Three Bad Men [Blu-ray]

Director: John Ford John Ford

Overview

Her father recently murdered, a young lady is blessed with paternal protection in the form of a trio of desperate outlaws who decide to act as her guardian angels. This silent oater from western auteur John Ford was originally slated as a vehicle for Tom Mix, Buck Jones and George O'Brien.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/23/2016
UPC:	0738329206222
Original Release:	1926
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	30,021

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, the author of Searching For John Ford; Trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

George O'Brien	Dan O'Malley
Olive Borden	Lee Carlton
Lou Tellegen	Sheriff Layne Hunter
J. Farrell MacDonald	Mike Costigan
Tom Santschi	Bull Stanley
Frank Campeau	Spade Allen
Jay Hunt	Prospector
Phyllis Haver	Prairie Beauty
Priscilla Bonner	Millie Stanley
Alec Francis	Rev. Calvin Benson
Grace Gordon	Millie's Friend
Otis Harlan	Zack Leslie
Georgie Harris	Joe Minsk
George Irving	Gen. Neville
Walter Perry	Pat Monohan

Technical Credits

John Ford

John Stone

John Ford	Producer,Screenwriter,Director
John Stone	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

One of John Ford's greatest silent epics, Three Bad Men chronicles the rush for land and gold in the Dakotas in the 1870s. Throughout his career, Ford displayed a preference for setting his dramas against historical backdrops, and Three Bad Men yet again shows his unmatchable skill in balancing an intimate story with a grand tale. Ford also uses these films to put his own spin on history. In this case it is a vision of the West in which the motivation of the pioneers is fully noble, and misdeeds are usually committed by isolated individuals. And while some of the greed is shown, Ford repeatedly stresses that the true "gold" of the rush was in the richness of the land. A continuing theme throughout Three Bad Men is redemption. At first, Bull, Mike, and Spank are shown as unsympathetic villains, wanted for various crimes, and at one point Bull comes close to cold-bloodedly killing Lee. But through selflessly dedicating themselves to Lee's welfare they find a nobler purpose, and ultimately sacrifice their lives to save her's and Dan's. As with any Ford film, there are also plenty of exciting action sequences. In this case they include the attack on the Carltons' wagon, the burning of the church, and the climactic battle with Hunter and his men. The land rush sequence is particularly impressive, filled with horses and wagons racing across the plains, as families desperately run after their dreams. In the lead roles, George O'Brien and Olive Borden look more like movie stars than Western pioneers, but still give honest performances. Bull Stanley is the film's most complex character, even if the transition from outlaw to protector is not entirely smooth, and Tom Santschi plays Bull with a depth of character that exceeds the others in the film. If Three Bad Men falls just short of Ford's later masterpieces, it is still an important, maturing step in his vital body of work.