Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Drums Along the Mohawk
Directed by John Ford
Written by Lamar Trotti and Sonya Levien based on the novel by Walter D. Edmonds
1939/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Films Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

Reverend Rosenkrantz: Any man failing to report to duty will be promptly hanged. Amen.

John Ford was on quite a roll in 1939.

During the Revolutionary War, Gil Martin (Henry Fonda) takes his bride Lana (Claudette Colbert) from her comfortable home in Albany to his farm in the wilderness in the Mohawk valley of Upstate New York. The couple struggles to survive amid attacks by Tories and their Indian allies.  After they are initially burned out of their homestead, they take shelter as the hired help of a gruff but kindly widow (Edna May Oliver).  The surrounding community is a comfort to both when Gil and Lena are separated in the fighting.  With John Carradine as a one-eyed Tory, Ward Bond as a fellow patriot, Arthur Shields as a preacher, Francis Ford as a drunk, and Jessie Ralph as a neighbor.

I liked the slow pace of this which created a real feeling for the challenges of Colonial living.  All the performances are good, though some of the minor roles tend to stray into farce.  Oliver is especially wonderful.  Once again, the stars are Ford and his camera. Many of the scenes, both outdoor and indoor, are framed and lit like paintings.  This was Ford’s first color film and he adapts magnificently.  One can sense the approach of a new War in the patriotic tone of the piece.

Drums Along the Mohawk was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Supporting Actress (Oliver) and Best Color Cinematography.

Trailer (Black and White)