wouldn't happen in any movie today, but still O'Hara's character is one the of the greatest in Ford's films, and it's a whole movie about how society, culture and traditions comes in the way of love, and that's very much a modern theme.
I wouldn't say he isn't conservative in some ways (and there's nothing wrong with that alone, Howard Hawks was much more conservative than Ford and is also a genius), but as I said it is what makes him great. Just as an example, he loves the american ways and institutions but constantly is showing them destroying his characters lifes (for example, the army in Fort Apache, Long Gray Line and Wings of Eagles), this is way more interesting than an army propaganda or a simple denial of the army. So I think simply writing Ford out as a problematic old director is really sad, since the guy is an artist to be studied in all his good and bad portraits, in the things we still find relevant and the old-fashioned in his movies.
Ford was an old fashioned FDR style "put it on the check" liberal. It's much easier being a mere social liberal--corporate money isn't threatened.
No criticism!
Great videos,thanks
His parents emigrated from the west of Ireland not far from where I live ❤
Watch Mr Roberts for Jack Lemmon
Indeed! He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.
Surely, the Dollars Trilogy of Sergio Leone’s would be the logical comparison to Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy? Three iconic westerns, by auteur’s, starring the same actor who is not necessarily playing the same character in all three, but can easily be doing so in our head canons? More so than the Cornetto Trilogy, which references the Dollars Trilogy in all three movies, without referencing Ford’s, at any rate. But the Dollars Trilogy references Ford visually repeatedly.
@@ashroskell yep, and the biggest similarity is that they’re two of the best trilogies ever made! (I do like the cornetto trilogy too, but Shaun of the Dead is no The Good The Bad and The Ugly, haha)
Very enjoyable and informative. Good job :) BTW did you challenge the copyright claims? Your clip usages seem to fall squarely under fair use.
Thank you very much :) And yes I did, as with all copyright claims we get. It’s so unpredictable. Sometimes the challenges are accepted and the copyright gets overruled, and sometimes we’re rejected again with no further explanation. I agree with you though, as far as I’m concerned showing 10 seconds of The Quiet Man should be no issue :/
Hah, there's a pub in Cong where the Quiet Man was shot where they play the movie around the clock on videotape. Don't tell anyone though :)@@whenthepicturesgotbigger
Haha no way, that’s cool! I have to go :D
And the hostel in Cong plays it every night.
You don't know how great a character 1SG Braxton Rutelage was, if you have not served. The LT played by Jeffrey Hunter is probably a good officer since he had a great 1SG . . . .
The documentary about Louie Puller was partially filmed at VMI, Puller's alma mater . . . .
General Lewis B. Puller.
What I disliked about the Cavalry Trilogy is a Sailor who made the best films ever made about the US Army.
Frickin awesome!!!
When Straight Shooting was released in 1917 starring Harry Carey, critics described it as fast paced and made DW GRIFFITHS movies look “sluggish”. I ’ve done my research, read my fair share of books and opinions on John Ford. He’s not only the greatest director (4 best director Oscar awards, not one for a freakin western) but probably the most important director ever as well. His influences on the art form of filmmaking is so immense we can’t even comprehend how many filmmakers he’s inspired. Orson Welles watched Stagecoach daily while filming Citizen Kane. Kurosawa when asked about what he studied to get his framing he said “I study John Ford”. Leone, obviously. David Lean, Kazan. Hitchcock (the anti Ford in terms of style) said “Fords pictures are visually gratifying. This is all prior to the Movie Brat/New Hollywood era of the 70s that everyone today references. Spielberg and Scorsese constantly cite not only Ford, but The Searchers as one of there favorite movies. Just watch Star Wars and The Searchers back to back uncanny. Spielberg’s visual style for Private Ryan came from Fords live Battle of Midway documentary. All I’m saying is the directors that were inspired by Ford went on to Influence pretty much everyone else. Fincher, Tarantino, Nolan, PTA. It all starts from Admiral Ford. And it always will.
Say what you will about the man. He was born in the early 1890s. A man of his time. The only guy I will hear an argument for being more important that Ford in the art of film is Stanley Kubrick.
I also 1000% agree that My Darling Clementine is one of the best movies ever made. It’s very underrated on his lists and is my solid number 2 Ford western. A mix of noir and a western. How great is that! It’s free on TH-cam and I recommend all film fans to watch.
Tarantino hates ford though he's said this on record
Him and Spike Lee both have been on record saying that. I can point to at least 3 different "doorway" inspired scenes from the Searchers into Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. And if he's influenced by De Palma and Leone then he has to be somewhat influenced by Ford. De Palama loves My Darling Clementine. Knows it shot for shot. Leone obviously loved the Mann, Ford Hawks westerns. It all stems back to this guy whether they know it or not. @@guileniam
@@CMC050 name the doorway scenes I'm intrigued. He's obvs influenced by the people he inspired but direct inspiration?
I wonder if a director who loathes Ford would be squirming to put a Ford type shot in
17:24 anyone notice the game of thrones reference?
