Hondo, l'homme du désert

This film was the most faithful, to the book, of any I have ever seen. It is based on one of Louis L'amour's early western novels, and the first to be made into a film. Aside from Vittorio wearing war paint all the time, the only part which was not really faithful to the book was the final battle where the stereotypical Hollywood Indian battle was substituted for the manner in which Apaches actually fought.

Louis L'amour was the most successful western novelist in history, having sold more than a quarter of a billion books before his death in 1988. Reading the book, Hondo, I often suspected it had been written with John Wayne in mind as Hondo Lane. I cannot picture Glenn Ford as Hondo, as was originally planed.

Much of the dialog was taken directly from the book although much was omitted, and every significant character made it from the book to the film. The only significant negatives were: 1) the fact that the story was condensed into 83 minutes instead of the 100 to 120 minutes, which would have permitted development of some of the minor characters; and 2) the apparent absence of a competent director. Think how much better it might have been if John Ford had directed it. Actually, both my complaints probably boil down to the same thing.

This exciting and colorful 3D film was released 50 years ago this week and remains an enjoyable action adventure today. With its distinctive peppermint-striped titles, the movie is one of John Wayne's best westerns and he happens upon a young woman at her isolated ranch and warns her of the threat of Indian uprisings. There is tension between the dispatch rider and the woman at first but she also knows that her son enjoys the man's presence on their ranch. Ward Bond and James Arness are the best-known cast members, and Geraldine Page, in her first movie, received an Academy Award nomination for her work in this film. The battle scenes are exciting, a series of hit-and-run cavalry-Indian fighting under bright blue skies and thick, fluffy clouds. The sound effects during the battles, of bullets and arrows hitting home are realistic and superb. The movie was filmed in Camargo, Mexico, an arid desert country studded with isolated, cone-shaped mesas. The music score by Hugo Friedhofer is among his best work.

Most Westerns from the 1940s and earlier were what could be described as "B" Westerns, or Saturday afternoon matinée type films whose audience was mostly kids. Characters and stories were based largely on clichés and cultural stereotypes. Beginning in the late 1940s, a new kind of "adult" Western film emerged, one that we could label as "A" Western. In these films, the characters and stories were more complex; they had more thematic depth; and they tended to be a bit more realistic in their portrayal of the 19th century American frontier. "Hondo" is notable because it is an early cinematic "A" Western.

The film's title derives from the main character, Hondo Lane (John Wayne), a tough gunfighter and scout with a sense of ethics, a loner who does not like liars. One day, he happens onto the homestead of a lonely White woman, Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page). She and her young son Johnny (Lee Aaker) live peacefully on Apache lands.

A central plot point in the story is a broken treaty, which causes conflict between the Apaches, headed by Vittorio (Michael Pate), and the U.S. Cavalry. Vittorio has no real quarrel with Mrs. Lowe, however. Indeed, he keeps returning to her homestead, concerned that she and especially Johnny, who appears to be without a father, will not be able to survive in such a harsh land.

Based on a real-life Apache warrior, the Vittorio character conveys a more humanistic portrayal of Indians than what a viewer would see in "B" Westerns. And the multi-faceted Hondo, part White and part Apache, intervenes to help Mrs. Lowe, as she is caught between her desire to remain on Apache land, and the insistence of the Cavalry that she and her son flee the "hostile" Apaches.

The story has a very realistic look and feel, a result of attention to detail in costumes, production design, and outdoor locations. Originally shot in 3-D, mostly to convey a sense of spatial depth, there are very few 3-D gimmicks. Color cinematography is credible, and uses a good mix of close-ups and wide-angle long shots. Colors might be a tad overdone, with too many bright hues, but that's the way many outdoor films were shot in the 1950s. For many scenes in "Hondo", the camera is tilted slightly upward toward the sky, to give a sweeping, majestic look to the landscape.

Casting is fine, except for the odd choice of Geraldine Page who was at that time known mostly as a New York stage actress. Her performance here is fine, but is nowhere near the stellar level in later films. John Wayne is suitably cast, and does a nice job. Ward Bond, Michael Pate, and Lee Aaker all give credible performances in support roles.

Although there are more grandiose "A" grade cinematic Westerns, "Hondo" is a fine example of a story that is slightly more low-key, with an emphasis on complex characters. And the film's visuals are picturesque. I recommend this film for anyone interested in high quality Westerns.

Quintessential John Wayne western, the Duke plays tough but principled cavalry scout Hondo Lane who ends up sparking the widow (Geraldine Page) of a blackguard whom he was forced to shoot. In the meantime, the Apache are on the warpath, the horse soldiers are being led by a callow Westpointer (Tom Irish), and Vittoro (Michael Pate), the renegade Indian war-chief, has taken a shine to the widow's young son. Fortunately, all of these problems can be solved by honesty, common sense, good horsemanship, and/or a Winchester. Wayne is as good as always playing his usual larger-than-life hero and Page, refreshingly lacking the 'starlet' good looks usually found in supporting female characters, is excellent as the abandoned pioneer mother. The rest of the cast are fine, Australian actor Michael Pate plays Vittoro (presumably a proxy for the actual Apache chief Victorio (1825-1880)) and Wayne's buddies Ward Bond and James Arness are along for the ride as a couple of colourful cavalry scouts. The film is a bit more nuanced than the usual oater and the Apache, while still implacable foes who take scalps and torture prisoners, are presented as a rightfully aggrieved party, having been lied to and betrayed by the 'whiteman'. The desert cinematography is excellent and although originally presented in 3D, there are few of the gimmicky 'coming at you' shots that were common in early 3D films (I recently watched a 'flat' version but still have my 3D 'Hondo glasses' from a previous viewing). The climactic battle, allegedly directed by John Ford, is excellent but the film ends on a sombre 'end of an era' note, a theme that was becoming more common in the genre. All in all, Hondo is an impressive oater starring one of the genre's greats at the top of his game - well worth watching.

