John Ford

[JackFavell]

I couldn't get there with the link you posted so I am re-posting the link here. I hope it works:

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2010/feat ... 99s-films/

[MissGoddess]

Thanks, Jackie! I don't know what I did wrong.

[JackFavell]

I'm still reading...

[ken123]

Yesterday evening in introducing Sergeant Rutledge Mr. Osborne said that Mr. Ford was a conservative director and would not be seen as a director who would make an anti racist film. Since at least the 1930's Mr Ford had made anti racialist films, Judge Priest, Fort Apache, The Searchers,Two Rode Together, and others. In his early years Mr Ford was know as a liberal, but turned more conservative as he aged, but an anti racist tone ( IMHO ) was ALWAYS present in his films. I wonder who wrote the words that Robert read, his statement was far from being totally correct.

[JackFavell]

ken,

I totally agree with you.

[MissGoddess]

Yes, Ken, I thought the same about Mr. O's remarks. I was actually very surprised by them.
However, I think part of the problem is that Ford never cared much about acting the outward part
of a stereotypical "liberal". He was an individual who was very fair minded, but he also hated to
seem sanctimonious and felt comfortable enough about his own views that he could be very tight
with people who were not entirely in accord with his own ideas. In other words, he felt fine with
people who were considered "arch conservatives" and this, along with his dominance in the genre
of the western, which is tinged with racist overtones to many, puts him in a convenient box for
those who don't want to bother to look further into the countless moments in his films where
he gives dignity and emotion to the voiceless, the minorities, the forgotten.

[JackFavell]

I was so moved by that article, Goddess, that I can hardly write. I wish I'd thought of, researched, and written it. Ahhh. I haven't got any words. I hope others read it, and the one by Tag, which was about the best researched, thorough article I've ever read on any Hollywood figure.

In another thread today, I mentioned how much I enjoyed the scenes in the bar during My Darling Clementine while watching last night - mainly because of the presence of J.Farrell MacDonald on one side of the action, and Brother Feeney on the other, bookmarking the scene, so to speak. I was amazed to find something similar in this article. Like I said, I wished I had the scholarly mind that Charles Barr did to follow Francis through his entire Fordian career. It was really lovely to see the way Frank was given such position in the films.

I do wish he had talked about Mr. Peachtree from Wagon Master a little more, although that was outside his theme, structurally. Peachtree has always fascinated me, in that he is totally silent, and yet is the clearest communicator of the entire picture. It dawned on me while reading that the name Peachtree is a wonderful symbol for the theme of the whole movie, that of rebirth.

[MissGoddess]

I was so moved by that article, Goddess, that I can hardly write. I wish I'd thought of, researched, and written it. Ahhh. I haven't got any words. I hope others read it, and the one by Tag, which was about the best researched, thorough article I've ever read on any Hollywood figure.

In another thread today, I mentioned how much I enjoyed the scenes in the bar during My Darling Clementine while watching last night - mainly because of the presence of J.Farrell MacDonald on one side of the action, and Brother Feeney on the other, bookmarking the scene, so to speak. I was amazed to find something similar in this article. Like I said, I wished I had the scholarly mind that Charles Barr did to follow Francis through his entire Fordian career. It was really lovely to see the way Frank was given such position in the films.

With all due respect to Mr. Barr, you, Mrs. Blue, are twice the writer he is. If you had the time and inclination to do the research he did, you'd have articulated the results with more style and much more emotional grasp....and that's what Ford (both of them) is all about...the feelings. I'm glad you liked the article.

I do wish he had talked about Mr. Peachtree from Wagon Master a little more, although that was outside his theme, structurally. Peachtree has always fascinated me, in that he is totally silent, and yet is the clearest communicator of the entire picture. It dawned on me while reading that the name Peachtree is a wonderful symbol for the theme of the whole movie, that of rebirth.

Please elaborate because I have been exchanging some thoughts with someone else about Francis' roles and was asked about his one in Wagon Master. I wasn't sure which group he originally belonged to...the Mormons, or was he with the show folk? That I am not sure is partly because to me he's the most integrated" character in any community he happens to be with, even when he's supposedly playing a disreputable type (drunk). He just seems so much a part of everyone, he's a member of any family, the whole human family. Tell me more about Mr. Peachtree and what you think, if you've a mind...I'm fascinated.

My favorite Francis roles, within his brother's works are in Young Mr Lincoln, My Darling Clementine, Judge Priest, Steamboat 'Round the Bend, The Sun Shines Bright and Drums Along the Mohawk.

I thought Alan Mowbray's Shakespearean tribute to "Dad" in My Darling Clementine was exactly what Francis represents to me in so many of his characters.

[MissGoddess]

He's so sweet in My Darling Clementine, his great, soft eyes. He even manages to convey that while he doesn't understand the fancy language of his friend, he is touched by their meaning. It's a lovely moment in a gorgeous film. Mowbray articulates the words, Francis provides the emotions by silent gesture and his eyes:



















Just look at the detail in the background of those shots! So much richness and depth.

