Wagon Master

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Jeff S A Western that often hovers on the fringes of a hokey musical is saved by some great scenery, Ben Johnson's wit, and some clever one-liners. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/13/24 Full Review Liam D John Ford (The Long Gray Line, They Were Expendable) most underrated western with its unknown cast given the movie a wholesome community Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/03/22 Full Review Audience Member Great plot and unreal old-west scenery. Enjoyed it quite a bit, especially seeing Ward Bond in his pre-Wagon Train days. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member John Ford's westerns focused on the benefits of bonding with a community vs. allowing people to exert their individuality when it comes to navigating the risks of the wilderness (although he also later implied that the constraints of civilisation could be burdensome and that something is lost when people subvert their will to the community). Here, a wagon train of Mormons, led by Ward Bond's Elder, needs to cross to their "promised land" in Utah - Monument Valley (or similar) is prominent. The Mormons hire two young horse traders - Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. - to serve as wagon masters, guiding the expedition based on their knowledge of the terrain. Along the way, they encounter a travelling medicine show, a gang of outlaws, and a group of Navajo. To some degree, each of these encounters threatens the community but the challenges are all overcome, either by absorbing the newcomers into the existing community (Joanne Dru, Alan Mowbray and the medicine show), creating a (temporary) superordinate community (with the Navajo), or destroying the threat (Charles Kemper and his outlaw family). Even the wagon masters themselves, who have been rugged individualists thus far, are eventually signed up for a commitment to family and community (if not necessarily to Mormonism). Throughout the film, the spectacular landscapes do take centre stage and the film looks astonishing in beautiful black and white. In comparison to other westerns of the time, Ford's artistry shines through - a set of shots featuring portraits of the main players as they reach a long-sought-after river is simply glorious. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Fair enough watch, but I'm having difficulty picking up on why it's rated as high as it is. Nothing really stands out to warrant the high marks I see it getting. Sure as hell not the music which was pretty painful much of the time. Reminded me of some little ditty your kindergartner insists on listening to over and over and over... Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Probably the most casual and compact John Ford western I've seen so far. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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