Customer Reviews

My Darling Clementine (The Ford at Fox Collection)

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you're looking for a straight-forward, factual presentation of the events leading up to the 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral', please buy 'Wyatt Earp', or 'Tombstone' from Amazon.com...But if you prefer your history more spiritual, and want to see a master storyteller paint a visual canvas of a West that may never have existed, but SHOULD have, then this film will be a treasured part of your video collection!

John Ford knew Wyatt Earp, personally, and was familiar with the events surrounding the Tombstone shootout, but one of his greatest assets as a director was his ability to look beyond simple facts, and focus on legend. 'My Darling Clementine' is a story of icons, of the Loner, battling his own weaknesses, and creating something lasting, then walking away, to allow Civilization to grow. It's a classic theme in Ford's work (he would return to it in 'The Searchers', and 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'), as well as in many other directors' westerns ('Shane', 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'The Wild Bunch').

While Wyatt Earp (wonderfully portrayed by Henry Fonda) is surrounded by his brothers in the film, he has an aloofness that makes his character both complex, and enigmatic at the same time. At the film's start, he's a cowpuncher, who had walked away from the responsibilities of being a lawman, finding satisfaction in the hard work and solitary life of the range. When the Clantons (led by Walter Brennan, in one of his greatest roles), first approach the brothers, while Wyatt accepts an invitation to get a taste of city life, it's clear that it will be a brief stay, before he moves on, and he brushes aside any overtures of friendship.

His lack of desire to commit to a larger community is stressed after he barehandedly captures a drunken Indian (based on an actual event in Earp's life), then turns down the Marshal's badge. Only after a brother is murdered do the Earp brothers agree to help clean up the town.

In counterpoint to Earp is Doc Holliday (sensitively portrayed by Victor Mature), an intellectual who fled the South, and had found his own solitude by virtue of his guns, his gambling, and his illness. While Earp is a true 'Man of the West', however, Holliday is a fish out of water, truly comfortable only in a crowded bar. He is doomed, more by his own shrinking world, than by the disease that forces him to cough into his handkerchief.

The scenes of Earp in the town are wonderful, as Civilization builds around an uncomfortable stranger. Yet Earp toys with the idea of settling into this world, through his politely formal relationship with Doc's lost love, Clementine. The scene at the church dance, where the stiffy formal Earp dances against the vista of a West being 'boarded in' is symbolic of what his own life was becoming, and is classic Ford!

The climactic shootout is powerful and raw, ultimately freeing Earp from the constraints of a life that would have been unnatural for him, and ending the downward spiral of Holliday's life, in an heroic gesture.

It's often asked why Earp leaves, afterwards, when Clementine and the Tombstone are so attractive...The answer is simple, really; his work is finished, and their future will be constrained into a world of wood and 'progress'. The Loner, the 'Man of the West' would have no place there. Like Ethan, or Shane, he must return to the solitary vistas that are his true home.

What a story! What a film!

I have always put"My Darling Clementine" in my top-ten westerns as do some critics,and after viewing it recently on the excellent DVD version I am considering it to be the best! The alternative version on the disc might not be to everyones taste but westerns should be slow paced(check out the excellent "Open Range")not just shoot-ups added for padding every 20 minutes or so. One of the best scenes in this movie or any other western is the excellent dance scene,especially the moment when Henry Fonda asks Kathy Downes to dance. Definetely Ford at his best and Victor Mature,s best hour as well. Kudos to all for a well produced DVD package

Of the many movies that I love and own, this is one of the DVDs I would grab if the house was on fire.

My Darling Clementine is fundamentally about the shootout at the OK Corral, arguably the most famous 30 seconds in American history. But in John Ford's loving hands, the story takes its time getting there and, in the process, becomes as graceful and easily beautiful a piece of film-making as you will ever see.

