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Drums Along the Mohawk is the story of newlyweds Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert and the trials they faced trying to make a life in the Mohawk River Valley during the Revolutionary War.

The Upstate New York theater save for the key battle of Saratoga was one of the backwater areas of the American Revolution. Still it has a colorful history and it's the one area of the Revolution where the British made use of their allies among the Indians.

Specifically the Iroquois who had supported the British against the French in the Seven Years War 20 year earlier. As a consequence of that support, the Indians were guaranteed no white settlement west of the Appalachian mountains. Saying that and enforcing that were two different propositions. Farmer pioneers as depicted by Fonda and Colbert were not about to be turned back by words in the Treaty of Paris. Of course the Indian side to it was never told on screen at that time in Hollywood.

Still those were brave people who pioneered and the film is a tribute to them. The real person of Nicholas Herkimer and his brave death in the Battle of Oriskany is woven into this story. Herkimer is played by Roger Imhoff and he was the son of German settlers from Hanover. Remember George III was Duke of Hanover and lots of German settlers came to the colonies. Imhoff plays Herkimer with correct German accent and as the gallant hero he was.

John Carradine plays Caldwell the one eyed Tory who leads the Iroquois, Why John Ford just didn't use the real name of Walter Butler for Carradine's character I couldn't say. Yet Caldwell is based on Butler who was right up there with Benedict Arnold as one of the Revolution's deepest, darkest villains. Carradine does well with the part, no shades of gray in his portrayal. You might recall that Butler was one of the 'jury' at the trial in The Devil and Daniel Webster and Lionel Barrymore played him in D.W. Griffith's silent classic, America.

Edna May Oliver is the pioneer widow woman who takes in Fonda and Colbert after their own place is burned to the ground during a raid and won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She was a hardy soul and she steals the film.

This is John Ford's first Technicolor feature and he really did well in the cinematography department. The forest greens of upstate New York really are depicted well, especially in the part where Henry Fonda is being chased by the Indians as he goes for help in the climax.

Upstate New York was a key area of the American Revolution. With the British occupying New York City for most of the war, upstate was the bridge in which those rabble rousers in New England kept connected with the south. It's why the Battle of Saratoga was so important, why Benedict Arnold's aborted treachery in turning West Point over to them was so important. If it wasn't for those yeoman farmers in the Mohawk Valley there might not be an America today.

And the Mohawk Valley was more important afterwards because another man with vision who was New York's governor named DeWitt Clinton had an idea to extend the headwaters of the Mohawk River straight to Lake Erie with a canal. That act opened up the northwest to trade and made New York the largest city in the USA. No doubt the descendants of Colbert and Fonda worked on the Erie Canal as well.

Drums Along the Mohawk is a nice tribute film to some brave people whose battles on that sideshow theater of the war made possible the very existence of America.

When Lana Martin (Claudette Colbert) arrives by wagon with her new husband, Gil (Henry Fonda), to Mohawk Valley and his homestead, she isn't prepared for what she sees. The time is just before the Revolutionary War. The valley is beautiful and unspoiled, but the homestead is a one-room log cabin Gil has built, and the farm will need to be worked by the two of them. Lana has never seen an Indian, but in the course of the movie she's going to see a lot, and most won't be friendly.

Drums Along the Mohawk is John Ford's curious but effective look at one aspect of the Revolutionary War. The story isn't about George Washington or the great battles. It's the story of what happens in this one, isolated valley in upstate New York. While there are Indian attacks and we can see the results of a battle or two, the story really is about Lana Martin and how she changed. We watch her and Gil build their farm, and we see it burnt to the ground when war comes to the valley. From a young woman in a big, frilly dress facing a life she had never imagined, by the end of the movie Lana is wearing a soldier's coat and is prepared to shoot down an attacker, which she does with hardly a blink. She sees Gil return from his first battle almost shell-shocked. We see her and Gil having to become hired hands when their farm is destroyed. We see her suffer a miscarriage. At the start of the movie, Gil was an honest, hard-working young man, almost naive at times. Now he and Lana are watching the birth of their new nation. They've both become...capable. "Well," Gil says to her at the close, "I reckon we'd better be getting' back to work. There's going' to be a heap to do from now on." And we know he's talking about building a nation, not just a new farm.

