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THE DIRECTORS:JOHN FORDThe Great PoetBy John Larrabee |
"Ford could control the movement of the
sky in
Monument Valley. The rest of us have to use sound stages."
-- Howard Hawks
Widely regarded as among the
greatest of American film directors, John Ford was either a sentimental
pussycat or the prickliest bastard you'd ever encounter, depending on
who you talked to and when you talked to them. He had great
capacity for kindness and generosity, yet he had no qualms about
cruelly humiliating actors, including his closest friends.
The
friendships he forged were deep and lifelong, although true to his
contradictory nature, he was a liberal Democrat whose best pals (John
Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Ward Bond) were conservative
Republicans.
Such personal duality is reflected within his numerous masterpieces,
most of which take no sides and play no favorites in matters of social
conscience, instead delving deeply into the moral ambiguity of human
nature.
A silent film pioneer
who directed his first picture in 1917, Ford didn't hit his stride or
define his personal style until the mid-1930s, by which time he had
directed more than 70 films (imagine Hollywood allowing for that kind
of internship these days!). Always true to his personal
"invisible technique" dictum, his style was direct and uncluttered,
never allowing camera angles or editing to artificially enhance the
inherent human drama. Nevertheless, he could frame a scene
for
maximum effect and symbolic significance (as in the opening and closing
shots of THE
SEARCHERS), his panoramic vistas were breathtaking in
their composition (evident in just about any shot of his beloved
Monument Valley), and he was a pioneer in the use of such techniques as
deep focus (most effective in the nighttime sea battles of THEY WERE
EXPENDABLE). "Make sure you can see their eyes" was
his only
comment on his visual style, and Ford films abound with closeups of
actors whose intense gazes border on the mystical (see Henry Fonda's
Tom Joad at the end of THE GRAPES OF WRATH).
One of Ford's most frequent
themes explored
the ways in which lies and bigotry were necessary evils in establishing
America's strength as a nation. Henry Fonda's Colonel
Thursday
(FORT APACHE) and John Wayne's Ethan Evans (THE SEARCHERS) are
portrayed as obsessive and near-mad in their murderous hatred of
Indians, yet Ford compels the viewer to ponder the ways in which such
actions were a vital component in our heritage. On a related
note, the director also examined the "whitewashing" of history by
exposing the truth behind certain legends of the Old West.
Through the use of half-truths and ambiguity, the press--and, hence,
generations of Western writers--offer up FORT APACHE's Colonel Thursday
as a bold and fearless patriot, whereas James Stewart as Rance Stoddard
in THE MAN
WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is a decent and noble man who
nonetheless builds a successful political career through an undeserved
reputation for bravery and heroism. Values are the only true
role
models, Ford seems to say; people have a tendency to disappoint.
Though best known for his
Westerns, Ford also
specialized in war epics (THEY WERE EXPENDABLE, WHAT PRICE GLORY),
particularly those depicting Navy life (Ford himself was a Rear
Admiral), while his sentimental side was exposed in loving tributes to
his proud Irish heritage (HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, THE QUIET
MAN). His indulgence in sentiment was seldom
mawkish,
characterized instead by slowly paced scenes of quiet tenderness and
contemplation. He was often criticized for his indulgence in
slapstick barroom-brawl humor, but such scenes are an endearing
trademark to Ford devotees. It's a sure bet that if Victor
McLaglen and Ward Bond are in the cast, the spirits will flow and the
fists will fly, and damn yer Irish eyes if'n yiz don't take it in good
clean fun. Ford's self-indulgent humor was seldom a threat to
the
greatness of his self-revelatory drama.
To Orson Welles, Ford was "the
greatest poet"
in cinema history, whereas to Ingmar Bergman, he was simply the
greatest director who ever lived. Many of Ford's best films
play
as naturalistic recreations of great myths and portray the common man
with the nobility of legendary heroes. His many films based
on
American history fall into this category. Whether they are
accurate or not is beside the point. "When the truth
interferes
with the legend, print the legend," is the oft-quoted theme of LIBERTY
VALANCE. And yet Ford's truth was often more truthful than
truth
itself, which in turn made him the legend. - JL
John Ford The Stuff You Gotta Watch
Copyright © John Larrabee, 2006. All Rights Reserved.