In this age when movie goers prize realism, sheer violence, and de-mythology, Ford has become something of a whipping boy for those who point out the glaring historical inaccuracies present in Hollywood's traditional portrayal of the American West. These folks miss the larger picture and are the poorer for their narrow, fashionable view. In this archetypal story of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, and the Clanton family, Ford was not interested in historical detail. He was creating legends, not historical accounts for the archives.

Ford was a film maker. When a movie lover approaches a Ford film, it becomes necessary to give oneself over to the power of film. Once one does that, tremendous pleasures await. Such as: the townspeople of Tombstone having a dance around the skeletal frame of a half-built church while the huge, flat buttes of Monument Valley tower in the background; or Henry Fonda as Earp watching with great sympathy as Victor Mature (Doc Holiday) recites Hamlet's suicide soliloquy in a barroom (as hokey as this sounds, it is Fonda's expression that will move you, I guarantee).

Other images worth mentioning: Fonda/Earp walking alone through the rain of Tombstone at night; or the final shot of Clementine (meaningless in the film other than as a perfect symbol of all the things men love but can never have) standing framed against the Arizona sky and a picket fence - or the way Walter Brennan as Old Man Clanton, flashes through his scenes like a rattler's hiss.

Loving a John Ford Western is a bit like believing in a religion: it requires a leap of faith - a belief in something that might not be tangible reality, but is instead an ideal no less worthy of love.

This DVD is an absolute must for Ford fans, Western fans, or movie lovers. As an extra bonus, the special feature commentary by Ford biographer, Scott Eyman, is absolutely superb. Mr. Eyman's concise and rich commentary is nearly as enjoyable as the film itself. All in all, a real treasure for John Ford fans. -Mykal Banta

Landscape plays a large role in My Darling Clementine. Without the backdrop of Monument Valley to locate Tomestone it would have been a different film. Not only is it essential to the film but also to the myth of the West. Ford uses it like a genius. As for cinematography, there are shots in this film that have become legendary. Even simple ones like Fonda checking his face in the barber's mirror or kicked back on the porch are framed so beautifully they've become film legend.

This has a terrific cast, from Henry Fonda playing Wyatt Earp to Walter Brennan as the father of the Clanton clan. One of the central themes is the relationship between Doc Holiday (Victor Mature) and Wyatt Earp. Doc is a troubled character haunted by demons of some sort and sick. Brennan is fantastic and plays his role as an evil patriarch to the hilt.

There is a corollary love interest theme that slows the story down a bit, but these moments contain some of the most beautifully shot scenes as well.

This is a wonderful film that shows John Ford at his finest.

Here is one of the great Westerns, certainly one to stand alongside such giants in the genre as "Shane" and "Once Upon a Time in the West."

"My Darling Clementine" is a beautiful, concise, taut little gem that features one of Henry Fonda's best performances. As tough, taciturn Wyatt Earp, Fonda shines in the role. And he's more than matched by Victor Mature as Doc Holliday. Look at the first scene together, where Earp confronts Holliday over throwing out the tinhorn. It's a classic. And later, when Earp and Holliday save the Shakespearean actor from Clanton's men, and Holliday finishes Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy. This is great acting.

John Ford photographs the landscape with his usual flair; many shots inspire nothing short of awe. Fortunately, the DVD features his "director's cut," which I prefer over the original release version prepared by the studio. Both versions of the film are available, pointing up another value of the DVD format.

The gunfight at the O.K. Corral has been re-enacted several times in several films, recently in "Tombstone" (1993) and "Wyatt Earp" (1994). Ford builds "Clementine" to the confrontation, but the fight isn't as violent or operatic as one would expect. It's restrained, but gets the job done. In its own way, it's as taut and exciting as any of the louder, bloodier incarnations of late.

But, for me, Henry Fonda makes this movie a keeper. His every movement is a study in control. He may not make Wyatt Earp seem like a compassionate individual, but this is a sturdy portrait of heroism that has lasted through the decades. Though I'm excited to see Kevin Costner's version of events again on a future DVD release, for now, "Clementine" does an excellent job of telling the Earp/Holliday story.