The movie is effective despite John Ford's long-time propensity for ham-handed humor, sentimental myth building and his indulgence in stereotypical portrayals of Indians as either child-like objects of amusement or animal-like objects of fear. What saves this story, as it saved many of Ford's films, is his great talent for cinematic story-telling. As corn-ball as some of the scenes in this movie are -- the short, chubby drunk or Gil's amazement that his wife is giving birth or the wise but child-like behavior of the Christian Indian chief -- we still are caught up in Gil's and Lana's story. Although the movie is particularly a paean to the women who had to struggle on, sometimes fighting, sometimes waiting, Ford gives the film an unusual unwarlike tone. The widow Mrs. McKennar, who took Gil and Lana in when their farm was destroyed, looks at Gil marching off to his first battle and thinks about her husband. "Sometimes he'd wave. Ten to one he wasn't even seeing me. He was thinking about all those men, you see. All those men he went out to fight...to kill and be killed...blast his eyes, loving it." One powerful scene has Gil and the other men back from the battle. They won but it didn't go well. Gil has collapsed, and as Lana tends to him he barely notices her. He just stares into the distance while he tells what happened when they were ambushed. "I got down back of a log and aimed at a fellow. He leaped straight up in the air. Fell forward on his face. After that we just kept shooting as fast as we could load for I don't know how long. Adam Hartman came over beside me. His musket was broke. He had a spear. He kept grinning. I remember thinking, 'He's having a good time. He likes this.' Pretty soon he pointed off. I saw an Indian coming toward us, naked. I tried to load but it was too late. Adam stood up and braced his spear and the Indian came down. I never saw a fellow look so funny, so surprised. He just hung there, with his mouth open...lookin' at us, not sayin' a word. I had to shoot him, there wasn't anything else to do."

Ford pushes the buttons of duty, faith and patriotism. We've learned that war isn't the glorious struggle some make it out to be. Still, Ford shows us that fighting to protect our land, to protect our chance to build our farm and keep our children safe is proper. In 1939, that was a strong message. So was his theme of patriotism with which he closes the movie. At the fort in Mohawk Valley a company of regular soldiers arrives to tell the people that the war has been won, that Cornwallis has surrendered to Washington. They're carrying a flag. A churchman looks at it and says to the others, "So that's our new flag, the thing we've been fighting for. Thirteen stripes for the colonies and thirteen stars in a circle for the Union." And with that a couple of men take the flag and climb to the top of the church steeple, where they tie it down so that it waves in the wind. Ford knew how to punch home a point, alright.

Fonda and Colbert were both fine actors. Fonda, in particular, brings, as usual, a strong sense of decency to his role. While I think he and Colbert make a slightly improbable pair (Colbert in all her roles, for me, seems to have a sly worldliness that makes her so good at sophisticated comedy), they work well together. The movie is really war from a woman's point of view, and Colbert brings it off.

In 1776, the apolitical farmer Gilbert 'Gil' Martin (Henry Fonda) gets married to Magdelana "Lana" Borst (Claudette Colbert) at the Borst Home in Albany, New York. They travel to his lands in the Mohawk Valley, Deerfield, where they work hard to improve their lives, but their house and crop are burned out by Indians fomented by the British. The couple loses everything including their baby and they have to restart their lives working for the widow Mrs. McKlennar (Edna May Oliver). But it is times of the American War of Independence, and the settlers have to fight against the Indians and the British soldiers to survive.

"Drums along the Mohawk" is a romance in times of the American War of Independence. John Ford uses the historic moment as background of the tough life of the American colonists in the Mohawk Valley, through the dramatic lives of Gil and Lana. This is not my favorite film of John Ford, but the story is engaging and it is a good movie. The thirty-six year old Claudette Colbert is miscast and too old for the role of Lana. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Ao Rufar dos Tambores" ("At the Drum Roll")

It's the American revolutionary war. Gilbert Martin (Henry Fonda) takes his newly married wife Lana Borst (Claudette Colbert) from a wealthy Albany family to a small farm in remote upstate New York. They face political intrigue. Lana gets hysterical upon meeting friendly Oneida convert Blue Back (Chief John Big Tree). Gilbert joins the local militia. The British has recruited Mohawk warriors to go to war.

