She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Directed by John Ford
Written by Frank S. Nugent and Laurence Stallings from a story by James Warner Bellah
1949/USA
Argosy Pictures
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Captain Nathan Brittles: Never apologize. It’s a sign of weakness.[/box]

This lacks the gravitas of the previous entry in Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy – Fort Apache – but it is very appealing, looks splendid, and contains one of John Wayne’s better performances.

Wayne plays Capt. Nathan Brittles, a forty-year man who is about to retire.  He clearly has mixed feelings about leaving his beloved cavalry.  His right-hand man Sgt. Quincannon (Victor McLaglen), a hard-drinking blustery Irishman, is also due to retire a couple of weeks after him.  Wayne is a crusty mentor to two young men who are coming up in the ranks, Lt. Flint Cohill (John Agar) and Second Lt. Ross Pennell (Harry Carey, Jr.).  These are vying for the affections of spunky Olivia Dandridge (Joanne Dru), niece of the fort commandant, Major Allshard (George O’Brien).

The victory of the Sioux at Little Big Horn has inspired the local Indians to band together to drive the white man out of their hunting grounds once and for all.  The major is anxious to get his wife (Mildred Natwick) and niece out of harm’s way and orders Brittles to take them along by wagon.  Brittles protests but obeys.  The presence of the women slows down the company and it proves impossible for Brittles to take them to the stage they are to catch.

By the time he gets back to the fort, Brittles has only a few hours remaining of his military career.  After a touching send off, he uses the time he has to try to defuse the crisis with the Indians.  With Ben Johnson as a fount of wisdom on Indian ways.

I had seen this before but remembered nothing about it.  Truth to tell, the plot is subsidiary.  Much time is devoted to the love triangle and to Victor McLaglen’s drunken antics, which are only too familiar from his playing the same character is just about every Ford film.

And yet there are many tender moments to savor.  The 42-year-old Wayne was outstandingly convincing playing a 60-year-old and his farewell scene is something to treasure.  Lots of the dialogue is sharp as well and the cinematography is breathtaking.  This is the film that contains the beautiful shots of the troops riding through a thunder storm.  Recommended.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Color (Winton C. Hoch).

Trailer