My Darling Clementine

My Darling Clementine
1946 - 20th Century Fox
Directed by John Ford



SYNOPSIS
Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and his brothers are herding cattle when they pull into the lawless town of Tombstone for a shave. Upon their return to the herd, it is gone and their youngest brother is dead. Earp and his brothers take jobs as lawmen in the town and must deal with the Clanton Gang (led by Walter Brennan) and gunfighter Doc Holiday (Victor Mature) and await a showdown at the O.K. Corral.



MY THOUGHTS

John Ford was the greatest director of Westerns, and My Darling Clementine ranks among his best.
He began with his first western in 1917 (The Tornado) and was later responsible for Stagecoach, Rio Grande, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and dozens more.
He also helmed several World War II films as well as the Grapes Of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley, amassing nearly 150 films, most being westerns, and is widely considered the king of the genre.

Henry Fonda is the second most-associated lead actor of Ford's (John Wayne being #1.) He is strong and forceful, while retaining that charm that he always had.
A fine supporting cast including Ward Bond and Tim Holt (as the other Earp Brothers, Walter Brennan, and Victor Mature all shine in their roles.
The characters played by Linda Darnell and Cathy Downs (as the Clementine from the title) bring little to the film and are fairly flat 2-D characters, but they do great with what they have to work with.

The cinematography is beautiful. If this was shot in color it would rank right up there with The Searchers, but despite the black + white, it still looks great.

The film is apparently not very historically accurate, but who cares. The quality of the whole production far outweighs any need to remain true to life.
If you desire to head to the old west, this is a great ticket to get there.