I can abide by the drunken, stupid savage Indian stereotype. I can abide by the We treat them well comment. I can abide by Colbert's silly hysteria and her melodramatic acting. I can abide by a lot. I will not abide by the well-built frontier homes. They have second floors. They have porches and giant windows. Worst of all, they're made of stone. None of that is realistic. The final battle at the fort is mostly killing cannon fodder Indians. When they are able to kill an old woman, it is the most melodramatic death in cinema history. Nevertheless, it is good for its time. The color cinematography is amazing. John Ford's directing is great. The combination of Fonda and Colbert is good. It is old fashion but it couldn't be anything else.

An early novel called " Drums Along the Mohawk " written by Walter D. Edmonds is the foundation for this motion picture of the same name. It relates the story of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Martin (Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert) a young, married America couple moving from New York city to the early frontier to begin a new life. The time coincides with events from 1776 thru the end of the Revolutionary War. As most Americans have learned from our history, life was incredibly harsh. Indeed, when not working on the toils of the farm, early colonists were often at war with the Native American tribes who had sided with the British army. After their farm is burned and losing their first child, their lives are constantly threatened, they move in with Mrs. McKlennar (Edna May Oliver) a wealthy widow woman to supplement their meager existence. Most of the film is dedicated to the hardship of early frontier life and includes the destruction of their farms and their valiant defense inside the nearby fort. John Carradine, plays the heavy named Caldwell with Arthur Shields playing Rev. Rosenkrantz. For many reasons John Ford creates a formula for the movie establishing himself as a superb director. This early Color picture is fabulous in many ways, not the least is the excellent cast and exciting drama. It's little wonder it has become an excellent Classic. Recommended for all audiences. ****

I've used this movie in many history classes. It illustrates life during these turbulent times when people were moving to the frontier and just trying to live their lives in peace. However, other people had lived on those lands and now wanted it back and war erupted. The American Revolution is vastly different for people on the frontier. There was no help -they had to rely on each other to protect their farms, their families and livestock. It was a hard life but they managed to find humor and enjoyment even during the hardest of times. This movies illustrates the new culture that had to evolve in order to survive. Fighting Indians, British and French became a way of life during this period. These people developed a strong bond of friendship and family. They helped one another in many ways. The only way to get communication from Albany was at church on Sunday when the Reverend would give everyone the latest news about the war as well as cloth that had arrived at the general store in Dayton. It's a good story and one that will remain a favorite.

A regular John Ford classic. Claudette Colbert played her role well, but her character was initially quite unlikeable. I suppose this was to show her personal growth over the course of the film. Fonda was, of course, Fonda, a bottomless pit of earnestness. Edna May Oliver was wonderful as the widow. She got an Ocar nomination, but too bad for her that this was the same year as Gone With the Wind and Hattie McDaniel.

A few commentators have lamented that Ford caricatured the Indians and portrayed them as unfairly savage. If anything they were portrayed as not nearly as savage as reality. The North American Indians in general, and the Iriquois in particular, were among the most savage and bloodthirsty races on earth. At least two instances from the film struck me letting them off much too easy. When the widow McKlennar is surprised in her bed by two warriors burning her house, she browbeats them into carrying her out of the room on her bed. These Indians would have immediately tomahawked her to death on the spot. And when the captive is rolled out to be burnt below the walls of the fort, well, the Indians would almost certainly have tortured him to death for their own amusement. There was no military advantage to letting the fort know that he was captured, and the Indians torture of captives was well known. It was a large part of their culture. which was utterly martial. The fort would never surrender, because only torture and death awaited those who did. (On rare occasions captives would be kept alive as slaves, and rarer still, a few were adopted into the tribe) The British would sometimes encourage these massacres, and sometimes try to stop them, almost never with any success. No amount of politically correct revisionism changes what these Indian societies were in those days.

