American Myth: My Darling Clementine (1946)

Wyatt

I've been a fan of the American West, or, rather, the mythology of the American West since I was a kid. I grew up watching Tombstone, and Sergio Leone, and any other cowboy movie that my local Blockbuster had in stock. I never, however, watched a John Ford movie. In the course of my exploration of American Westerns, I will watch two John Ford films, and rectify my long standing sin against the American Western. The first is My Darling Clementine, which is widely considered one of the best westerns of all time, as well as one of the best tellings of the shoot out at the OK Corral ever.

Summary:

The Earp brothers are searching for a better life, as cattle herders. They leave their brother in charge, and head to the small town of Tombstone. When they return, their brother is dead, and their cattle gone. Wyatt decides to take on the job of Marshall, deputizes his brothers, and waits for the men who killed his younger brother. During his stay he will meet legendary pistoleer Doc Holliday. Before the film's end, he will also mete out justice to the duplicitous Clanton clan in one of the most infamous shoot outs in the American West.

Pros:

John Ford - American Badass: The man has a reputation for making the best westerns ever made, but I don't usually like classic movies: Images are often static, and boring, lacking the verve of modern cinema. But Ford's pictures move and breathe with life that make them feel fresh, even some seventy years later. His camera moves with his characters until they settle into place, establishing beautiful tableaus and wonderfully framed pictures. He balances sight lines and movement lines throughout this movie that make it a joy to watch: from the lanterns in the saloon, to the pillars of the hotel, Ford finds interesting ways to draw the eye up and down the frame, letting those everyday objects parallel and guide the viewer's eye to his actors in fascinating fashion. You could watch this movie with the sound off, and it'd still be beautiful. I watched a high definition transfer, and his use of black and white is incredible. Ford utilizes light and shadow like a noir director, letting large pools of black pop whatever features the light touches. And he uses that technique when it serves the drama, not going to the well too often, or overbearingly, like happens in most noir films.

Establishes Tropes: Ford's vision utilizes many of the classic western tropes: the Reluctant Lawman, the Doomed Gunfighter, the Saucy Saloon Girl, the Innocent Miss, and the Cowardly Lawman. These archetypes will become tired, and well-trod, but, in Ford's hands, they are alive and interesting.

The Opening Credits: Credits are always an interesting affair: you HAVE to have them, otherwise a great load of people's hard work goes unnoticed. But how do you manage a scroll of names in an entertaining fashion? Ford decided to open his movie with the credits splayed across signs on an old west sign post, each new sign turning into view, and letting us know vital information. This, I thought, was a highly entertaining way of paying homage to his crew, and not boring his audience. I don't know why more films don't play with their credits like this.

Violent, but Not Gory: Ford stages fun shoot outs, and even a surgery, but never dwells on bloodshed or gore. Perhaps this is a detriment, overall: its this kind of consequence-free idealism that would later prompt revisionist filmmakers to show the ugly side of shooting someone down in the streets. But, as a film, it handles its violence without gallons of blood (none at all, really) and is probably safe for kids to watch.

Cons:

A Tad Too Long: This film clocks in at 104 minutes, and I thought it plodded a bit in the middle. The film's insistence on focusing on the romantic side story diluted both that story and the story of the Earp brothers' vengeance. It is, at its heart, a simple story, and I think it overcomplicated itself.

Doc Holliday Steals the Show: Val Kilmer's performance in 1993's Tombstone is iconic. In My Darling Clementine, Victor Mature does a great job, even if he would later be overshadowed by Kilmer. The problem is, Doc Holliday, both here and in Tombstone, is a more interesting character than Wyatt. He has real tragedy: a wasted brilliance and tragic future. He's dying, you see, of consumption. That's why he fled his medical practice (in actual fact, he was a dentist, but more on that below) and came west, and committed himself to a life of cards and violence and drink. He's a dead man walking, and that is just more interesting than a stoic lawman. It doesn't help that Ford cut a great deal of Wyatt's dialogue in order to make him more "laconic." What we get is dangerously close to a simple, vanilla law man. But then, that's a staple of the Western genre, too.

In Conclusion:

John Ford has the legacy of being one of the finest American filmmakers in the history of our country making films. You can trace modern film techniques, that we all take for granted, back to his hand. My Darling Clementine is a little rough around the edges (Ford will get better with time, especially in The Searchers) but I am happy that I finally saw some of his films. Looking at his catalogue, the man had a bevy of film credits before this one, and a great deal of films after it: Ford's output is prolific. I am only scratching the surface, here. Ford would go on to make movies other than westerns, but he really put a stamp on the genre and helped define it in its golden era.

Should You Watch It?

This has been touted to me as one of the best westerns of all time. I cannot, wholly, agree. I do believe it is good, and it lays the groundwork for the genre in compelling ways. It is also a great primer for Ford's cinematic style and vision. I had a hard time not constantly comparing it to Tombstone, however, and should probably rewatch that movie, but My Darling Clementine is a good film in its own right.

Miscellany:

- In actual history, Virgil lives and Morgan is murdered. Both men survive the infamous shootout, and Morgan is murdered in revenge. Virgil Earp gets shot, grievously wounded, and moves back to California. Doc Holliday lives, too, and later dies of tuberculosis. James Earp, the brother whose death kicks off the entire story, actually lived until 1926. The titular Clementine is not, in fact, an actual person from history. I am not sure why the screenwriters Samuel Engel and Winston Miller decided to change history so radically. That's Hollywood, for you.

- Ford initially got grief from the studio for his depiction of the infamous OK Corral shoot out, but he stuck to his guns. You see, he knew Wyatt Earp, and his vision matched up with stories of the actual event that Earp told him. This may be one of the most historically accurate stagings of the shoot out put to film (even if Ford took liberties with the players involved).
- Ford set Tombstone in Monument Valley, Utah, because he liked shooting there. The actual Tombstone is located in southern Arizona. John Ford does not give a fuck about your history.
- In 1991, the film was selected for preservation in The National Film Registry by The Library of Congress.
- The film sports a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.