The Fugitive

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paul d John Ford's The Fugitive is an exquisitely beautiful film. It is also a solemn and spiritual warning against totalitarianism and enforced secularism, and is based on one of the most important novels of the 20th century, Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Although that book is fiction, it was inspired by the real suppression of the Catholic Church in Mexico earlier in the century, which reached its greatest success in the state of Tabasco under an unusually repressive regime. Green had done extensive non-fiction reporting on Mexico and these events before writing his novel. Ford's film is very poetic, with rather little dialogue and with heightened visuals and religious music. The simple story lines and slow pace are perfect for a film that has such high ambitions as to address totalitarianism, secularism and religion in one hour and forty minutes. For me it counts as a masterpiece. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member slow start, then slows down! Not one of Fonda's nor Ford's best Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member The opening and ending scenes have shown the great talent of Gabriel Figueroa, and his meticulous manipulation of light. And wow, this was produced in 1947. Loosely based on the stories of Jesus, I was also impressed how back then, American/Mexican cinema didn't have a clear "bad guy". Everyone did what they did. Simple as that. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member (53%) A south of the border fictionalised state in which religion, amongst other things, has been outlawed is the setting to this down-beat take on a famous story. John Ford's direction is stuffed with religious images, from the sunlight blazing down through a church window, to the virgin Mary likened character, and the many references to Christ such as the three crosses upon a hillside and the martyr running theme. Fonda plays an almost silent character who has the appearance of a startled dear in the headlights of a speeding car throughout the entire movie, and as this borders an almost silent film at times there's not really a great deal to get ones teeth into. It's also a slow paced movie with little happening at times, but if you stick with it and are willing to put up with a piece that is showing signs of age then you'll be rewarded with a well made sombre flick that isn't just a old copy of of a well used plot. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review s r Interesting story about redemption and religion. It was slow, but well thought out. Dialogue was kept to a minimum, it's Fonda doing what he does best, speaking only when needed thus delivering the greatest impact. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member john ford's "the fugitive" is a rather dark film, particularly for it's time. it's also highly entertaining and henry fonda is great, as usual. this isn't anywhere near john ford's best work, but it's still definitely worth watching. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Fugitive

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