Shepherd Of The Hills

Post Reply
User avatar
movieman1957
Administrator
Posts: 5522
Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
Location: MD

Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by movieman1957 »

Whatever else is to be said of this film it is arguably the most beautiful looking film I have ever seen. I can only assume it was shot in the Ozarks (more likely Oregon) it is green in the right spots and blue in the right spots and even the interiors are lovely.

John Wayne leads the cast but it feels more like Harry Carey's movie as he plays someone who comes to the area to buy a piece of land. He is looked on with suspicion since he is a stranger to them. It's a journey for several characters. Carey comes to connect with his past. Wayne looks to cleanse his past and everyone else is caught, for better or worse, in the middle.

SPOILERS

It takes a while for the story to unfold to find out why Carey is there. He buys a piece of land that is "unhappy." No one wants to go on it and some people are unhappy that it was sold to him. Wayne's mother is buried there. He goes for a visit and at her grave the music comes in the background that plays a lullaby theme. (One interesting shot has Wayne cast a shadow over the grave much like Joanne Dru does when visiting Wayne in "Yellow Ribbon.) Later after Carey moved into the log house he sits at the piano and punches out the same lullaby them connecting him and Wayne. The journey then becomes about their connection. (Another interesting shot of Carey coming into his house very much suggests the later "door" shots in Ford's "The Searchers.")

Unusual location and setting as there is really no time frame but this is an isolated group of superstitious people who also have religious aspect to their community. Carey comes and is able to help the community medically and befriends them through his help. The most moving scene is where Marjorie Main prays for Carey after he helps a little girl. Having been on the receiving end of such a gesture it is a wonderful subtle scene.

Supported by a good cast of familiar faces it is not a terribly deep movie and some of it is a little slow and hard to get hold of but if you only watch it once enjoy the scenery because it is what every film should look like and so seldom does.

More later if anyone wants to join in.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
User avatar
rohanaka
Posts: 255
Joined: April 30th, 2009, 1:00 pm

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by rohanaka »

OH Chris... I have heard SO much about this film, but have only seen portions of it. (a very long time ago... I think it was on AMC and I caught the middle.. and part of the end.. and did not even know what I was watching at the time) But BOY what I did see was SOMETHING. I hope others will chime in (I know Miss G is a big fan) because I would love to hear more.
klondike

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by klondike »

Beulah Bondi turned in a killer performance here, playing a character that was pretty hard to like, but impossible not to be impressed by.
I really felt she should've garnered an Oscar nom for this role.
User avatar
movieman1957
Administrator
Posts: 5522
Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
Location: MD

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by movieman1957 »

Bondi was terrific. An old lady who had "died inside" as her son put it when he had an accident. There is anger and sorrow enough here.

Betty Field did a nice job and never wore a pair of shoes. Some of the cast would show up later in "Angel and The Badman" which made me think Gail Russell might also had done a nice job if she had been around then.

I neglected to mention that Henry Hathaway directed.

Kathy:

April is a fan and we talked about bringing this film up so she will probably join in along the way.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
User avatar
mrsl
Posts: 4200
Joined: April 14th, 2007, 5:20 pm
Location: Chicago SW suburbs

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by mrsl »

.
I, too have never had an opportunity to see this film. Mom and Dad saw it in a live performance when they vacationed at a resort in the Ozark mountain region and raved about what a great story it was. From the title, I thought it was a religious film, because they often included old churches, and monasteries in their travels, plus the name kind of depicts the vision of Jesus shepherding his 'flock'. Hopefully, TCM will one day present it to us.

.
Anne


***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *

]***********************************************************************
User avatar
moira finnie
Administrator
Posts: 8024
Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by moira finnie »

I love Harry Carey's beautifully understated performance in this movie. He gives the movie such a depth of soul. My favorite moment is when he is alone in the cabin filled with memories and very gently touches the piano and the jewelry he finds there. It also has a fine performance from a very young John Wayne, on a par with The Long Voyage Home from the same period. And how about that Marjorie Main moment when the blindfold is removed from her eyes! What a great dramatic actress, (as well as a laugh riot in other movies).

There are two important contributors behind the camera responsible for the powerful visual impressions left by this film.

One was W. Howard Greene, a nearly forgotten cinematographer who pioneered Technicolor techniques that showed how to use color effectively in dramas (in The Garden of Allah and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, for instance). Greene was nominated for an Oscar seven times and won honorary/special Oscars for The Garden of Allah, A Star Is Born in the '30s and, with Hal Mohr, for the Claude Rains' Phantom of the Opera in the '40s. Greene was so respected for his intimate knowledge of the use of color, he was tapped as the advisor, {along with the ubiquitous Natalie Kalmus}, on the set of The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Another contributor was Charles Lang, (sometimes listed as Charles Lang, Jr.), who may have been one of the best b & w cinematographers, but who did some particularly fine color work, especially in the '50s. Lang's compositional sense and lighting in either mode was exquisite. Some black and white films enhanced by Lang: Death Takes a Holiday, Tovarich, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Uninvited,The Big Carnival, and Wild Is the Wind, though there were many more. His striking color work includes The Long Gray LIne, Gunfight at the O.K.Corral, Strangers When We Meet and The Magnificent Seven. I don't think I've ever seen a Lang film that wasn't made more memorable thanks to his eye.

