My Darling Clementine

It's 1882. Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and his brothers are driving cattle to California when they encounter Old Man Clanton who tries to buy their cattle with a low-ball offer. Wyatt kindly rejects the offer. The Earps stop at Tombstone to find a lawless town. Their cattle gets stolen and Wyatt's youngest brother James is murdered by unknown assailants. Wyatt suspects the Clantons and takes the job of town marshal. Volatile gambler Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) returns to town. Doc's past Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs) tracks him down all the way from Boston despite his refusal for her help. Doc's present day friend Chihuahua (Linda Darnell) is not happy with her presence.

I really love the start and Henry Fonda can do no wrong especially as a stoic heroic lead. I have a bit of an issue with Victor Mature. I can't forget Val Kilmer playing the role who is so much more fun. Mature is more angry than sickly. As for the iconic shootout, again I really love the start. Monument Valley looks epic in the background. I love the slow walk up to the OK Corral. Then the action isn't quite as epic. Director John Ford would say that he extended it from a 30 seconds fight but it doesn't really measure up to modern action scenes. All in all, this is a classic for its time.

If you're looking for a straight-forward, fairly factual presentation of the events leading up to the 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral', watch 'Wyatt Earp', or 'Tombstone'...But if you prefer your history more spiritual, and want to see a master storyteller paint a visual canvas of a West that may never have existed, but SHOULD have, then this film should be a treasured part of your video collection!

John Ford knew Wyatt Earp personally, and was familiar with the events surrounding the Tombstone shootout, but one of his greatest assets as a director was his ability to look beyond simple facts, and focus on what 'made' a legend. 'My Darling Clementine' is a story of icons, of Loners, accepting their own weaknesses and limitations, yet willing to risk their lives and abilities to aid others, then to walk away, allowing Civilization to grow. It's a classic theme of most great westerns, particularly in Ford's work (he would return to it in 'The Searchers', and 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'), as well as other directors ('Shane', 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'Unforgiven', and 'Open Range' are a few examples).

Wyatt Earp (wonderfully portrayed by Henry Fonda) and his brothers have an aloofness that makes their characters both deceptively simple, yet enigmatic at the same time. At the film's start, Wyatt's a cowpuncher who had walked away from the responsibilities of being a lawman, finding satisfaction with his brothers in the hard work and solitary life of the range. When the Clantons (led by Walter Brennan, in one of his greatest, yet most vicious roles), first approach the brothers on the range, they accept the old man's invitation to get a taste of city life, but it's clear that it will only be a brief stay before they move on, and Wyatt brushes aside any overtures of friendship.

Wyatt's lack of desire to commit to a larger community is stressed when he subdues an armed, drunken Indian with his bare hands in a saloon (based on an actual event in Earp's life), then turns down the city council's plea to accept the Marshall's badge. Only after a brother is murdered do the Earp brothers decide to clean up the town, as it had become 'personal'.

In counterpoint to Earp is another 'loner', Doc Holliday (sensitively portrayed by Victor Mature), an intellectual who fled the South, and had found his solitude through his guns, his gambling, and his illness. While Wyatt is a true 'Man of the West', however, Holliday is simply a lonely man with no place to go, only comfortable at a poker table. He is doomed, more by his own shrinking world, than by the disease that forces him to cough into his handkerchief.

The scenes of Wyatt in Tombstone are wonderful, as Civilization grows up around the uncomfortable stranger. Yet he toys with the idea of settling into this world, through his polite yet obvious attraction to Doc's lost love, Clementine. The scene of the outdoor church dance, where the stiffly formal Earp dances against the vista of a West being 'boarded in' is symbolic of what his own life, and the West, itself, was becoming, and is classic Ford!

The climactic shootout at the O.K. Corral is both powerful and raw, ultimately fulfilling the Earps' commitment to a world that needed their aid, and ending the downward spiral of Holliday's life, in a heroic and theatrical gesture.

It's often asked why Wyatt leaves, afterward, when Clementine and Tombstone are so attractive...The answer is simple, really; his work is finished, and his participation was no longer necessary. Civilization could now grow, unimpeded. The Loner would have no place there. Like Ethan, or Shane, or 'The Man With No Name', he must return to the solitary vistas that are his true home.

John Ford has truly created the 'Stuff of Legends' with this beloved classic!

I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but the info on this from IMDb drew me to watch it when it showed up on American Movie Classics, and I was richly rewarded. This is truly a beautifully done film, and makes one understand John Ford's reputation in this genre. The understated Henry Fonda and the volcanic Victor Mature somehow work well against each other. The script is low-key and naturalistic, allowing the action to stand out. The cinematography is spectacular, both in the wide open panoramas and in the more intimate personal scenes. Interior lighting, in particular, is very skillfully used. Seeing Walter Brennan playing against type, makes one appreciate how much better an actor he was than in the amiable, doddering bumpkin roles he got so typecast in later on.

To use an overworked term, a classic.

