She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

James Warner Bellah (story)
Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 October 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Wayne's greatest role as an Indian fighting Captain !

Plot:

Captain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack...

Plot Keywords:

Attack | Retirement | Native American Chief | Watch | Last Stand

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

John Wayne	...	Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
Joanne Dru	...	Olivia Dandridge
John Agar	...	Lt. Flint Cohill
Ben Johnson	...	Sgt. Tyree
Harry Carey Jr.	...	2nd Lt. Ross Pennell
Victor McLaglen	...	Top Sgt. Quincannon
Mildred Natwick	...	Abby Allshard aka Old Iron Pants
George O'Brien	...	Major Mac Allshard, Commanding Officer Fort Starke
Arthur Shields	...	Dr. O'Laughlin
Michael Dugan	...	Sgt. Hochbauer
Chief John Big Tree	...	Chief Pony That Walks
Fred Graham	...	Sgt. Hench
Chief Sky Eagle	...	Chief Sky Eagle
Tom Tyler	...	Cpl. Mike Quayne, Leader of Paradise River Patrol
Noble Johnson	...	Chief Red Shirt

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | France:U | Norway:A | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #13509)

Filming Locations:

Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

Based on the paintings and illustrations of Frederic Remington, the artist renowned for his nostalgic packaging of the bygone "real" West for an urban public.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Captain Brittles is retiring after 40 years in the army. It is 1876, which means he entered the army around 1836. He says he was "just a boy in blue jeans" when he entered the army. Blue jeans or denim trousers didn't come into the U.S. until Levi Strauss brought the material from DeNimes France to California during the 1850 gold rush. There were no "blue jeans" in the 1830s.

Quotes:

Captain Nathan Brittles: [Cohill and Pennell are about to fight over Olivia] Button your shirt, Mister Pennell! Thought better of you. Four years out here and still actin' like a wet-eared "kaydet" on the Hudson. What is this all about, Mr. Cohill?
Lt. Flint Cohill: Sir, I... I decline to answer... respectfully.
Captain Nathan Brittles: Mr. Cohill, it is a bitter thing, indeed, to learn that an officer who has had nine years experience in the cavalry - the officer to whom I am surrendering command of this troop in two more days - should have so little grasp of leadership as to allow himself to be shivvied into a go at "fisticuffs" while 'Taps' still sounds over a brave man's grave! God help this troop when I'm gone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005)

Looks great and plays well but I didn't find it as good as I've come to expect from this stable (sorry!)

A week or so before his retirement, Captain Nathan Brittles is in charge of a fort when it is clear that the Indian tribes are joining to fight their common foe of the cavalry. Brittles leads his men out to try and stop the impending attack but finds himself hampered by having to also escort the two women who were staying at the fort at the time.

I am a fan of Ford/Wayne westerns and will often enjoy them with ease. However I struggled to really get into this one and it did really feel a little light and unstructured. The overall plot was good but I didn't get any sense of detail or character other than broader brushstrokes. The action is good and the dialogue is witty and interesting but the film was a bit too light and impersonal to be able to take that broad sweep of history and apply it to this small group.

Wayne plays a man 20 years his senior but does it well. He has his usual tough charm and has some great dialogue to go along with it. He is given great support by the rest of the cast, some of whom stand out more than others. The best support he has also risks upstaging him - that of the scenery and the Oscar winning cinematography. The wide-open spaces feel wonderful and the colours are very generous.

Overall I did quite enjoy the film but I didn't really get into the plot. It seemed a little too big to be able to make the smaller things work. For example I didn't really get much from the idea of Brittles retiring where I think I was meant to read it as the changing of the type of men America needed from this period on, a salute to the men of the old west if you will. However this got lost in the battles and Indian wars. Still worth seeing but by Ford and Wayne standards this could be considered not much above par.