She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ***** (1949, John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar,Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jnr, Victor McLaglen, Mildred Natwick) – Classic Movie Review 2348

Director John Ford is working at top level here in 1949 in this thrilling central episode of his US Cavalry trilogy with John Wayne, started with Fort Apache in 1948.

Cinematographer Winton C Hoch won an Oscar for his breathtaking images. Ford and Hoch together take full advantage of Technicolor and the location filming at the director’s beloved Monument Valley.

Wayne gives one of his finest performances as Captain Nathan Brittles, an old US Army veteran who is reluctant to hang up his holster because the Indians are on the warpath. On the eve of his retirement, he is ordered out on a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. He has to take along Abby Allshard (Mildred Natwick), wife of the Fort’s commanding officer Major Mac Allshard (George O’Brien), and her niece, the pretty Olivia Dandridge (Joanne Dru).

Dru, Natwick, O’Brien, John Agar (as Lieutenant Flint Cohill), Ben Johnson (Sergeant Tyree), Harry Carey Jnr (Second Lieutenant Ross Pennell) and Victor McLaglen (Top Sergeant Quincannon) give notable character star turns. The flirty Olivia has caught the eye of Cohill and Pennell and wears a yellow ribbon in her hair, a sign that she has a beau in the Cavalry.

Meanwhile all of Ford’s hand-picked character actors like Arthur Shields, Francis Ford, Noble Johnson, Tom Tyler, Fred Graham and Frank McGrath can be seen at their most resonant.

As so often with Ford, the low comedy and cheap sentimentality slightly let down what is this time an otherwise perfect film, made with astonishing flair and commitment.

Sequel: Rio Grande in 1950.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2348

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