That is truly one of my favorite moments in ANY film.

[JackFavell]

Good Lord! What a great, great catch! I noticed that moment last night, and simply loved it. It is a perfect moment, so kindly and sweet, between these two "brothers", and it is so Ford. And really, brotherhood is what Ford's films are about, aren't they? Really, though, you take my breath away with your observation and those caps! Look at the people behind them! It's a whole world in there. I NEVER noticed all that was going on in the background before. Incredible, Goddess! :!: :!: :!:

Another shot from MDC that took me by surprise, even though I have seen it a hundred times before, was in the OK Corral scene.... when Doc has been killed, and all the Clanton boys are gone. Pa Clanton was just shot by Morg. Wyatt goes to meet Morg at the fence, the same fence where Doc's kerchief is blowing in the wind a few paces away. And as Wyatt steps over, he pauses, ever so slightly at the top of the fence. He then climbs down from the fence on the opposite sideand straight down, away from us, out of the frame. Ford leaves the camera rolling after he is gone, moving our view slightly up into the clear, blue sky, with the peaceful little clouds....

Now really, what director DOES that? It's simply brilliant... Wyatt climbs out of our sight and Ford sends the gunfight right back into the history books with that shot. He made it real, but it is the stuff of legend. And for one moment, Wyatt straddled the point between reality and our imaginations.





And that scene of the two brothers reminded me of this:



Sorry, I digressed...Back to Francis! Now, you really are way too kind to me, and I am going to get a big head if you keep telling me that I am a better writer than someone who is writing for Senses of Cinema! Goodness gracious! I unfortunately would never have thought to do a study of Francis Ford's characters and his placement in his brother's films. I wish I had.

I can totally see how you would not remember which group Mr. Peachtree is affiliated with, because of Francis' "member of the world" status in the John Ford films. That is a great way to put it, and I am impressed with your description of him in this way, as the most integrated member of any group he happens to be in. That is quite a profound statement, and it rings very true to me. He is generally the only person in the films who has absolutely no agenda, aside from maybe getting a drink now and then, or a spitoon. He's an innocent and everyone is his friend, except for maybe corrupt judges or politicians.

In Wagon Master, Francis/Peachtree is one of the tent show folks - the drummer to be exact. I am sure there is significance in that instrument but it eludes me right now. When Elder Wiggs, Sandy and Travis find the traveling medicine show, none of the members is in a condition to explain how they came to be there - because they are all dead drunk, on the verge of passing out. In fact, it strikes me odd now that Peachtree is not there. He is the one member who seems perfectly fine in the later scene....he is not too drunk, nor is he particularly fazed by the heat of the desert. He really does seem to be a sprite or fairy, untouched by the trouble and trauma of the real world....

Anyway, there is a cut to Elder Wiggs, as he explains to the rest of the Mormons what happened to these poor souls - that when they ran out of water and Mr. Peachtree gave their mule "elixir" to drink, it ran off. They were stuck in the desert without anything to drink but the "medicine". Peachtree is there as Wiggs explains it all, and Peachtree is nodding and laughing, highlighting his knowledge of the situation.



To me, it is half implied that Elder WIggs was told the whole story somehow by Mr. Peachtree, though I could be wrong. How did he do it? He doesn't speak, so how did he tell Elder Wiggs of their plight? It's never explained. Wiggs was savvy enough to understand him, though. And then, Wiggs asks his people what they should do. The rather surly young man says they should give them enough water to go back to Crystal City.



Peachtree motions to Wiggs, and again, Wiggs knows exactly what Peachtree means - they can't go back to Crystal City, they weren't welcome there. So Peachtree is the communicator, and Wiggs is enough in touch with the spirits of the earth and humanity to have understood him immediately. That makes Francis in this scene the bridge between the two worlds - that of the Mormons and that of the medicine show. It's a very magical part of the film to me.

[knitwit45]

I read the incredible essay on Francis Ford and it was like the power came back on after a blackout. Not one lightbulb, but the whole house was lit up! I can't remember enjoying and UNDERSTANDING something so scholarly, and yet so simply stated, ever before. Thanks Ms G and Jackie for the link. This may sound silly, or childish to those of you who have a much deeper understanding of film, but it was like the first time I actually understood how to read. All those funny looking marks on the page were talking to me...telling me all about a couple of kids and their dog. From that day forward, a wonderful world of imagination and learning opened to me. I have understood Ford's themes of Irish, Family, Honor, and Romantic Love. But now, seeing Francis Ford (who I always look for in Ford's films) I see as the key to those themes.
The scene capped by Ms G in MDC is my favorite, and it's the best closeup, imo, of Francis, ever. You actually see the MAN, rather than the 'actor'...
Wagon Master, here I come again.

