Dieu est mort

I was attracted to this movie because of Henry Fonday, Dolores del Rio, and John Ford, all of whom I'm a fan. But this movie was just so WEIRD. From the start, I felt like I had joined the movie in the middle. The dramatic music along the walk and as he enters the church - it feels like a crucial point in a movie, but we don't even know what's going on yet. There are long periods with no dialogue, almost has the feel of a silent movie at times.

I found the whole movie depressing without any redeeming character development that would have made me sympathize with the characters. Why is Fonda, a white priest, even in this country in the first place? It's never explained. And he lets everyone take the fall for him. He's not likable or relatable in any way to me.

John Ford's adaptation of Graham Greene's "The Power And The Glory" captures perfectly the potential for the seven deadly sins in all of us. It is an incredibly and understatedly raw and emotional and downright earthy movie. The entire supporting cast is brilliant, and Fonda, of course, is excellent, if not precisely ideal. This is in all senses, a quintessential study in soul-searching.

Graham Greene is one of the literary greats, and while the book 'The Power and the Glory' that 1947's 'The Fugitive' is based on is not one of my favourites of his and one can totally see why it was controversial at the time it is an interesting read. John Ford was a truly fine director, one of the best at that time, known for some of the finest Westerns around and he excelled too in non-Westerns (i.e. 'The Quiet Man'). The cast is an interesting one, Henry Fonda being the best known.

'The Fugitive' adaptation-wise is a loose one, and the censorship the film had to endure dilutes the impact somewhat. Two of the biggest differences being Fonda's character being no longer being an alcoholic and the central relationship not being sexual, which if included would have the film quite bold. If included though, it would have made it as divisive as the book. On its own terms, 'The Fugitive' didn't wow me and the potential was there for it to have been a much better film. But it was still not bad at all, actually thought that it was quite good, and there are a fair share of note-worthy good elements.

Coming off best of the many good things is Gabriel Figueroa's outdoor photography. Which is really quite miraculous, so many of the shots leave one in wonder in their beauty and varied technical skill. Oh and the outdoor locations are just stunning. The haunting score doesn't feel too constant or in your face, having the right mood throughout while not over-emphasising too much. Ford does show frequently how great he was as a director, at its best his direction here in 'The Fugitive' is quite masterly.

Some very thoughtful and powerful moments in the script and enough of the story compels and moves. The performances are very good, with a smouldering Dolores Del Rio (though she does have moments where she overacts) and a remarkably nuanced Fonda in a complex role being generally strong. The best performance comes from a both menacing and tortured Pedro Armendariz, who is riveting whenever he appears.

On the other hand, too much of the writing is very melodramatic to an over-cooked degree, as is Del Rio at times. Some of the pace is a bit draggy.

Do agree with those that say that the religious element of the story is very heavy-handed and at times vague. It is focused on too much and it is delivered with little subtlety, the messaging was done in a way that made me feel beaten around the head.

All in all, a lot of note-worthy things but flawed. One of those "appreciated what it tried to do" sort of films while not properly loving it, the divisiveness in opinions is understandable. 6.5/10

This excellent and dramatic movie , a co-production US-Mexico , is based on Graham Greene novel and written by Dudley Nichols . It starts when a priest (Henry Fonda) attempting to flee from a Centroamerican country , because Christianity being pursued by a totalitarian govern . He encounters help by an Indian woman (Dolores Del Rio) with a baby . She gives him direction to port where he could embark towards freedom . Meanwhile , he finds a mean countryman (J Carrol Naish) craving reward and is pursued by an authoritarian officer (Pedro Armendariz). Furthermore , his existence runs parallel a bank robber , The Gringo (War Bond) also relentlessly pursued .

Magnificent movie featuring awesome performances by complete casting . The film develops some John Ford's usual themes , as the sentimental nostalgia , sense of camaraderie , religion , and abound touching scenes . Henry Fonda in a larger-than-life role as a good priest is top-notch , Pedro Armendariz as a nasty general is perfect and War Bond as outlaw wanted by totalitarian police is cool . Fonda (Grapes of wrath , Drums along the Mohawk , Young Mr. Lincoln) and Pedro Armendariz (3 Godfathers , Fort Apache) played several films for John Ford . Besides , there appears Ford's habitual friends , someone uncredited , such as Jack Pennick , Rodolfo Acosta , John Qualen , Fortunio Bonanova , J Carrol Naish, Mel Ferrer's first film and the opening narration is by Ward Bond , who also plays an important role in the film . Luxurious cinematography in lights and darks by Gabriel Figueroa (usual of director Emilio Fernandez , here also producer) . Enjoyable musical score by Richard Hageman , adding Mexican songs with emotive dance included in charge of Dolores Del Rio . The picture shot in Mexico , was produced by Ford's Argosy Production Company , RKO pictures and Merian C. Cooper . Rating : Better than average , well worth seeing for John Ford enthusiasts .

Fugitive, The (1947)

*** (out of 4)

Henry Fonda plays a priest in Central America who finds himself on the run after the government bans all religion. Fonda manages to go from town to town with religious folks willing to protect him but soon he runs into a crooked police informer (J. Carrol Naish) who might be giving information to the Lieutenant (Pedro Armendariz) who will stop at nothing to clear the streets of the evil religious figures. This film was a notorious flop when it was released and I'm fairly positive it would flap in any year in any decade. That's not because it's a bad film because it isn't but the film is so depressing that you can't help but feel most people wouldn't want to sit through it. The film contains some absolutely breath-taking cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa, which ranks as some of the best I've seen from this era. If you think the noir genre was good at using shadows and darkness then you haven't seen anything yet. As I said, this movie is 100% depression and what really fits the mood is the cinematography because it paints the perfect atmosphere. There are countless memorable scenes including the final shot with a cross as well as an earlier one where Fonda is hiding in a church and many parents from the village come in to get their children baptized while they have the chance. Another major plus working for the film is Ford's direction, which is top-notch as usual. I'm really not sure why this film would appeal to him but it's always amazing to go through Ford's career and see how many times he would direct something outside his range and pull it off. Ford does a terrific job building up this sad atmosphere and I really enjoyed the fact that he didn't pull any punches by adding fake comedy or just trying to lighten up the mood. Then, of course, there's Fonda who once again delivers the goods. The way Fonda walks here makes it seem as if he's a feather blowing in the wind because he's obviously a weak man who is struggling with being hunted. I thought the actor did a tremendous job showing the frailty of the character and the inner struggles he's having with the religion. Naish made a career out of playing snakes and once again he delivers an excellent performance and I'm sure by the end you'll be wanting to kill this guy yourself. Dolores del Rio plays a disgraced woman who is befriended by the priest and is excellent as well. Leo Carrillo, Ward Bond and Robert Armstrong add nice support as well. It's Armendariz who steals the show however as the truly tortured soul who is fighting to keep the religion out of his streets but is doing so due to some secret issues. THE FUGITIVE has all the right elements but it's still lacking something. Perhaps the film is just too laid-back for its own good but it never really crosses the greatness mark.