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Brook K · 08-11-2004, 02:26 PM

#256 She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

I was wowed right from the beginning of this film. With its gorgeous Technicolor look and stunning backdrops, I was immediately reminded of Powell & Pressburger. John Wayne as Capt. Nathan Brittles is a typical Ford character. A man for whom soldiering isn't a job or even a duty, but his entire life. You feel he went straight from the womb to the back of a horse. With a week to go before retirement, he is charged with convoying the fort's women to a safer locale in the face of expected Native American attacks. Complicating matters are his lovesick lieutenants battling for the affections of a young woman.

The film contains many powerful elements and is another example of how Wayne was underrated as an actor when he had challenging material to work with - the anguish he feels for his dead wife, his strength and understanding in the way he manages and teaches the officers under his command, the meeting with the Indian chief where Wayne attempts to stop the conflict before the killing starts but is confronted with an old, exhausted man who has given up the hope that Wayne still feels.

But I was also surprised at how comic the film was. Victor Mclaglen is such an enjoyable presence as a tough-as-nails Irish carouser. The ways he and Wayne play off each other one has no problem believing that these are very old friends.

My one complaint is that the climax is rather anti-climactic. For all the buildup and portents of violence, there really isn't a payoff. But perhaps that is supposed to be part of the nature of the film.

A fine film that plays very much as a fusion of two of Ford's follow-ups - Rio Grande and The Quiet Man.

John Ford Films:

1. The Searchers - A
2. Mister Roberts - A
3. The Quiet Man - A
4. My Darling Clementine - A-
5. The Man Who Shot Libert Valence - A-
6. They Were Expendable - A-
7. Stagecoach - B+
8. The Grapes Of Wrath - B+
9. She Wore A Yellow Ribbon - B+
10. Rio Grande - B+
11. How Green Was My Valley - B-

08-11-2004, 02:26 PM	#2167 of 3711
Brook K Member Location: St. Louis, MO Join Date: Feb 2000 Local Time: 05:14 PM Local Date: 09-06-2008 Posts: 10,411	#256 She Wore A Yellow Ribbon I was wowed right from the beginning of this film. With its gorgeous Technicolor look and stunning backdrops, I was immediately reminded of Powell & Pressburger. John Wayne as Capt. Nathan Brittles is a typical Ford character. A man for whom soldiering isn't a job or even a duty, but his entire life. You feel he went straight from the womb to the back of a horse. With a week to go before retirement, he is charged with convoying the fort's women to a safer locale in the face of expected Native American attacks. Complicating matters are his lovesick lieutenants battling for the affections of a young woman. The film contains many powerful elements and is another example of how Wayne was underrated as an actor when he had challenging material to work with - the anguish he feels for his dead wife, his strength and understanding in the way he manages and teaches the officers under his command, the meeting with the Indian chief where Wayne attempts to stop the conflict before the killing starts but is confronted with an old, exhausted man who has given up the hope that Wayne still feels. But I was also surprised at how comic the film was. Victor Mclaglen is such an enjoyable presence as a tough-as-nails Irish carouser. The ways he and Wayne play off each other one has no problem believing that these are very old friends. My one complaint is that the climax is rather anti-climactic. For all the buildup and portents of violence, there really isn't a payoff. But perhaps that is supposed to be part of the nature of the film. A fine film that plays very much as a fusion of two of Ford's follow-ups - Rio Grande and The Quiet Man. John Ford Films: 1. The Searchers - A 2. Mister Roberts - A 3. The Quiet Man - A 4. My Darling Clementine - A- 5. The Man Who Shot Libert Valence - A- 6. They Were Expendable - A- 7. Stagecoach - B+ 8. The Grapes Of Wrath - B+ 9. She Wore A Yellow Ribbon - B+ 10. Rio Grande - B+ 11. How Green Was My Valley - B- I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next year, and the year after that. - George Bailey 2002 Sight & Sound Challenge: 313 Last Watched: Time of the Gypsies Last 10 Films Watched: Foreign Correspondent - B / The Small Back Room - B+ Days of Wine and Roses - B / Redbelt - C Torn Curtain - C+ / The Wrong Man - B+ Dial M for Murder - B+ / I Confess - A- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - C+ / Brand Upon the Brain! - B+ DVD BEAVER My Collection