[JackFavell]

I am sorry I digressed away from Francis for a moment last night, I was tired and I got excited from having seen all sorts of new things in My Darling Clementine.

Those lines

Great souls by instinct to each other turn
demand allegiance and in friendship burn

are from Joseph Addison's The Campaign. Interesting, no?

Great souls by instinct to each other turn,
Demand alliance, and in friendship burn:
A sudden friendship, while with stretch`d-out rays
They meet each other, mingling blaze with blaze,
Polish`d in courts, and harden`d in the field,
Renown`d for conquest, and in council skill`d,
Their courage dwells not in a troubled flood
Of mounting spirits, and fermenting blood;
Lodg`d in the soul, with virtue over-rul`d,
Inflam`d by reason, and by reason cool`d,

In hours of peace content to be unknown,
And only in the field of battle shown:
To souls like these, in mutual fiendship join`d,
Heaven dares intrust the cause of human-kind.
Britannia`s graceful sons appear in arms,
Her harrass`d troops the hero`s presence warms,
Whilst the high hills and rivers all around
With thundering peals of British shouts resound:
Doubling their speed, they march with fresh delight,
Eager for glory, and require the fight.

So your post, dear Goddess, hit the mark more than any words that other author wrote in his excellent article. When you post, it is almost scary how "on" you are.

[MissGoddess]

Goodness, Jackie, that was beautiful. I have to read it over and over.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that little camera tilt to the sky in that scene in MDC....I'm so glad you mentioned it, but I never thought about the significance of the fence sitting, how Wyatt crosses it...oh my goodness, that was so interesting. Fences definitely show up constantly in Ford's films, enough that they can be significant, even symbolic. I like that idea that here in MDC, the fence could be the boundary between two worlds. It's stunning how you almost never hit bottom with what is to be gleaned from movies like these.

Thank you for expounding on Mr Peachtreee, I was in tears reading what you had to say about his sweet, simple character. Francis can break my heart just with one expression. He really radiates so much goodly feeling with so little screen time.

Your writing skills need no defense, being a good writer is not like belonging to a mystical club. I bet some of the best potential writers never see their words in print, just as many a beautiful flower is born to blush unseen.

[MissGoddess]

Gosh, that was a quote by Addison!? I have heard of him but never read his stuff---like most quasi-illiterates, I assumed the entire quote by Mowbray was Shakespeare. And it's about the British, hahahaaaa! That ought to silence some who say Ford could only express benign derision toward them. Winston Miller and Sam Engel were the credited screenwriters, but I beileve John Ford and possibly Darryl Zanuck had their fingerprints ALL OVER the script for My Darling Clem. Who's idea it was to insert the addison quote, I wonder? It would be quite interesting to me if it turned out to be Ford.

And Jackie, your speculation that Mowbray's "Thorndike" could have been Oscar Wilde was terrific! The only reason I knew about WIlde's western travels was because his character has shown up in a couple of old TV western shows, lol.

Ahhh, all the (film) world's a stage to Papps.

Thank you so much for what you've shared here, it's made my day....my week! I just wish people like Mr. Barr, Tag, Scott Eyman, etc, could read this stuff.

Is there any chance, if the TCM people can get a Ford panel of experts to attend their next film festival, that you could attend?

[MissGoddess]

I read the incredible essay on Francis Ford and it was like the power came back on after a blackout. Not one lightbulb, but the whole house was lit up! I can't remember enjoying and UNDERSTANDING something so scholarly, and yet so simply stated, ever before. Thanks Ms G and Jackie for the link. This may sound silly, or childish to those of you who have a much deeper understanding of film, but it was like the first time I actually understood how to read. All those funny looking marks on the page were talking to me...telling me all about a couple of kids and their dog. From that day forward, a wonderful world of imagination and learning opened to me. I have understood Ford's themes of Irish, Family, Honor, and Romantic Love. But now, seeing Francis Ford (who I always look for in Ford's films) I see as the key to those themes.
The scene capped by Ms G in MDC is my favorite, and it's the best closeup, imo, of Francis, ever. You actually see the MAN, rather than the 'actor'...
Wagon Master, here I come again.

Hi Nancy!

I have had such moments of "sudden light" so often, it speaks more to my astonishing ignorance than anything else, lol! And many of those moments are courtesy the good people who write here. I've learned so much since finding classic movie cyber-sympaticos.
I have ALWAYS had difficulty---even conscious resistence---to delving into film theory or construction of scenes and their meanings---heck I only recently learned (to a limited extent) what "mise en scene" really meant, ha!! It's all still a big puzzle I'm only beginning to identify all the pieces. And it's like a mystery that I have to solve, the riddle of what makes movies I"m passionate bout so compelling. I can no longer just sit back and enjoy them passivly, I have to get involved, much to the boredom of any who will listen or read.