I really liked this film. I think the biggest reason is that so few Hollywood films are about early American history and many of those that were made are so boring. This isn't the case with this film. You get a very good sense of the type people who settled the American West (when this would have been western PA, TN and OH). As always, Henry Fonda does a great job of playing the average guy placed in extraordinary situations and Claudette Colbert is surprisingly good as well (I was VERY used to seeing her in chic evening dresses--this was a nice change). Historically speaking it's a decent film, though I am sure American Indians would take offense to their rather one-dimensional portrayal (which was the norm in those days), but at least they weren't as stupidly stereotypical as they were in some movies.

Awesome and marvelous Western by the great John Ford and deemed by many to be his early best . 1776 , in American revolutionary , Albany , Gilbert 'Gil' Martin (Henry Fonda who was real descendant of the Fondas that settled in the Mohawk Valley in the mid 17th Century) marries the beautiful Magdelana 'Lana', shortly before the revolutionary war , and takes her West to begin a homestead in the Mohawk Valley , in Upstate New York . There took place bloody battles as Battle of German Flats in the Mohawk Valley as part of the loyalist Butler's Rangers , and the Battle of Oriskany . As they settle their homestead when the war begins and both of whom become involved into a terrible conflict . As both sides battle relentlessly supported by Indians , as the Iroquois Confederation was split in its loyalties during the Revolution , the Oneidas sided with the Americans while the Mohawks and Senecas joined with the Hurons and Nipissing First Nation , Ojibwas and Algonquins on the side of the instigating British . For the next six years Gilbert battles in the war and while they attempt to establish their homestead . But it to be on fire and the young farmers , then , move and meet a grumpy old widow , Mrs. Mc Klennar (Edna May Oliver) , who is happy to put them up in her farm in exchange for help from both of them . Later on , Gil joins the minutemen , and after that , Indians commanded by the nasty Brit Caldwell (John Carradine) burn the farms and attack the rebellious colonists on a fort that is really besieged . But the violence and destruction of war catch up , and even the fort isn't guaranteed safe . And Gilbert carries out a long marathon foot leg through an Indian gauntlet .

One of John Ford's early Western hits , it has come remarkable Colour cinematography by Bert Glennon and Ray Rennahan , dealing with pioneers hardships , and the expected , violent as well as impressive scenes about the Redskin siege . This nice and superb Western contains thoughtful characters , full of wide open space and dramatic moments . Outdoors are pretty good and well photographed , story first-rate and powerful told too . Here John Ford and Henry Fonda reached the peak of their successful and fundamental screen collaboration . Thought-provoking , insightful screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface . Over-the-top Western with trigger-taut drama , perfectly written by Lamar Trotti and uncredited collaboration by Nobel winner William Faulkner , being based on on the Walter Edmonds novel . The film relies heavily on the extremely sentimental relationship between the young marriage : Lana/Claudette Colbert and Gilbert Martin/Henry Fonda . Fine acting from Henry Fonda as a civilized man from the East coast colonies who finds himself a loving bride , and attractive Claudette Colbert who keeps her upper lip pretty stiff but she looses their expected baby . ¨Drums along the Mohawk¨ gets to ensemble a magnificent supporting cast , plenty of familiar faces , and Ford's regulars , such as : Edna May Oliver , John Carradine , Ward Bond , Francis Ford , Eddie Collins , Arthur Shields , Robert Lowery , Jessie Ralph , Jack Pennick , Russell Simpson and Chief John Big Tree . This classic and moving picture ranks as one of the main of John Ford's works , including settings , interpretations , cinematography all extraordinary . It contains Ford's usual themes as familiar feeling , a little bit enjoyable humor , friendship and sense of comradeship but also some cynicism and full of wide open spaces with breathtaking landscapes exceptionally filmed from Cook County , Pennsylvania , Aspen Mirror Lake , Duck Creek Village , Strawberry Point , Dixie National Forest, Wasatch Range , Cedar Utah USA . Furthermore , a sensitive , romantic and thrilling at times , musical score by the classic composer Alfred Newman .

Marvelously shot Ford film with a lively look at the complex world of the colonialists , pioneers versus Indians , and adventure romance . This solid as well as patriotic motion picture was well directed , this is a grand , cunningly crafted entertainment , action-filled and jingoist saga about revolutionary America . Ford's prior and subsequent films to get great successes as ¨The stagecoach¨ , ¨The young Mr. Lincoln¨ and the cavalry trilogy as ¨Fort Apache¨, ¨They wore yellow ribbon¨ and ¨Rio Grande¨. And , his posterior ¨Two rode together¨ has a similar plot to ¨The searchers¨ though the Ford's vision about West is pretty cynical and less idealist .

