The Westerns and War Films of John Ford

by Sue Matheson

Overview

Responsible for some of the greatest films of the 20th century—The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, and The Quiet Man among others—John Ford was best known for motion pictures that defined the American West and the face of wartime military. A Hollywood celebrity, Ford lived his life against the background that Twentieth Century-Fox fashioned for him. As he did, the facts of his life merged with—and became inseparable from—his multifaceted legend, fostered by Hollywood’s studio culture and his own imagination.

In The Westerns and War Films of John Ford Sue Mathesonoffers an engaging look at one of America’s greatest directors and the two genres of films that solidified his reputation.
Drawing on previously unreleased material, this volume explores the man, the filmmaker, the veteran, and the legend—and the ways in which all of those roles shaped Ford’s view of America, national character, and his creative output. Among the films discussed here in depth are Ford’s early productions, such as The Iron Horse and Drums along the Mohawk, his military films, such as Submarine Patrol, The Battle of Midway, and They Were Expendable, and his Westerns, including Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers, and Cheyenne Autumn.

Ford imbued many of his creations with a point of view that represented his ideals, and the films discussed here illustrate their director’s distinct vision of American life on the frontier and in service of the country. That vision—Ford’s idealization of the American Character—would, in turn, shape the worldview of several generations. The Westerns and War Films of John Ford will appeal to critics and scholars, but also to any fan of this iconic filmmaker’s work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442261068
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/18/2016
Series:	Film and History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	378
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sue Matheson is associate professor, University College of the North. She is the editor of Love in Western Film and Television (2013).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xiii

1 A Career Man 1

2 Early Days in the Hollywood West: From Straight Shooting to The Iron Horse 29

3 The Heroic West: From 3 Bad Men to Drums along the Mohawk 49

4 Not for Self but for Country: From Salute to Submarine Patrol 75

5 In The Navy: The Battle of Midway 97

6 War Stories: They Were Expendable 119

7 Critiquing Combat Culture: Fort Apache 143

8 Keeping the Faith: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 163

9 The War at Florne: Rio Grande 185

10 Veterans' Affairs: The Searchers 201

11 A House Divided: The Horse Soldiers 215

12 The Nurture of One's Service: Sergeant Rutledge 231

13 Deconstructing the Legend: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 251

14 Questions of Just Conduct: Cheyenne Autumn 265

Aftermath 283

Notes 293

Index 329

About the Author 339

Editorial Reviews

Proving that the study of John Ford has not been exhausted, Dr. Sue Matheson untangles the complicated relationships between industry and art, fiction and fact, critical distance and fervent commitment that underscored the work of Hollywood's most honored director. Fans and scholars alike will find much to appreciate in this nuanced, carefully researched account of how these relationships impacted Ford's westerns and war films as trauma narratives revelatory of a vision of the American character that continues to influence the cultural imagination.

Gaylyn Studlar

Matheson is thorough in her research and insightful in her interpretations. For instance, she sensitively ferrets out profound, unspoken meanings in Ford’s conversation, taped shortly before his death, with Katharine Hepburn. Matheson’s prose is clean and stylish; her judgment, creative and reliable. She makes a persuasive case that Ford was at his best in his genre films about war and the American West. This is an essential book for Ford scholars and a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to understand the aesthetic of arguably the greatest filmmaker of the twentieth century.

Journal of American Culture

Sue Matheson’s engrossing history of John Ford’s Westerns and war films sheds new light on the life and legend of Hollywood’s Old Master. Seen through the lens of military culture, and Ford’s own service in World War II, these films take on new meaning as complex, personal engagements with an American culture profoundly shaped by the experience of war. Matheson presents the strongest case yet made for Ford’s status as greatest American filmmaker, and one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century.

Andrew Patrick Nelson

The book gives much to consider regarding Ford and his films, no small feat in light of all the critical thought that Ford and his work has spurred over several decades. Scholars of cinema (Ford, war on film, Westerns) will find the book welcome, but it will also be of value to the culture-studies crowd, and even those investigating United States social history.

Journal of Popular Film and Television

★ 01/01/2016
There have been numerous books on the films of John Ford, with Tag Gallagher's John Ford: The Man and His Films arguably leading the pack, but this excellent volume, focusing on a select group of Ford's Westerns and war films (both features and documentaries) is a solid addition to the Ford bookshelf, with incisive analyses of everything from early films such as The Iron Horse (1924), through the real-life The Battle of Midway (1942), the wartime elegy They Were Expendable (1945), right up to the last Ford films, such as The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). Writing in a clear, direct, accessible style, Matheson (humanities, University Coll. of the North, Manitoba) offers rich insights throughout. Ford's sense of duty, honor, and responsibility shines through in these films, and the author's careful reading of the key works in this volume adds much to the literature on Ford and his works. VERDICT Effectively illustrated and written with passion and style, this title is highly recommended.—Wheeler Winston Dixon, Univ. of Nebraska

Library Journal