Has anyone read the book by Harold Bell Wright that inspired the movie? I just discovered it is on line here at the Gutenberg Project.
Avatar: Frank McHugh (1898-1981)

The Skeins
TCM Movie Morlocks
klondike

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by klondike »

Coincidently, Harold Bell Wright was one of my Mum's fave authors.
She actually talked me into beginning one of his titles once, when I was 13 or so, and it bored me nearly to tears . . . but she sure loved his stuff.
Maybe I'll try one again before I check out . . wouldn't hurt to put it on my bucket list.
User avatar
knitwit45
Posts: 4689
Joined: May 4th, 2007, 9:33 pm
Location: Gardner, KS

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by knitwit45 »

Moira, I read the book about 30 years ago. It still has the blackberry stain on it. The way it got there was that we were camping in the Ozark mountains, around Branson (it was just a wide place in the road, with some really corny hillbilly type music shows, and the whole village rolled up the sidewalks about 10 pm, and closed for the "season" on Labor day) Anyway, we pulled up to the one and only traffic light, and there stood a little girl, wearing a flour sack dress, pigtailed and barefoot, selling blackberries by the LARD BUCKET full. $2.00 for the whole bucket (about a one gallon pail). We practically made ourselves sick on those still warm from the sun berries, and I accidentally mashed one into my new book.
Believe it or not, the hills there are still just as beautiful, and the woods are just as mysterious, it's just harder to see them for all the cars, campers, buses, and music theaters. Aunt Mollie's cabin is still there, as is the blacksmith and livery stable. All the places were named for the characters and places in the book.
If you can put up with gridlock, it's still a beautiful place to visit.
User avatar
movieman1957
Administrator
Posts: 5522
Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
Location: MD

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by movieman1957 »

mrsl wrote:.
I, too have never had an opportunity to see this film. Mom and Dad saw it in a live performance when they vacationed at a resort in the Ozark mountain region and raved about what a great story it was. From the title, I thought it was a religious film, because they often included old churches, and monasteries in their travels, plus the name kind of depicts the vision of Jesus shepherding his 'flock'. Hopefully, TCM will one day present it to us.

.
Outside of Main's character there is very little religious involvement if any. Carey is thought to be the shepherd as one who has been sent to care (mostly medically and some monetarily) for them. It just happens to be a benefit of his generosity and his reason for coming to the area.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
stuart.uk
Posts: 1805
Joined: January 21st, 2008, 12:25 pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by stuart.uk »

Chris

It reminds me of The Long Voyege Home. As in SOTHs, Wayne's the star. However, like you said Carey was the main character in SOTHs, likewise I felt Thomas Mitchell was the featured actor in TLVH
User avatar
mongoII
Posts: 12340
Joined: April 14th, 2007, 7:37 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by mongoII »

A beautiful technicolored film of Ozark mountain folk. I like Marc Lawrence in this since he gets away from his usual gangster role, and also a different Marjorie Main.
Joseph Goodheart
User avatar
moira finnie
Administrator
Posts: 8024
Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by moira finnie »

JackFavell has posted some exquisite screencaps from this movie here on the TCM Message Boards.

Henry Hathaway, W. Howard Greene and Charles Lang should be somewhere smiling.
Avatar: Frank McHugh (1898-1981)

The Skeins
TCM Movie Morlocks
User avatar
JackFavell
Posts: 11926
Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by JackFavell »

Hey! Thanks for the link Moira!

Be sure though to check out Miss Goddess's caps just before mine - the ones of Beulah Bondi's mute son trying to catch the sunbeams with the little dust particles in them.... they are truly spectacular.

What a heavenly movie to watch. Incredible natural beauty, and so full of light.
RedRiver
Posts: 4200
Joined: July 28th, 2011, 9:42 am

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by RedRiver »

There's much to like about this movie. It's thoughtful, beautifully shot, and different. An unusual role for John Wayne, an actor who, even in relative youth, didn't shy away from them. A story of strong people in rugged country.

When I think of the great outdoor movies, this film doesn't immediately come to mind. It's overshadowed by the great John Ford films, RED RIVER and SHANE. But we see those movies all the time. In my experience, this one doesn't come up a lot. When the opportunity presents itself, don't miss it!
Gary J.
Posts: 199
Joined: November 9th, 2008, 1:22 pm
Location: Sonoma, CA
Contact:

Re: Shepherd Of The Hills

Post by Gary J. »

This was made by the same team who filmed TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE 5 years earlier and they used the same locations up in the California high country. To me this film always struck me like being one of Harry Carey's silents during his heyday.........if he had ever made a silent in color.......and in sound.
Post Reply