Rating: 
Summary: Beast Wyatt Earp ever!
Review: This is not the most historically accurate presentation of Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral, but it is the most beautiful and best acted with the best story. One of the all-time great western movies. Henry Fonda is without a doubt the best Wyatt ever put on film. The role was made for him. Ward Bond, one of the great character actors of all time, is in top form as Morgan Earp and Walter Brennan as old man Clanton can't be topped. The film is moody and often looks like a western version of a "film noir". The film also delivers the most tension of any Earp film to date, yet remains very touching and sympathetic. A great film from beginning to end. An absolute don't miss for film fans of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: One of Ford's Best...One of the Best Westerns, Period
Review: This is one of several films whose title may have deterred at least some people from seeing it. (Zulu is another which immediately comes to mind.) Questions have been raised as to how historically authentic Ford's portrayal is of the Earps, Doc Holliday, the Clantons, and their eventual showdown at the O.K. Corral, one which allegedly lasted less than a minute. Others are far better qualified than am I to comment on historical matters. Perhaps Ford and his screenwriters as well as Stuart N. Lake (author of the book on which the screenplay is based) invoked creative license. As for the title, this film's stature as a classic western indicates that its title is not an issue. What we have here is a film whose acting is superb, whose plot developments are cohesive, and whose climax is satisfying. The same can be said of another version co-starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas but I think this one has richer narrative texture and more nuances of interpretation, notably the presentation of Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda). The central conflict between the Earps and the Clantons is obvious. Less obvious is the transition in Tombstone from lawlessness to civilization. Wyatt Earp and his brothers protect the townspeople, of course, but in doing so, they allow the transition to proceed. One of the most memorable scenes occurs when Sheriff Earp reluctantly agrees to dance with (if I recall correctly) Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs). This scene may have inspired a similar scene in a later film when Shane dances with Marion Starret while her husband and friends beam with approval. The community of Tombstone is evolving toward churches, schools, shops selling consumer goods, social events, etc. all of which require respect for law and order to flourish. Property rights will be respected only when they are properly protected. What to make of the tubercular Doc Holliday (Victor Mature)? As presented in this film, he is a deeply troubled person although well-educated and cultured. His reputation, however, is that of a dangerous gunslinger. He and Wyatt Earp respect each other and even seem genuinely fond of each other. At one point, they need each other but for different reasons. The arrival of Clementine Carter evokes in Holliday all manner of memories, frustrations, disappointments, regrets, etc. She also complicates his relationships with the Earps as well as with Chihuahua (Linda Darnell). Even with these and other sub plots, Ford carefully guides the narrative to the inevitable showdown. My own vivid memories of this film include the aforementioned scene in the street when Wyatt stoically but gracefully dances with Miss Carter, his brief discussion of women with Mac (James Farrell MacDonald), the performance by Granville Thorndyke (Alan Mowbray) which Holliday helps him to complete, and of course the brief but dramatic climax in the O.K. Corral. One final opinion: The black-and-white cinematography (Joseph MacDonald) and set design (Thomas K. Little and Fred J. Rode) seamlessly support the narrative and the acting. They also establish a credible physical context within which to tell the story. I could be very wrong about this, I realize, but I think that if it were possible to travel back in time and visit Tombstone in the 1880s, it would resemble the town portrayed in this classic film. For John Ford, having an authentic location (one which almost becomes one of the characters) was always very important; for My Darling Clementine, it was imperative.
Rating:
Summary: Film making at it's very best!!!!
