Strong and Moving!

Simply A Masterpiece

How sad is this?

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON is a 1940s western (in colour!) from famed director John Ford, set in the immediate aftermath of the Custer massacre and once again featuring soldiers in a plot in which they fight back against murderous Native Americans. As is usual for a Ford film, the main star is John Wayne, but there's a surprise in store here for the fans: Wayne is playing something OTHER than his usual character! Wayne fans well know that the star was famed for playing essentially the same character over and over again during his long career - that consistency is what we love about him, after all - but here he plays an old-timer and is pretty much unrecognisable in the role, aside from his voice.The film is solid enough viewing for western fans, featuring some great visuals and an ensemble cast of familiar faces who acquit themselves well with the material. The story rarely flags and builds to a thoroughly exciting denouement which doesn't disappoint. I could have done without all of the love triangle stuff but even that doesn't detract from the experience too much.

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON is a central part of Ford's trilogy focused on the US cavalry. This is a film about pride, love and courage. Each of these properties is in a certain part of the film put to the test. Set design is again magnificent. The colors are vivid surreal. The director evokes the legendary soldiers and western plains. There are not many films that act like fresh. The film, which is an exciting, romantic, and at times even instructive. Emotion to duty is by far the strongest.Actors are skillfully selected. John Wayne as Captain Nathan Brittles, He is the picture of the ideal and legendary cavalryman. Duty, morality and obligations adorn this character. Konjic's natural environment, while the military rank is a way of expression. Of course, there is a girl who brings disorder in young lieutenants. One sergeant took care of a decent dose of humor. Two young lieutenants on exams. Professional and life tests.

This is a problematic western, although still very much so enjoyable in parts. In fact, to be fair, for most of the way it is quite an enjoyable film. John Wayne is strong in the lead, and I really liked Ben Johnson's presence here as his buddy side-kick. The love triangle is a bit silly, but amusing enough. The story is slight, but it is an extremely beautiful film, equaling "The Searchers" in its stunning Technicolor cinematography of Monument Valley. It moves at a good enough pace for the bulk of the running time, and it's a good film to sit back and enjoy the journey the film takes you on. Its story about coming of age between the characters, both passing on responsibility and accepting responsibility, is actually well done and the film is at times pleasantly sentimental.However, it is in the latter stages of the film where I really feel it faulters. Actually, to say it faulters is probably an understatement, as it almost absolutely tanks. First off, there is the horrendous, inexplicable bar brawl. Absolutely no excuse. I can forgive a similar road-block found in "The Searchers" because there the rest of the film is so strong that it makes up for it, and also the fight scene isn't as terrible as it is here. At this point of the film, there was actually quite an effective melancholy tone to the story, and the bar brawl involving McLaglen just brings the entire film to a screeching halt. It comes completely out of left field, and it is not funny at all -- it is embarrassingly stupid and goes on far too long, destroying tone and pace of the film. Because of this, the movie begins to drag.Secondly, the rest of the ending is questionable to me and makes little to no sense. Brittles last hurrah and redemption is one thing, although the way they miraculously defeat the Indian tribe seemed absurd, if not completely implausible. However, worse is the seemingly tacked on happy ending of Wayne's character literally shown riding out into the sunset, and then literally a moment later with the narrator claiming, "But the army wasn't done with him yet", and then showing him riding back in. WHAT??? Good lord, it just feels so cheap. The hokey narration doesn't help any either, and Ford's usual populist sentiments seem to drift into jingoistic ones, which is never a good thing for me.Ford did much better in "Fort Apache" -- a far more polished and satisfying cavalry film as a whole. This is a lesser movie, but it is worth seeing.

It doesn't seem possible that a good portion of the understanding of the Old West in general and the Indian Wars in particular for my generation was developed by watching Hollywood westerns of the '30s, '40s, and '50s (as well as TV in the '50s and '60s), but sadly, it was.I just re-watched SWaYR for the first time in a LOOOOONG time, and it reminds me of just how much of that old time "religion" I'd washed out of my consciousness in the last few decades.Having said that, though, I was entertained.Who can't get goose bumps watching (and listening to) Ben Johnson? To me, he has just about the most recognizable voice in movies. And that horsemanship! Only Yakima Canutt could approach him, in my view.Who can't get weepy as John Wayne surreptitiously reaches for his glasses? Who can have too much of Victor McLaglen in any tavern and/or brawl? (see "The Quiet Man" for another fine example) But, as has been pointed out, there were lots of errors or inconsistencies.How, for example, does one put in 40 years (not 30 as several have reported--do the math), serve in the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Indian Wars and not get past Captain, even in those slow promotion, downsizing from wartime years? Brittles had to have had a fairly high brevet rank in the CW, but it's never mentioned.How does Allshard make Major under the same conditions and not have 40 years in? How does Brittles get promoted over him to Lt. Colonel at the end? Is Chief of Scouts not subject to mandatory retirement? And to some other posters, the Medal of Honor was indeed originally intended for enlisted men and non-commissioned officers in its original incarnation. However, only a year or two later (1862), it was expanded to include officers, as well. Still, many didn't get their CW MoHs until decades after the War.Oh, well, I've been told many times to relax, sit back, enjoy the entertainment and not sweat the details. But, damn! A fort under a bluff? The image of hostiles lobbing fireballs onto the parade ground (or wooden roofs) from above just grates on me.