"My Darling Clementine" *** (out of ****)
As I continue to try and review all the great films and great directors, it has occurred to me I haven't really spent time reviewing westerns and I've never reviewed a movie directed by John Ford.
If any one director best represents the genre it is John Ford. He devoted himself to the genre, pretty much setting the standard for what all other westerns are measured against.
It has been said of him no other director shoots landscapes like him. Thinking it over in my mind, I cannot think of another filmmaker who does it as well. It has also been suggested, that he, along with Frank Capra, best represent American values in cinema.
John Ford holds the record for most "Best Director" Oscar wins in history. He was nominated 5 times and won 4; "The Informer" (1935), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "How Green Was My Valley" (1941) and "The Quiet Man" (1952). The one time he lost was for "Stagecoach" (1939).
Looking over his credits, like so many other great filmmakers, it was hard to find a starting point. Which title should I review first? But there was another challenge and one I must admit to my readers in the order of fairness. I haven't seen many of Ford's films. I have only seen a small handful. Among them my favorite is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962). But I didn't feel like re-watching that movie, especially when you consider there are so many other films by Mr. Ford I've yet to explore. The only films I have seen are; "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939), "How Green Was My Valley", "The Quiet Man" and "The Searchers" (1956).
But I settled on "My Darling Clementine" (1946). It is a fine choice I feel. It is highly regarded and is viewed by many as one of Ford's greatest and most influential films. It is very typical of what I find in Mr. Ford's film.
"My Darling Clementine" is about the fight at the O.K. Corral between Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and the Clanton family (headed by Walter Brennan). Earp and his brothers; Virgil (Tim Holt), Morgan (Ward Bond) and James (Don Garner) are headed for California when they run into the Clantons. The father wants to buy the Earp's cattle, he is even willing to pay $5 a head. But Wyatt refuses. This makes father Clanton very mad.
After returning from the town of Tombstone, Wyatt and two of his brothers find their cattle is missing and the youngest brother, James, is dead. Wyatt suspects it was the Clanton's but has no proof. He decides to stay in the town of Tombstone to get his revenge.
Tombstone doesn't seem to be a safe place. And after a violent incident with a drunk Indian, Wyatt is named the town's Marshall with his brothers as his deputies. Though some people, like saloon singer Chihuahua (Linda Darnell) show resistance to Wyatt. They feel the town is really run by "Doc" Holliday (Victor Mature).
But I don't think Ford cares one iota about any of this. What makes "My Darling Clementine" so striking is the visuals. The way Ford films the landscape. One very impressive scene is near the end of the film. Old Man Clanton (Brennan) as he is credited, is waiting for Wyatt and his gang to arrive. It is night time. Suddenly we see the light come through from the clouds. In a single unbroken shot we go from dark to light. Pay attention to another shot in the same scene. Wyatt is headed towards the Clantons. We see the empty town behind him with Wyatt walking towards the camera. If you freeze the frame I swear it is so beautiful you could make a post card out of it.
In this sense Ford reminds me of the European directors like Antonioni and Tarkovsky. Ford's film is not so much about plot. It is about emotions and moods. Ford isn't interested in making a typical western, he goes against type. He seems more concerned with the visuals.
"My Darling Clementine" is a slow moving film. There is no action. It is not a fast shooting western. If you want excitement watch Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) or "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964). I also like "The Magnificent Seven" (1960). But Ford has other things on his mind here.
Henry Fonda gives us one of his folksy "aww shucks" kind of performances like the ones given in "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Young Mr. Lincoln". Linda Darnell, who was in Preston Sturges' classic comedy "Unfaithfully Yours" (1948) and Rene Clair's "It Happened Tomorrow" (1944) has never looked sexier playing a Mexican saloon singer whom we suspect is a prostitute at night. That was usually the only profession for women in westerns. That and a school teacher. Victor Mature I thought was mis-casted. He was a good actor, maybe best known for his biblical roles, but doesn't look like a tough guy brute to me.
Now I said Ford doesn't seem interested in telling us a conventional story. I think that is true, but notices how he plays around with the genre and the usual cliches. We get the stranger riding into town (Wyatt). We have the lawbreakers (the Clantons). The whore (Chihuahua). And the Lady (Clementine Carter, played by Cathy Downs), who appears to have been "Doc"s great love, whom he has left behind. And of course we get the gunfight showdown in the finale.
And look how Ford shoots the finale. He clutters the frame. The viewers feels closed in with objects places in front of us like horses and fences. This helps put us in the same state of mind as the characters who can't see clearly over the objects.
But I wonder how many of these little artistic touches will please most viewers. Will they notice? Will they even care? Will they expect more excitement? I have warned you, "My darling Clementine" doesn't have lots of blood and violence. It is not a fast moving picture. It is more meditative. If you want a fast moving Ford western watch "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Watch "My Darling Clementine" if you want to soak in the atmosphere and stare off into those wide open spaces.
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