In the 5/1/88 episode of "Married With Children," the one entitled "All in the Family," paterfamilias schlemiel Al Bundy tries--unsuccessfully, of course--to catch his favorite movie, the 1953 John Wayne vehicle "Hondo," during an ill-timed invasion of his wife's relations. Undeterred, six years later, Bundy, in the 5/8/94 episode "Assault and Batteries," again tries to catch his favorite flick, and with just as little luck. And back when, any Wayne fan could easily sympathize with the hapless sadsack. "Hondo," along with such Wayne films as "Island in the Sky" and "The High and the Mighty," was extremely difficult to see for many years: never shown on television, rarely screened in revival theatres and largely unavailable for home viewing. What Al wouldn't have given for today's current DVD from Paramount, featuring a stunning print and over an hour's worth of fascinating extras! Today, it is a simple matter to view "Hondo" at any time, and appreciate it for the highly impressive Western that it is.

In the film--based on the early Louis L'Amour short story "The Gift of Cochise"--Wayne plays a part-Apache cavalry scout named Hondo Lane. When we first encounter him, in the year 1870, the footsore Hondo stumbles onto the New Mexico homestead of Mrs. Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page, the renowned NYC stage actress, here in her very first film) and her young son Johnny (appealingly played by child actor Lee Aaker). Hondo purchases a horse from Mrs. Lowe, is given a place to sleep after being provided with food and water, and, after learning that Mr. Lowe is something of a disreputable, absentee husband, helps the plain-looking mother with her chores. Trouble looms, however, when, after returning to his cavalry unit, Hondo has a run-in with a lowlife scumball whom he is forced to kill...and who turns out to be none other than Mr. Lowe! Already half in love with the woman whose husband he has just shot down, Hondo returns to the Lowe homestead with a double mission: to tell the mother and son the news of what has just transpired, and to protect the pair from an uprising of (justifiably) angry Apaches, who have recently gone on a murderous warpath....

Truth to tell, "Hondo" strikes this viewer as an unusual choice for Al Bundy's favorite John Wayne film, what with its emphasis on romance and courtship (indeed, for the first 25 minutes of the picture, Hondo and Mrs. Lowe do nothing but talk and grow close to each other), as well as father/son ties (then again, young Johnny is a lot more cute and loving than Bud Bundy could ever hope to be; perhaps Al saw in Johnny the son that he never had?). Still, the film is understandably captivating for any viewer, and boasts any number of sterling attributes. For one thing, it is a film of great visual beauty; the desert terrain outside Ciudad Camargo (Chihuahua State, Mexico), where the movie was largely shot, is often breathtaking, and just about every outdoor scene seems to be adorned by stunning cloud formations. The film also boasts several wonderful sequences, including Hondo fleeing from the Apaches on horseback, Hondo engaging in a knife fight with an Apache on top of a mesa, and, most memorably, Hondo "teaching" Johnny how to swim. This was Wayne's first Western in three years, since 1950's "Rio Grande," and fans would have to wait another three years to see him in another (arguably, Wayne's best: 1956's "The Searchers"), but he is simply terrific here as Hondo, the self-reliant loner whose creed--"I let people do what they want to do"--is one that we would all do well to emulate. Page has an interesting chemistry with him, and it is wonderful to see the homely mother blossom and grow prettier as the film proceeds, as she and Hondo fall very much in love. Page deservedly garnered an Oscar nomination (her first of eight) for her work here, ultimately losing the Best Supporting Actress statuette for that year to Donna Reed, for her fine work in "From Here to Eternity." Kudos must also be given to Australian actor Michael Pate, who would go on, 14 years later, to reprise his role as the Apache chief Vittoro in the short-lived ABC TV program "Hondo," starring Ralph Taeger (I know, I know...who?) in the title role, as well as young Aaker for his winning performance. Likewise, the great character actors Ward Bond, Leo Gordon and James Arness (two years pre-"Gunsmoke") all manage to make the most of their small but crucial roles.

"Hondo" also features fine work behind the camera. With solid direction by John Farrow (husband of Maureen O'Sullivan and father of Mia, and who would go on to work with Wayne in 1955's "The Sea Chase"), in addition to uncredited direction by the legendary John Ford of the climactic battle sequence; a winning script from Wayne's favorite screenwriter, James Edward Grant; and a lovely theme song and pounding incidental music from Emil Newman and Hugo W. Friedhofer, the picture really is a fortuitous merging of great talents. Though shot in 3-D, the film is not overly reliant on in-your-face stunts to keep the viewer entertained; indeed, other than a few knife thrusts into the camera, there are few such tricks to speak of, and the film looks and works just fine in 2-D (apparently, "Hondo" was only shown in 3-D during the first week of its initial run, anyway!). The bottom line is that while "Hondo" may not be the Wayne masterpiece that "Stagecoach," "Red River" and "The Searchers" are, it yet remains a very solid, artfully made and highly entertaining picture. As it turns out, Al Bundy had good reason to rush home and turn on his television set....