It’s his birthday today.
For Film Comment, I wrote about his somber, emotional WWII movie, with the title that really BITES: They Were Expendable. And they really were expendable. It’s an amazing film and – in my opinion – one of his best. It didn’t go over all that well upon its release. Too realistic, I guess. Nobody was in the mood for it. The war was over. Men were coming home damaged, emotionally and physically, or not coming home at all.
But it’s a great film, and a great tribute to the role PT boats played in winning the war in the Pacific.
Here’s a piece I wrote about doorways in The Searchers.
The Fabelmans gave me a deeper insight into John Ford’s horizon lines.
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Leave it to Ford to make a film about defeat in the Spring of ’45. This is definitely one of his ten best, probably one of his five best, which is saying something. And Donna Reed’s performance is one of those I point to whenever someone tries to tell me Ford didn’t know how to direct women or whatever it is they claim.
// Leave it to Ford to make a film about defeat in the Spring of ’45. //
lol right?
I consider it top-tier Ford, too – and it just doesn’t get as much chatter as his other films do. He’s really very very controlled in his presentation of these men and women – the MOOD overall.
and totally cosign in re: Donna Reed. She was perfect. and it’s fascinating that he doesn’t tie up the loose end – the film ends, and we have no idea her fate. I like to think she made it through.