DVD Review HTF REVIEW: The John Wayne / John Ford Film Collection (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). (1 Viewer)

[Ken_McAlinden]

Ron,
The Searchers, Stagecoach, Fort Apache, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon are four of the best westerns ever made. The Long Voyage Home, an ensemble drama about merchant seamen that features John Wayne but isn't really a "John Wayne Film" like the others, is among the most beautifully photographed films ever turned out by Hollywood. "3 Godfathers", while maybe not the American classic of some of the other discs in the set, certainly reaches the level of "Holiday Classic" in my book with its parallels to the story of the Magi. "They Were Expendable" is an excellent war film that was very close to the heart of both Ford and Robert Montgomery, being made directly on the heels of their service during World War II. It was also one of the last films shot by ace cinematographer Joseph August, and, naturally, it looks great. "Wings of Eagles" is an enjoyable aviation biopic, and it pairs Wayne with Maureen O'Hara, which is never a bad idea.

In other words: not a dud in the bunch.

Regards,

 

[Robert Crawford]

Ron,
To echo what John as said, I think this boxset represents much of his best work as an actor. I'm talking in the sense of the various acting peformances of his career. The only two titles that could be in this boxset, but don't belong to Warner are "Red River" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence".





Crawdaddy

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Liberty Valance: yes.

Red River: no, as this is a Howard Hawks film.

 

[Robert Crawford]

If you read my previous post again, you can see that I was talking about John Wayne films in which he gave his best acting performances, not which film that is owned or was directed by whomever or whether it was a better film or not. However, the only other film I omitted that could be included with the rest of those titles in which Wayne gave his best acting performance is "The Quiet Man" now under the control of Paramount.




Crawdaddy

 

[John Hodson]

You'd also chuck in The Shootist wouldn't you Robert? And I cry every time I hear the first few bars of the opening theme of Rio Grande, I dunno why, maybe it's because it's so damned 'John Ford'!

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Alright, but this boxset is importantly a John Ford/John Wayne boxset, not a "best John Wayne performances" collection. In any event, I apologize for misinterpreting your previous post. If one were to form a collection around best Wayne performances, I'd think it would have to include the autumnal The Shootist.

Looks like John Hodson just beat me to it...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Excuse me for talking to Ron a little off-topic.





Crawdaddy

 

[Robert Crawford]

I like "The Shootist" and it's poignant connection to Wayne's life, but I don't think it's one of Wayne's best acting performances.





Crawdaddy

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

In addition to "Red River" I think Wayne gave good performances in all of his films with Howard Hawks, even "Rio Lobo" which is somewhat marred by the performances of almost every actor in the film who is not Wayne or Jack Elam...oh yeah, and Sherry Lansing. (she's not that great in it, but she has subsequently become too powerful for me to insult)http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/images/smilies/new/orangeshh.gif

Regards,

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I loved The Quiet Man. It's a shame that the only copy available
is the POS Artisan Special Edition which is perhaps the most shameful
DVDs ever released.

I hope Paramount is planning a proper re-release.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

That Artisan Quiet Man disc sits on my shelf, amazing me every time I see it that it's a small silvery disc and not a black plastic cartridge holding wrinkled, worn-out VHS tape. "Shameful" is the right word for it!

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Amen. It's the same transfer that was shameful by 1992 Laserdisc and VHS standards when they released it as the 50th Anniversary Edition, too... Now on it's second go-around on Artisan DVD. :frowning:

In the interest of fairness, if you are interested in seeing some more of John Wayne's best work, the Artisan DVDs of "Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Rio Grande" are very respectable presentations.

Regards,

 

[John Hodson]

Both of those - and the Artisan The Quiet Man - look to have disappeared from a couple of etailers; is this a sign that they have gone, or are going, OOP? And are Paramount replacements in the wings?

If I hadn't got it already, I would snap up Rio Grande from somewhere, just for the extras, which are quite decent.

 

[Robert Crawford]

That list of Wayne's best performances keeps growing because this morning, I completely forgot about Wayne's first AA nomination for Best Actor which was the role of Sgt. Stryker from Sands of Iwo Jima. Thanks for triggering my memory bank about that role.




Crawdaddy

 

[Walter Kittel]

"Life's tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid." - Sgt. Stryker.

Can't recall if that is the specific quote, but one of my favorite Wayne lines.

- Walter.

 

[Garrett Adams]

I saw Red River in 1948, at age 9 and was overwhelmed. It was the first serious western I can recall. My days of watching, Roy, Gene and Johnny Mack Brown were over.

 

[JohnPM]

By all means, go back and revisit Roy, Gene, and Johnny Mack Brown! There are many pleasures to be had there ---

http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Any Canadians spotted this yet in stores?

 

[FranklinC]

This was mostly a blind buy for me based on this review and my recent interest in older westerns. I watched The Searchers last night and was blown away.

This is just a great, thought provoking, beautiful looking movie. John Wayne's character was complicated and deep in a way we don't see much in modern movies. All the gorgeous, wide views of the various landscapes - the huge, picturesque cliffs against clear blue skies, the opening shot coming through the door into a vast open plain - gave me a real sense of "being there". I felt small and isolated, probably the same way those settlers felt. Brilliant.

So many memorable images - the tracking shot of Wayne on the horse as they triumphantly attack the Comanche camp at the end, the snow flakes drifting down on them in the forest at a point when all seemed lost, the horses trudging through a sea of white snow, the field of buffalo. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Any suggestions on what to watch next?

 

[oscar_merkx]

Stagecoach I would suggest