Review: This is what I consider film making at it's very best. Probably the best way to approach this film is to see it not as an accurate account of the events leading up to the OK Corral Gunfight, but as a symbol of the life of Wyatt Earp, and of the American West. Ford's story of Wyatt, Doc, and the Gunfight at the OK corral doesn't even come close to being historical correct, but, no matter how unfaithful this movie is to real events, something about it still rings true, that to call the movie a complete fabrication would in turn, be untrue. Ford's biggest alteration of history is to change the relationship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday from friendship to antagonism that is somewhat softened by mutual respect, and eventually evolves into alliance. The genuine tension between Wyatt and Doc strengthens the film. The Marshall and the OK Corral incident have become legends, and it could be said that, in certain aspects, the film aims to turn the legends into mythology. Art (film making) is not necessarily life, readers. It's producing a sound, vivid, entertaining film of high caliber, excellent drama, beautifully cinematography and becomes very entertaining. Let us face it, the Earp family were all criminals, same as the Clantons, but Ford brought the myth into play and brought a part of American West out superbly.. Yes, we do like to turn legends into mythology, even if it isn't historically correct, but when a film brings to the screen the myth, with such excellent scenes, such visual stunning, and good acting, it becomes reality for us for a couple of hours and that is what making films is all about, to be entertaining. As for the acting, the cast is very strong. Henry Fonda's performance as Wyatt and his locked kneed saunter makes his portrayal all more natural. Walter Brennan excels as the heartless patriarch of the Clanton family, whose sons draw Earp into an unavoidable blood feud. Brennan's performance, like Bond's, is magnificently understated, as is pretty much everything else about this film -- director John Ford imbues every scene with an economy of presentation that takes the western genre into the level of high art. Everything about this film rings true... well, other than the romantic melodrama surrounding 'Doc' Holliday, and Victor Mature's mannered portrayal of the tubercular gunman... with fronteir life evoked with the same richness of detail that Ford later recreated in another black and film we won't mention here. Here, though, the choke of dry dust and sense of fast danger are much more present. The Clantons are a much more sinister set of badmen than Lee Marvin's exaggerated schoolyard bullies; Brennan and his boys simply sidle up and ooze menace and dark violence. A number of Ford regulars such as Russell Simpson, and Linda Darnell provide solid support and there is not one false moment to be found in Cathy Downs' Clementine Carter. This western is moody and often looks like a western version of a "film noir". The film also delivers the most tension of any Earp film to date, yet remains very touching and sympathetic. For instance, there's a justly famous scene in which the camera watches Wyatt while he builds up the courage to ask Clementine Carter to dance. And he's a picture of languid, dangerous grace as he keeps order in Tombstone while leaning back in his chair and resting a booted foot on a post. Fonda is cool and collected as Wyatt. 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. 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 responsibility and compassion, and the stellar cast of Ford regulars. But in this film, many of the great moments derive from Ford supporting cast of excellent actors. Admittedly, the gunfight could use more excitement, but Director John Ford's approach to the final action scenes avoids being overly made-up, a curious choice given the film's nature. But this course of action is correct in order to maintain the film's "down-to-earth" integrity. This film has some excellent entertainment value and probably one of the top five ever westerns made. Ford was the master of filming outdoor pictures in black and white. Several scenes, such as the dance at the church, are visually stunning. Needless to say, the B&W cinematography is typically gorgeous, and Ford never misses a beat in his calm, patient direction. Really, it's beautiful, low-key, has excellent vignettes, but I feel that much of the excellent cinematography will be lost in a small screen. This is a great film from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Earps, Doc Holliday, and the OK corral.
Review: This movie is worth seeing for one line. Wyatt Earp: "You ever been in love, Mac?"
Mac: "Nope. I been a bartender all my life." Well, MDC offers a lot more: Spectacular black and white photography, a very cool Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp, and an atmosphere of unhurried style and formality. This is one of John Ford's best movies. Henry Fonda is my favorite Wyatt Earp of all time. There's a justly famous scene in which the camera watches him while he builds up the courage to ask Clementine Carter to dance. And he's a picture of languid, dangerous grace as he keeps order in Tombstone while leaning back in his chair and resting a booted foot on a post. Fonda is cool and collected as Wyatt; Ward Bond, playing his brother Morgan in a great supporting role, is all jovial power. Ford's story of Wyatt, Doc, and the Gunfight at the OK corral doesn't even come close to being historical. Watch this one for the mythic quality, the scenery, and the fine performances by Fonda, Bond, Walter Brennan, Cathy Downs (who?) several memorable minor characters -- and even Victor Mature is a moderately good Doc Holliday.
Rating:
Summary: A great Western, and a great edition of it
Review: This Western ranks up there with The Searchers, Red River and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon--don't miss it. And one tip for the reader who wrote below--it's not always obvious even to retailers what mode a video was recorded in, BUT, if you click on Technical Information, on the left-hand side of the title, it will tell you a few good hints--especially, which studio is releasing it. In this case, it's a very reputable one, 20th Century Fox, so you can rest assured it was recorded at SP and is really high quality. And this is a great one.
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