Drums Along the Mohawk is directed by John Ford and adapted to screenplay by Sonya Levien & Lamar Trotti from the novel written by Walter D. Edmonds. It stars Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Edna May Oliver, John Carradine and Ward Bond. Music is by Alfred Newman and cinematography by Bert Glennon and Ray Rennahan.

Settlers on the New York frontier face up to the challenges of the Revolution and hostile forces homing in on their settlements.

In what was a stellar year for cinema, John Ford had three films released, Stagecoach, Young Mr. Lincoln and Drums Along the Mohawk, of the three it's not unfair to say that the latter is seen as the lesser light of his 1939 output. Yet this in no way means it's a weak film, it isn't, although it has some problems, it's just a measure of the director that he was able to churn out quality more often than not.

Drums Along the Mohawk is very much a quintessential Ford movie, it's awash with sentiment, an awareness of the value of community and of course some muscular love of America. The attention to detail of frontier life - and the knowledge of the folk who fought in that first wave of the Revolution - is superb, boosted no end by the magnificent Technicolor (it was Ford's first film in colour) and the way Glennon and Rennahan (Oscar Nominated Best Color Cinematography) bring the Utah landscapes vividly to life.

The story allows Ford to produce some great moments. A battle scarred Gilbert Martin (Fonda) musing on the horrors of war holds the viewer spellbound, the edge of seat attack on Fort Herkimer that closes the picture excites and frightens in equal measure, and a chase sequence that sees Gil pursued by three Mohawks is a thing of beauty as it begins under a blood red sky and continues through the changing landscape. It's a film showcasing the strengths of the director for sure.

On the acting front the ever watchable Fonda and the Ford stock company are let down a touch by the odd casting of Colbert. Bright and cute in that Bonnet wearing kind of way, Colbert is miscast and never fully convinces as a frontier wife, though she is not helped by scripted dialogue that often borders on being twee. No such problem with Oliver, though, who is delightful as the crotchety and stoic old gal, her Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actress was well warranted.

Some misplaced humour, Colbert and twee dialogue stop it from being ultimate Ford, but it's often a thing of beauty and it has knowledge and warmth driving the narrative forward. 7/10

... Seriously! This entire film was a disaster! And I'm a big Ford fan. Claudette Colbert is a screaming mess in desperate need of a tranquilizer, and Henry Fonda's scene after returning home wounded in which he just blabbers on endlessly as Colbert tends to his wounds is just tortuous. How did Ford manage to make two of the greatest actors of the 30s and beyond look so hammy?

What is good about this Revolutionary War pic? The color cinematography is to die for. Also, Edna Mae Oliver is great as a rich widow who gives the young couple who have been burned out of their farm (Fonda and Colbert) a home and a job. She is full of wise cracks as usual.

I don't know why this was so amateurish. Ford for sure got the old West - and upstate New York was the old west in the 1770s. He for sure got romance - look at Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne in anything he directed. Maybe it was because it was a war picture rather than a focus on one man's individual struggle with another individual such as in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". At any rate, I just don't see what so many others say they see in this film.

It is a strange truism about films concerning American History. While some of those films dealing with the Civil War are great ("The General", "Gone With The Wind") or highly respectable ("The Raid", "Gettysburg", "Glory"), this is less true about films about the American Revolution. It's a sad or mediocre commentary. D.W.Griffith's first great feature length film was the controversial - pro K.K.K film: "The Birth OF A Nation". No matter how you hate the film's racism, it's innovation make it a film landmark. But his attempt at a Revolution film, America, was a flop. Just see the titles: "America", "The Howards Of Virginia", "The Devil's Desciple" (slightly better due to its star cast, especially Olivier as "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne), "John Paul Jones", "Lafayette", "Revolution". There are two exceptions. The musical "1776" was a good film, and (despite some historical errors) told the story of the creation of the Declaration of Independence pretty well. This film is the other. It is the only film by John Ford set in the American Revolution (he was more at home in the Indian Wars of the 1870s). It is in glorious color for a 1939 film. It has a dandy cast from Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert as the young married couple, to Edna Mae Oliver, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields, and John Carridine (except that his motivation as a Tory is never developed - possibly his scenes were cut in the editing).

