Wagon Master (1950)
A Film by John Ford
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC | MPEG 2 | 4:3 | 1h 25min | 720x480 | 29.97 fps | Lang: English, Spanish | Subs: English, French, Spanish
Audio#1: English AC3 @ 192Kbps | Audio#2: Spanish AC3 @ 192Kbps | Cover + Extras | 3.82 GB
Genre: Adventure | Western
IMDB
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey Jr.
Storyline: As Mormon settlers head to the promised land at the San Juan river in Utah, they hire horse traders Travis Blue and Sandy as wagon masters. They have to forge a trail across unknown territory and face many hardships along the way. They quickly come across some stranded travelers, a medicine show run by Dr. A. Locksley Hall which includes the attractive Denver. Along the way however, they are also joined by Shiloh Clegg and his murderous clan of robbers and thieves. An encounter with the Navajo leads to an invitation to their camp but after one of the Clegg boys gets a whipping for attacking one of the Navajo women, Uncle Shiloh plans his revenge. It's left to Sandy and Travis to protect the travelers and get them to their destination.
Screenshots:
A Film by John Ford
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC | MPEG 2 | 4:3 | 1h 25min | 720x480 | 29.97 fps | Lang: English, Spanish | Subs: English, French, Spanish
Audio#1: English AC3 @ 192Kbps | Audio#2: Spanish AC3 @ 192Kbps | Cover + Extras | 3.82 GB
Genre: Adventure | Western
IMDB
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey Jr.
Storyline: As Mormon settlers head to the promised land at the San Juan river in Utah, they hire horse traders Travis Blue and Sandy as wagon masters. They have to forge a trail across unknown territory and face many hardships along the way. They quickly come across some stranded travelers, a medicine show run by Dr. A. Locksley Hall which includes the attractive Denver. Along the way however, they are also joined by Shiloh Clegg and his murderous clan of robbers and thieves. An encounter with the Navajo leads to an invitation to their camp but after one of the Clegg boys gets a whipping for attacking one of the Navajo women, Uncle Shiloh plans his revenge. It's left to Sandy and Travis to protect the travelers and get them to their destination.
Screenshots:
Wagon Master is a simple and heartfelt cowboys 'n' settlers story with a gentle touch; Ford produced it himself and avoided having a big star so make the experience as pleasant as possible. Here's where we find out what kind of film John Ford makes when he has his way – it turns out to be a simple story done in a style resembling a silent movie. 1 If you like "pure" westerns that showcase good horse riding and other cowboy skills, Wagon Master is a must-see title.
A group of Mormon settlers led by Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) is happy when a pair of desert-savvy cowboys signs on to help them cross the desert to the "promised land" of the San Juan River. Travis Blue and Sandy (Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr.) agree to guide the wagon train simply because the Mormons can't make it on their own; Sandy's also interested in one of the Mormon daughters, Prudence Perkins (Kathleen O'Malley). In addition to the usual cross-country problems – Indians, a shortage of water – the wagon train picks up a trio of abandoned show people. Dr. A.Locksley Hall (Alan Mowbray) sells snake oil, while his consort Fleuretty Phyffe (Ruth Clifford) drinks heavily.
I wouldn't doubt that college students of today might think Wagon Master to be a corny fossil, as did some in the UCLA audience I saw it with. John Ford liberally applies songs by The Sons of the Pioneers, a mellow western group very popular in the postwar period. Any montage of wagons rolling will cue an old-fashioned melody, and Ford is also fond of stopping the movie dead for square dancing scenes. "The Chuckawalla Swing" is about as un-cool a song as one can imagine, and leaves out viewers who can't appreciate the styles of the past.
Wagon Master is excellent filmmaking just the same. Ford establishes his characters with ease and gets a fine performance from Ben Johnson, a star rodeo performer who rides a horse across broken ground like he was spreading butter on toast. Once the Ward Bond character shames his brethren into accepting the "fallen" show folk as acceptable fellow travelers, the Mormons come off as good people. Just the same Ford emphasizes telling portrait close-ups of Mormon women looking at the Navajos with fear and hatred. Sandy discreetly courts young Prudence, and even ends up riding a wagon with her at the end of the film, which seems a rather tolerant interpretation of the creed.
This is also a good film for Ward Bond, as a communal leader who knows he's not up to every challenge. It's interesting that no really dominant hero emerges from the story, no John Wayne character that can brush problems aside. The wagon train is the star. Ford gives star Joanne Dru some good scenes but doesn't allow her to take the movie away either – her Denver never even gets to kiss Ben Johnson.
DVD Extras:
*Audio commentary with Harry Carey Jr. and Peter Bogdanovich with John Ford
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