However I did NOT appreciate how you showed Samwell Tarly (Sam the Slayer), in both of the GOT clips but not Jon Snow; Born of Ice🐺and Fire🐲, The Bastard of Winterfell, The White Wolf, The Prince that was Promised, The greatest Swordsman who ever walked, The Resurrected, The first to make allies with Wildlings, The Beater of Bastards, The Knower of Nothing, The Killer of White Walkers, The Protector of the Wall, A man of the Nights Watch, The Savior of Westeros, The Lord of Winterfell, The one true heir to the Iron Throne, The 998th Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, The Lawful son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, and The King in the North. But other than that, loved the Ford Video! 👍
I noticed! but he didn’t include Joffrey or Hodor so I nearly turned off the video 😂
You just gained yourself a subscriber buddy, hey, have you seen Django? The original one that is
I haven’t seen it but I’ll add it to my watch list! Thanks for the recommendation!
I’m sure I’m not the first to correct your pronunciation of Andy Devine. It’s pronounced like divine-like God. Not “Deveen.”
Good work otherwise from a very old, old movie fan.
A couple of other things: Kirby Yorke in Fort Apache and Rio Grande is the same character at different ages so John Wayne played two characters, not three, in the cavalry pictures. Both films are based on stories by the same writer, James Warren Bellah. And I don't think Ford was quite that liberal. He may have changed with the times but so did his audiences and, as an entertainer, he probably sensed it acutely. To me, "Sgt. Rutledge," "Cheyenne Autumn," "Donovan's Reef" and even "Seven Women" espouse liberal sentiments but aren't as believable as "The Grapes Of Wrath" from an earlier era.
Bets part of the video is when you talked about the cavalry trilogy and Sergeant Rutledge. The Buffalo soldiers are always forgotten but youre right this was even before To kill a mockingbird. I always liked Ford
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :) And yeah, the cavalry trilogy are some of my absolute favorite Ford films, with Sergeant Rutledge (and, in a way, Wagon Master) being nice little epilogues and spiritual sequels to that trilogy. One day I’d love to see Criterion release all 3 or 5 of those films. There really isn’t a single dud there.
Wow. You pulled me up short there. I’ll admit that I was multitasking when I heard you call out The Long Gray Line, a movie I saw once, a decade ago or more and had forgotten was one of John Ford’s.
Not his best by a long chalk, nevertheless, a thoroughly entertaining movie that made me reevaluate my opinion of Tyrone Power as naught but a swashbuckler.
Great inclusion in your review. 🫡
I adore The Long Gray Line! And I agree that it’s not one of Ford’s absolute best (which is a testament to his incredible canon more than anything); nevertheless I’m glad to have included it in this video if only for your comment! Thank you and thanks for watching :)
He was some director. Ford fan.
Stars and Bars forever, baby. Sweet Home Alabama.
This is very good. But it's a pity the narrator has one of those now typical modern American accents. i can't describe it in print but a whining raise at the end of words or sentences: ''that way of making moviess'' '' 7 Womennn '' . It's quite a new thing. Older Americans don't do it. It sounds awful and in some cases unbearable. Someone told me it's known as the ''high rising terminal'' or ''up talk''. Another person told me that it's known as ''vocal fry'' but someone else said that the whiny sound is neither of these ?
Don't mean to be rude but it spoils and undermines an otherwise excellent analysis.
Excellent video! Though i don't agree with Ford being acrually this Liberal person, i think the rest of thr video is tremendous.
Excellent! but not much mention of the role of music in Ford's films.
Agreed, I love the music in Ford’s films and wish that I had talked about it more. But alas, it’s hard fitting Ford’s career into two videos without cutting out quite a bit. Perhaps I can make another video solely on how Ford uses music in his movies! Thank you for watching and commenting :)
Generally good, yet weakened by applying today’s sensibilities to yesterday’s films. Add to it, Admiral Ford’s war service and films are trivialized. Sex Hygiene is truly strange - Ford himself didn’t like it - yet it is an effective instructional film. The services were still using it over 30 years later. The two Oscars awarded for the wartime documentaries speak for themselves. Add to this, he supervised combat photography for the Normandy invasion, supervised collection of film evidence for the Nuremberg trials, and supervised production of numerous instructional and informational films contributing to the war effort. He did this at a great personal and financial sacrifice, even donating his salary from They Were Expendable for construction of the Field Photo Farm, a retreat for his wartime unit. As Robert Parrish said, he was the only one of the wartime directors who didn’t forget his men.
Thanks for giving a shout-out to The Long Voyage Home. I think Ford is the greatest of the old school Hollywood directors (though I think Hitchcock, Wilder, Wyler, Zinnemann and Walsh aren't far behind.) In How Green Was My Valley, the great man turned the Welsh into Irish. (That said, the scene between Donald Crisp and Roddy McDowell near the end always brings me to tears.) And he always put plains Indians in Monument Valley with the wrong language and headdress. BTW -- Ford does something brilliant at the beginning of Sex Hygiene. He opens it as a film within a film about soldiers going to see a sex hygiene film. I think the idea was to stem the embarrassment of the subject by showing all the soldiers entering the theater. And I think December 7th and Battle of Midway are great even though they were intended as military propaganda.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.
James Earp was not killed. It was Morgan Earp.
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Watt was never the marshal or sheriff. Virgil Earp was the marshal.
Uhhhhhhh, Pinky is so wacist, boo hoo woo. LOL
I was disappointed. It was boring to me.
Sound boring.
« Better than 99% of movies made since 1939 ». Seriously ? 2:17 get over yourself. Was legit interested until I heard this. Tuned out immediately. Bye.