With Warner Baxter, Gloria Stuart, Claude Gillingwater, Arthur Byron. I am glad you mentioned David Thomson in the discussion, as his bizarre disdain for Ford (and Kubrick for that matter) has never failed to perplex me, not only for the almost trite dismissals, but in the divergence of taste. Use the HTML below. Such intelligent comments tend to focus my own thoughts wonderfully! I would count among these many of his Westerns--"Stagecoach," "My Darling Clementine" (my two favorite Westerns), the first two films of the Cavalry trilogy, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"-- "The Grapes of Wrath," "They Were Expendable," and I recall being very impressed with "The Informer" although it's been many years since I saw it. The big problem of course as you note is the matter of historical accuracy. It was easy to verify that only the most basic outlines of this film are factual. A family saga in which three of a Bavarian widow's sons go to war for Germany and the fourth goes to America, Germany's eventual opponent. As always you have written with sterling authority and great insight.Sam, thanks for your most welcome comments. With others I have reservations. The right to own slaves became one of the main planks in the Confederate Constitution.Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. It was really "Stagecoach" that caused me to take a closer look at his work. I'd forgotten how posts about Ford films invariably lead to a discussion of Ford as a director, and I sure found it a stimulating experience to frame responses to all the thoughtful comments left by readers of the post. The Prisoner of Shark Island is a 1936 film loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial conviction for being one of Booth's accomplices. R.D., your wonderful description of the camera movement in the Ford Theater sequence is one of the many reasons I enjoy visiting your site. Baxter turns in an impressive performance, and the film is beautifully crafted and mounted. 5.00. Eventually, he became a major character actor is and is known for Battling Butler (1926), Morocco (1930), The Plainsman (1936), The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), Zorro’s Black Whip (1944), and The Ten Commandments (1956). Outside of the few irrefutable essentials the film is a major fabrication, which may not mean all that much for some, but it cheapens the drama that made this one of history's most unforgettable episodes.
Ah, but I don't recall reading in your post this one thing: the saying My/Your name is mud(d) comes from this very Dr. Mudd.Kim, Ford's one of those directors who divide viewers into two camps, and I'd say that--typically for me, I suppose--I'm somewhere in the middle. The crossword clue possible answer is available in 5 letters.This answers first letter of which starts with S and can be found at the end of K. —...Dangerous Liaisons **** Country: US-UK Director: Stephen Frears Valmont *** Country: France-US Director: Milos Forman Released less th...**** Country: US Director: John Ford "My name's John Ford. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. That said, I always liked this film but like you, I find Ford problematic. John, actually the film doesn't say anything one way or the other about its authenticity. Kevin, I've always had ambivalent feelings about Ford. This film, coming out at a time when the nation as a whole and Hollywood in particular tended to be sympathetic toward the South, presents a one-sided account of the events surrounding the Lincoln assassination of 1865. Mudd has no idea that the president is dead and that he is treating his murderer, John Wilkes Booth. I checked this out only because I know that films of the time routinely adjusted the facts to fit the narrative without the disclaimers we see today. Others have the reputation of being stinkers, so if I do run across him in other films, I'll be very selective about which I watch. History What particularly delighted me. I do find some other aspects of Ford's work hard to take at times, in particular the heavy-handed humour at times, but, again as you say, that is low-key in this film.Judy, thanks for your thoughtful and informative comments. "The Searchers" comes close but for me is compromised by its broad and weirdly anomalous attempts at humor.
I've heard the Crime Doctor films are supposed to be pretty good, but haven't ever seen them either.RD, I've only seen this once and I found it a bit plodding. Certificate: Passed He does put his personal stamp on his work, and that gives each film and all the films in his filmography a unity you don't find in less personal directors. I can't think of another director of such clearly prodigious talent--whatever his shortcomings, they're not artistic or technical--that I have such mixed feelings about.R.D., so glad to read your piece on this film, which I remember really liking, especially Warner Baxter's performance. Heggie as …