Exciting classy Western with plenty of tension , thrills , shoot'em up , high body-count and it has now become accepted as a classic of the genre .This is a vigorous recounting of a familiar tale , dealing with the legendary lawman from Dodge City who moves to Tombstone , Arizona , aiming to begin a new life along with his brothers , Virgil (Tim Holt) and Morgan (Ward Bond) . This trigger-taut Western drama deals with a lawman Wyatt Earp , at the begining Wyatt is a cowboy , a nomadic savage transporting his cattle and he subsequently befriends a badman gunslinger and philosopher Southern gent who usually coughs , called Doc Holliday , (Victor Mature who excels , giving comsumptive conviction to character) , the strangest friendship this side of heaven and hell . They fought shoulder to shoulder in the wildest stand-up gunfight in the history of the West . As the fabled showdown is seen at the final way through this film . They are the strangest alliance between the West's most famous sheriff Wyatt Earp , trying to overcome outlaws and his deadliest gambling killer , Doc Holliday. It's incomparably performed by the greatest team who ever went into action , Henry Fonda portrays the large-than-life lawman , living by the old rules , driven by revenge , dueling to the death and Mature is most impressive as a gunslinger , the hellfire gambler , his only friends were his guns and his only refuge was a woman's heart , Chihuahua (Linda Darnell) . Two towering Box office actors in a huge exciting production . The film correctly builds up its suspense until a tense battle in streets of Tombstone , it is the highlight to the story .The Roaring West At Its Reckless Best! . Reckless, Riotous Frontier Adventure! . She was everything the West was - young, fiery, exciting.

This is an overwhelming Western , though too self-conscious , as the death of an intimate brother results to be the start of a small war between the revenger Earp and the baddies . As when a beloved sibling is murdered it marks the turning point of Wyatt's transition from a wandering cowboy , to bent on vendetta , settled , civilised , and the Marshall who administers the law . Based on a story by Sam Hellman from a book by Stuart N. Lake . In fact , it was the third adaptation , 1ª was : Frontier Marshal 1934 and second : 1939 Frontier Marshal by Allan Dwan . It was partially panned and by no means acclaimed in its day , but nowadays , being well considered , may be seen by some as unoriginal and cliched but is really a very fashionable outing in Earp saga and a throughly agreeable Western . The movie's enjoyability , authenticity , and greatness rests not only in the accuracy of the ending gun-play , but in the well orchestred series of incidents , such as : Earp's visit to barber shop , the dance in the unfinished church , Fonda 's poker game , the romantic scenes between Fonda and Cathy Dows , all of them give a deep meaning to this spledid picture . Decorated by import themes of camaraderie , brothership , fidelity , family and action that were to dominate Ford films for the first post-II world war decade as never before . Victor Mature coming up trumps as Holliday , he delivers a surprisingly awesome acting , stealing clearly the show , a character designed for scenary chewing , giving an attractive portrayal of the doomed dentist . Although overlong , but blessed with a high-energy level , thanks to noisy action , spectacular horse riding and rousing shooting . As the picture benefits itself from despictable villians as Walter Brennan as epitome of evil as Old Man Clanton , he is accompanied by his sons , Grant Whiters and John Ireland is again on the side of Clanton's family just like he was 10 years later in ¨Gunfight at OK Corral¨. The film focuses Tombstone , 1881 , with stimulating scenes about OK Corral gunfight between Morgan , Virgil , Wyatt Earp , Doc against the nefarious old Clanton , Ike , Billy Clanton ,and other brothers . It is good enough to form the main axis of several other sturdy western films. This main character is a historical figure , in this case the sheriff Wyatt Earp who participated the most famous duel occurred in the western town of Tombstone in 1881 that has been brought to the big screen many times as in this classic "My Darling Clementine" in 1946 directed by John Ford , in "Gunfight at O.K. Corral" (1957) with Burt Lancaster , Kirk Douglas directed by specialist John Sturges who would resume the same story in "The Hour of the Gun" (1967) ; the demystifying "Doc" (Frank Perry, 1971) with Harris Yulin and Stacy Keach or the more modern ¨Wyatt Earp¨ (Lawrence Kasdan, 1994) with Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid and Tombstone: Wyatt Earp 's legend (1993) by George P. Cosmatos, 1993) with Kurt Russell , Bill Paxton , Thomas Haden Church , Stephen Lang , Dana Denaley , Robert Burke and Val Kilmer

This is a story enormous in scope ,unusual in concept with a mile-a-minute action on a climatic and thrill-a-minute gunfight. Packs a magnificent and marvelous cinematography in Black and White with a nice sense of period , and in overblown and amazing deep by Joe MacDonald . As well as adequate costuming and lavish production design . This thrilling film contains a spectacular and lyric musical score by Cyril Mockridge who composes a rousing soundtrack . The motion picture was compellingly directed by John Ford . This Ford's film , studded with stunning individual scenes turns out to be the definitive rendition of this great story . As Ford said: ¨I knew Earp and he told me about the fight at the OK Corral , so we did it exactly the way it had been¨.

Anyone who has the slightest casual knowledge of the events leading up to and surrounding the showdown is going to be disappointed. I mean, this film can't even disclaim 'based on a true story', it's so far off. All that would have been necessary to make this into a film not so darned distracting was to have it exactly as presented, but not with the names Earp, Holliday and Clanton.