A true film masterpiece in every sense of the word! Henry Fonda, John Ford, this is what movies are all about! They don't make movies this good anymore. They just don't. "My Darling Clementine" is pure. It isn't fake and doesn't make the critical error of ever trying too hard. It doesn't have to fake a thing: the talent is there in droves!

This DVD is a fine piece of work, and about time too. A good sharp, clean picture, in a fullscreen 1.33:1 screen ratio. The sound is fine as well. There's a "pre-release version" on the "B side" of the disk as well, and a good film commentary track.

This film speaks for itself. It's a beautiful movie. One of the all-time greats. If you haven't, you need to see this movie, at least two or three times in your life. You won't regret it. John Ford was a natural. This is one of Henry Fonda's best roles as Wyatt Earp. I enjoyed it immensely and am proud to add it to my permanent DVD collention.

I am a very big fan of John Ford, but of his many great films, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, along with THE SEARCHERS, is my favorite. Many of the elements that help create the film's effect are common to other Ford films: the extraordinary photography (veteran Joseph MacDonald, though Ford's eye was so good that he functioned as a second cinematographer), the sparse, spartan sets, the rituals that individuals wittingly or unwittingly follow in the concourse with one another, the use of music to create especially powerful moments (in this case, the title of the film as well), the themes of individual responsibilty and compassion, and the stellar cast of Ford regulars. But in this film, many of the great moments derive from Ford irregulars, actors who do not feature in many of his other films. Although much maligned as an actor during the course of his career, Victor Mature in his greatest role is magnificent as Doc Holiday. He teams up with another For irregular, Alan Mowbray, in one of the finest moments in the film, when Mowbray, playing a drunken Shakespearean actor, is unable to complete Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Mature takes over and movingly completes it. The beauty of the black and white photography has to be seen to be appreciated. In addition to Mature and Mowbray, the cast is magnificently rounded out by Western veteran Walter Brennan, who despite having starred in a host of great Westerns, had not worked in any of Ford's great classics. He stands out as Old Man Clanton, the utterly vicious and crude but oddly principled nemesis of Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral.

As fine as Mature, Mowbray, and Brennan are, what truly holds the film together is Ford semi-regular Henry Fonda, who undertakes one of the greatest performances of his career. It is a remarkable undertaking. Of all the actors of the 1930s and 1940s, Fonda was perhaps the actor most comfortable with silences, and Ford makes maximum use of this by filming scene after scene in which he surrounds Fonda with no dialog at all. The patient and deliberate manner in which Ford and Fonda allow scenes to unfold with a minimum of dialog gives this film a quality unique among films of the era, which tended to be filled with vastly more talking than today's films. Indeed, his attitude towards speech is what sets Ford apart from his only other serious rival for title of the Greatest American Born Director, Howard Hawks. Only Preston Sturges could rival Hawks for the sheer number of words he could pack into a film, while Ford was by contrast quite at ease with long stretches of near or complete silence. Indeed, some of the great scenes in this film are not truly dependent upon speech at all. Look at the long Sunday afternoon dance scene, in which Fonda awkwardly but charmingly courts Kathy Downs. Although there is music and some talk, the scene would have worked just as well in a silent film.

A great movie, this not only one of the finest Westerns ever made, but one of the finest films ever made in America.

TWISTED HISTORY AND ONE OF THE GREATEST WESTERNS EVER!

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE is a Western enigma. On the one hand it's about as messed up when it comes to history as it can get but on the other hand, when considering its cinematography, star quality and pure western appeal, it's nothing short of a masterpiece.

Yes, the story involves the Earps, Doc Holliday and the Clantons and the story is set in Tombstone, Arizona, but that's where history ends. From chronological problems about the relative age of the Earp brothers, who is who and who dies when or at all, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE is nothing short of a circus! History clearly shows that while Morgan was shot in the back and killed by unknown assailants (and not Virgil), Virgil, who was crippled in Tombstone, went on to a career as a law enforcement officer in California. Also very little is known about James Earp. One thing is certain. James did not die as a teenager during a raid on the Earp cattle herd.

