Wagon Master (DVD)

John Ford said that Wagon Master was his favorite of all his films, and it's easy to see why. The story, characters and production design come pretty close to what life was probably like in the Old West for the people who were brave enough to take it on. He also had the advantage of shooting on location in what was still mostly undeveloped country, and with people living there who were around during that period whose memories he could draw on for authenticity. Having lived in Colorado and Utah myself for 10 years some decades back, I can vouch for how well Ford captured the land and its people.Wagon Master had virtually disappeared for decades, so it's a treat to have this underrated classic back and available in a newly restored edition fitted out with extras. The sharp and clean black-and-white images let us appreciate how Ford made these dust-covered characters come alive and turned his long-lensed landscape scenes into visions of cinematic art. The Sons of the Pioneers' seamless harmony and song lyrics provided just the right narrative for this simple frontier story.Ford picked a fine bunch to work with. It's great to see the youthfully handsome Ben Johnson, riding like the expert horseman he was in real life, as itinerate horse trader Travis Blue; the red-headed character actor Harry Carey, Jr. as Travis' trail partner, Sandy; a robust Ward Bond as the short-fused but stout-hearted Mormon Elder Whiggs, who hires the pair to help lead his people to their promised land; an alluring Joanne Dru as Denver, an ill-used medicine show handmaiden who finds that she has a will of her own; and Charles Kemper as Shiloh Clegg, the hygenically challenged patriarch of an outlaw family of inbreds. Look for the hulking James Arness in a small role that is the antithesis of his iconic Marshall Dillon. Other Ford stock company actors appear here as well, too numerous to mention. Trust me, you'll know them on sight.IMO this DVD's value is enriched by the excellent commentary provided by film historian/director Peter Bogdanovich and Harry Carey, Jr. The veteran actor is a fount of information and anecdotes about Ford and the film, which he shares with an engaging ingenuousness. For example, Carey reveals that the lines his character spoke in Navajo were easy for him because he'd learned the language as a kid in Moab UT. This also happened to be where Wagon Master was shot in just four weeks (with only a few staged scenes in Monument Valley aka Ford country). The track is interspersed with clips from Bogdanovich`s 1976 interview with the irascible Mr. Ford. They are very interesting by themselves but IMO are distracting in this format.SIDEBAR: As of this writing Mr. Carey is still with us. According to his web site, he will be 89 on May 16, 2010. God bless you, Dobe.UPDATE: Mr. Carey passed away on December 27, 2012 in Santa Barbara, CA at age 91 of natural causes. He was the last surviving member of Ford's western acting company; thus, this commentary is even more reason to include this DVD in your collection.In summary, if you're in the mood to revisit the Old West, let Wagon Master take you there. It's a darn good trail ride.

Nothing happens and everything happens in this tiny Western by John Ford; a group of Mormons, persecuted hither and yon, have lit out west to find the promised land; a couple of rootless cowboys join them as trail bosses. On their pilgrimage through the desert, they bond with kindred outcasts, such as friendly Indians and some similarly persecuted (loose morals, you know) theater folk, with the serpent in the garden finally rearing its head when they are hijacked by one of Ford's villainous all-male families, the Cleggs, fugitives from a bloody train robbery.This is such a great film, Ford always cited it as his favorite, along with The Sun Shines Bright (Ford of course often denied having made his own films, or claimed he couldn't remember them when interviewers asked him about them, so such self-reference was rare coming from the cantankerous old coot). Made in conditions of complete independence, with no stars, one has the sense that here is the Fordian universe at its purest: a minimal narrative, with next-to-no action, just a collection of privileged moments among his beloved community of outcasts (here Mormons, uncorrupted by civilization because the pilgrims have yet to cease their desert wanderings, the ideal is still real), and stunningly gorgeous black and white studies of the human figure almost, but not quite, lost in the splendors of the landscape of Monument Valley. Ex-rodeo star Ben Johnson brings a tremendous amount of authenticity to his cowboy hero, the Ford stock company is in full effect, and Ford's hommages to silent cinema are overt -- such as the Clegg patriarch firing his gun at the audience recalls The Great Train Robbery (as does the whole opening sequence), the casting of Harry Carey Jr as the second lead, whose dad was Ford's silent era star.Favorite moment: the celebratory dance between Mormons and friendly Indians. Second favorite -- Ward Bond's Mormon elder heroically failing to keep his penchant for blasphemous oaths in check. Third favorite -- Ben Johnson's wordless self-disgust after the thoroughly justifiable gunning down of a bad guy. Fourth favorite -- the endless single-take of Johnson and Carey engaging in an oblique three-cushion dialog as to whether to join the Mormon wagon train while sitting on a fence. These scenes, like every frame of the film, convey with huge power the sum total of Ford's aesthetic and personality every bit as well as the entire running time of his recognized classics like The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, or Fort Apache. A little-heralded, great, great film.This is a gentle, sweet, lovable film about America's promises and pitfalls that while thoroughly grown up, you should be sure to show it to your kids. It is also, like most of Ford's films, as arty, abstractly formalist and aestheticized as anything by the European masters (who revered Ford).

