John Ford and the American West

During a distinguished movie career, 'Pappy' Ford directed some 50 western films, several of them classics. Films like 'Fort Apache,' 'My Darling Clementine' and 'Stagecoach' all share a consistent cinematic and thematic vision of Ford's making. Noted film author Peter Cowie examines that Fordian vision in this colorful and insightful 2004 book from Harry Abrams. In trying to characterize major themes in Ford's westerns, there is a temptation to lump it all together under the classic 'Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' line: "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Ford's Old West wasn't the West of fact but rather an imagined West where decent, God-fearing, sentimental yet hard-nosed men and women struggled onward and usually perserved over nature and native Americans. It was a West where saddle-sore cavalrymen and poorly paid but principled lawmen were the only protectors of life and property. At once beautiful and pitiless, Ford's West was a smythic land of thundering action and hardscrabble living where progress came at a cost for all involved. In large part Ford's vision, as demonstrated in Cowie's book, was based on the books and artwork of a raft of American authors and artists such as Fennimore Cooper, George Bingham, Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, George Catlin, Charles Schreyvogel, Matthew Brady and others filtered through Ford's inventive mind. Cowie's examination of those writings and artowrk and the influence they had on Ford's Cavalry trilogy, for instance, made for fascinating reading. Then too Cowie's summary of all those wonderful Ford Westerns featuring the Duke, Ward Bond, Henry Fonda, Victor McLaglen, 'Dobe' Carey, et al are sure to please cinema fans. Visually JOHN FORD AND THE AMERICAN WEST is a treat since it features over 125 black & white or color photographs of actors, action scenes, scenic vistas, etc. To be honest, I thought the book deserved even more images, which is why I rated it four stars not five. Thinking back through 'Stagecoach,' '3 Godfathers,' 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon' and 'Rio Grande,' for instance, brought back mental images as evocative as those found in the book. In any case, Cowie's book is a marvelous, insightful and well-illustrated exploration of and tribute to one of our greatest directors. Western fans will want to pick this one up.

Western movie fans, here's the book for you. And, it's a beauty with some 125 illustrations from John Ford's greatest films. Characteristically modest, the legendary film director once introduced himself by saying, "My name is John Ford. I make Westerns." What an understatement. He is arguably the best and most prolific director of Western films in the history of Hollywood. Who can forget "Stagecoach," "Drums Along the Mohawk," "Fort Apache," "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" to mention only a few? He was and is the quintessential director in this genre, working with such film greats as John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Henry Fonda. He drew inspiration from a variety of sources, the pulp fiction of the 19th century as well as the stunning paintings by Remington and Russell. As is noted regarding the jacket front, "Ford's use of pale sunshine yellow and sunset red in "The Searchers" (1956) recalls the paintings of Frederic Remington." Generations of us were enthralled by his films at Saturday matinees; today legions discover him on DVDs. Whatever the case, his legacy is unquestionable. Chapter headings include: The Myth of the West History Transfigured The U.S. Cavalry and the Scars of War Ford and the Native American Monument Valley and Ford's Expansive Vision of the West The Telltale Signature Author Peter Cowie is the former international publishing director of Variety, and has penned over 20 cinema focused books, including "The Cinema of Orson Welles" plus bios of Ingmar Bergman and Francis Ford Coppola. - Gail Cooke