Rayon Vert wrote:
The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:
Aside from the scene of the two stars talking by the river, I found this to be one of the absolute worst John Ford films (And I've seen Wee Willie Winkie).
For me, not one of the worst, but disappointing all around. The story material is too much like
The Searchers, with none of the panache in the execution. I don't remember Gallagher saying much good about this one in Ford biography (?) - in contrast to
Wee Willie Winkie!
This was pretty much my assessment of the film last night, which is a shame because there's a lot to like about the film. Richard Widmark is enjoyable, there's some absolutely beautiful scenery and shots, and the story takes unexpected turns in the final act by focusing more on the social issues than a traditional rescue mission (though admittedly, this wasn't exactly handled all that well). That said, the way Stewart's character seems to evolve left my head scratching, and there are a bunch of elements to the story that seem to come out of or go nowhere. Lastly, some of the musical cues are just atrocious, and the assorted moments of zaniness that are accompanied by a "zany" soundtrack are cringeworthy. Beautiful film to look at, a bit off the mark though all around.