Another interesting historic problem arises with the portrayal of Doc Holliday. It's historically easy to show that Doc was a Georgian (not from Boston) and that he died in Colorado of his terminal tuberculosis (and not of gunshot wounds at the OK Corral in Tombstone). While Doc derived his famous name from his being a doctor in a life that preceded his career as a gambler and bloodthirsty killer, his specialty was dentistry and not surgery. So when he performs a medical procedure on his girlfriend, wounded by Billy Clanton, her hopes are slim in Holliday's care unless, of course, she was shot in the mouth.

Perhaps the historical problems are why it's titled MY DARLING CLEMENTINE and not WYATT EARP or TOMBSTONE.

But watch this one for its movie value and don't reject it for its lack of historical accuracy. Look past the names of the main characters and the geographic location and what emerges is a marvelous movie classic. John Ford is at his best directing what many believe is one of the finest classic Westerns ever. The beauty of monument valley, western sunsets, and the black and white cinematography for which Ford was famous redeem the historic shortcomings of this film with plenty to spare.

Add to that the acting of Henry Fonda, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan and Victor Mature and MY DARLING CLEMENTINE will be a Western that will keep you coming back again and again.

The DVD release of the film is packed with extras including two versions of the film; the first a pre-release version that Ford felt was the best of the film and the second, the version of the film that was ultimately released in theaters. Expert commentary by individuals that explain why the film is available in two versions is especially enlightening.

THE HORSEMAN

Kudos to Fox for another outstanding job in their studio classics series. This DVD has glorious transfers of two versions of the film. The pre-release version is about 7 minutes longer, and has less music than the final version. Most of the added footage does not really make a great difference to the film, but I found that the same scenes without the music played better than they do with it -- more naturalistic and less "Hollywood." A nice little documentary shows the differences, using memos from Daryl Zanuck to explain some of what happened and why. Apparently, Ford's original version was about 30 minutes longer, but those other 20 odd minutes have been lost. The final release version includes an informative commentary by a John Ford expert and by Wyatt Earp III. This is truly one of the great westerns, and a definite must-have for anyone who likes the genre, likes John Ford, and/or is a Henry Fonda fan.

One particular scene sums up all that is powerful and great about MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, now finally released on DVD in a crystal sharp print that makes silvery black and white breathe with vivid color. John Ford's fictious film about the epic battle between evil (the savagery of the brutal Clanton clan)and good (the polite and civil Wyatt boys)portrays an America that never was but, in the hearts of romantics everywhere, should have been and-with a great dose of hope and work-could be and should be.

In the middle of the film, the desperate-to-become-civilized citizens of Tombstone gleefully celebrate their blossoming civility by holding a square dance in a just-barely built church. The gallant Wyatt Earp (brilliantly underplayed by Henry Fonda)dances with soon-to-become school marm Clementine underneath both a cloudless sky and the flying colors of "old glory". Watching Fonda and Cathy Downs (Clementine)high step across the rough-hewn church floor to the tune of "Shoo-Fly"-played by a rag-tag bunch of musicians (the saloon plunker amoung them)- fills the viewer with a rush of hope and grace. Perhaps America is big enough for all of our possibilities. We are all works in progress- as is our very nation. At least that is what Ford wants us to think.

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE is a jewel filled with many such scenes of folksy poetry. The performances are all solid- even "beefcake" Victor Mature delivers a passable portayal.

Special mention must be made of Walter Brennan- one of America's finest actors ever- delivering a terrifying against type performance as the villianous "Old Man Clanton". It is as if Grendel's mother is re-incarnated as a renigade cattle baron. He literally drips with deceitful malice. The fact that he is so likable as an actor makes his performance all the more creepy.

Now that this, one of America's finest films, is released on DVD-and at a most affordable price- it is time MY DARLING CLEMENTINE resides in your classic film library.