Always enjoy Mr Ford's creation on the cinematic canvas.

I was pleased that this movie didn't show people from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be total weirdos, as a lot of movies portray them. It shows them to be hard working families, as they were. This area they moved into had a very difficult wagon road, often no road, and the movie showed that very well. This was an important part lf LDS history.

In the DVD movie commentary John Ford observed that this film was not intended to be a big commercial success and he was satisfied that it earned enough to cover expenses. It is a personal work both unlike his other westerns and also, I think, the quintessential Ford western. Different with it's lingering episodic pace and lack of big stars and big scenes. But also a poetic distillation of Ford's Western vision. OK, so I really dig this movie!There is a lot to like in this movie; read the other reviews for more. But let me focus on the visual aspects. The black and white print is impeccable: clear and finely detailed. The camera work: great compositions, stunning exposures, 90% filmed on location outdoors. As movie commentator Peter Bogdonovich repeatedly points out, Ford shot many of the scenes as if this was a silent film, letting the action and the actors' facial expressions do the story telling. I'm impressed. And then there's that background: mesas, rock walls, outcroppings, pinnacles, boulders. Where else could this be but the Great American West?!Oh,and BTW this film was not filmed in Monument Valley. If you ever want to see the locations with your own eyes just drive down Utah Highway 128 between Moab and Cisco. It runs along the Colorado River and is one of the most spectacular car rides on planet earth.

Wagon Master is one of John Ford's lesser known westerns - but reputed to be among his most satisfying pieces of work - one in which he felt he had captured the very essence of the genre.The film is actually a simple story, straightforward and formulaic. A wagon train of Mormons led by (Ward Bond) are heading off to a new life and persuade a couple of cowhands (Ben Johnson and Harry Carey jr) to assist by leading the way and taking charge of the wagon train. On the way they encounter a travelling medicine show and also attract a bunch of villains who are being sought by a posse following a shooting. A troop of Navaho Indians put in a token appearance also. You will have seen it all before, but what makes the movie standout is the brilliant atmospheric photography and the horses, dust of the trail and the rolling, jolting wagons, all superbly captured on film. There is not a lot of violence and what there is not especially graphic. It was probably a Saturday afternoon `U' on release.The film has no major star, only actors that usually appeared in the also rans lists. A very youthful James Arness, who was some years later to play the lead in the TV series `Gunsmoke' appears in thegang of crooks. The horsemanship of Johnson and Carey is splendid - Johnson especially, as would be expected from a horseman who was a rodeo star before he even began appearing in films. Ward Bond of course appeared in many a western, both in cinema and TV series. If you like 50s westerns and especially the work of John Ford, you will have nothing but pleasure by catching up on this one!

I have only seen the film once so far, and I enjoyed it . But I don't yet feel so familiar with it that I can really weigh it up. I do not anticipate it will be a favourite western of mine. I repeatedly watch "Angel and the Badman" which I think most people are not aware of, but it's a very good western and well crafted. In our family, my children and I watch it at least a couple of times a year. And of course, Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, El Dorado, The Searchers, Red River and Shane are the creme de la creme.Lonesome Dove is of course excellent and beautifully made, but the film with the best will in the world cannot do justice to Larry McMurtry's book, because a film cannot get inside somebody's head, to know precisely what he is thinking. The book does this and it aids a reader's understanding and rounds out character. Nevertheless Gus McCrae is lovable and kind and "Lonesome Dove" and "Return to Lonesome Dove" are worthy films, as are "Broken Trail" and "Open Range" which both star Robert Duval.

What a delightful movie and a so original mix of genres : a western, a comedy and also a "Noir" (don't miss the unusual prelude and the terrific character of Uncle Shiloh). Contains some unforgetable moments : the dance party at night with Mormons and Natives together, the whipping of one of the outlaws, the lovable "medecine man" played by the wonderful Alan Mowbray, Ben Johnson's coolness (one of the greatest and most underrated actor of his generation), Jane Darwell and her silly horn, Ward Bond with his frank big mouth... and absolutely every frame showing the sublime and classy Joanne Dru (I'll defy anyone who can't instantly fall in love with her).I've seen a bunch of Ford's (one of my favorite director) but this one in particular ranks over the top !I'd just wish commentaries were subtitled...

This was reputably John Ford's own favourite of all his films, probably because the finished film came closest to his original vision and he wasn't encumbered by having to pander to star actors. The film tells the story of a wagon train of Mormon families and their trials and tribulations along the way. Given full artistic control over the film, Ford indulges himself, but to great effect. The film is full of what would become known as typical Fordian moments and the performances of a largely unknown cast (at that time) are uniformly excellent.

A low key western with great charm. At times it moves as slowly as Ben Johnson talks, but this suits it as it gives you time to concentrate on great performances and sublime cinematography. The Sons of the Pioneers music is appropriately used, unlike in Rio Grande where at times it is intrusive. During the scenes when the wagon train is searching for the next waterhole, the music and the cinematography come together in perfect unison, and it becomes the western as art.