Perhaps it was the source. Walter D. Edmonds is a forgotten writer today, but when I was growing up in the 1960s his novels, "Drums Along The Mohawk" and "Chad Hanna", were still published and read. Interestingly Henry Fonda was also in the film version of that latter novel. Edwards was a regional historical writer (which may explain his contemporary oblivion). All his novels are set in upstate New York, "Chad Hanna" being set in the 1830s. "Drums Along The Mohawk deals with the warfare between settlers in Western New York and the Six Nations of the Iroquois Indians, the latter allied with Tories. It is a grueling warfare - culminating in the battle of Oriskany, where American troops literally slugged it out in forest fighting with the Indians. Commanded by General Nicholas Herkimer (Ralph Imhof in the film)the Americans barely won the battle. Herkimer died of his wounds a few days later (movingly captured in the movie). He is honored today by a county upstate named for him. These events occurred in 1777, and the film seems to end in 1779. It ends with the settlers of the Mohawk River Valley triumphing over the Tories and Indians. What is not shown is what really crushed the Indians - Washington sent General John Sullivan into the area, and in a foreshadowing of the scorched earth policies of General William Tecumseh Sherman, Sullivan burned the Iroquois villages to the ground. It is not a pretty story now, but in that period Sullivan was considered a national hero. Ford does not even touch on that aspect. Probably just as well. But what he does show is first rate Ford, and we are all grateful for that.

D: John Ford. Claudette Colbert, Henry Fonda, Edna May Oliver, John Carradine, Jessie Ralph, Arthur Shields, Robert Lowery, Ward Bond. John Ford richly captures flavor of Colonial life in this vigorous, courageous story of settlers in upstate N.Y. during Revolutionary War. Action, drama, sentiment, humor deftly interwoven in beautiful Technicolor production. From Walter Edmonds' novel.

I'm not a big fan of period pieces, so the title didn't sound very interesting to me. then i saw the cast list. young henry fonda and claudette colbert (Gil and Lana) get hitched during the revolutionary war days. ya got Edna Oliver, the grand ol dame, and of course, Jesse Ralph, who hounded W.C. Fields in all his films. Edwin Maxwell is Reverend Gros. they are all living on the very edge of the new frontier, and they face hardships right off. Indians. British. Gil signs up with the local back-woods regiment, and the war is on! the script and the acting are all pretty hokey and over-done. the story of one fort protecting itself and the nearby village. Colbert had already made It happened one night (oscar !) and imitation of life. Fonda was nominated a couple times, but would get his first film oscar for Golden Pond in 1981. director John Ford was a character. he had already won one of his (many) oscars, and would win another for directing Henry Fonda in Grapes of Wrath a couple years later.

A typically enjoyable John Ford frontier romp, set around the time of the American War of Independence and filmed in glowing colour. It contains the usual mix and at times unusual juxtaposition of broad humour with great pathos, although the accent is more on the latter, particularly the lengthy scene of the returning first-time soldier frontiersmen, battered, bruised and weather-beaten but not bested In battle.

In the end they're required to put up an Alamo-type defence of their homestead, until the cavalry comes, summoned by Henry Fonda's Gil character after an extended marathon race against three pursuing Native Americans which must have broken the Olympic record. As stated, Ford's sometimes abrupt changes of mood and scene jar somewhat, for example, in an early scene Claudette Colbert's prim city girl Lana goes native at the sight of a Native American, requiring a sock on the jaw from Fonda to calm her down, from which point she becomes the perfect supportive wife, helping on the farm, delivering a son and even fighting back marauding Native Americans herself by the end.

For me though, the Fonda / Colbert relationship didn't quite convince, however. She seems too old to be the sweet, virginal wife and is rather matronly throughout. Fonda, on the other hand, seems too young for his part, a fresh-faced youth which no amount of trying experiences seem to age or weather. John Carradine is the big baddie, perhaps too obviously marked out as such by his eye patch and pantomime villain demeanour but Edna May Oliver is a hoot as the feisty old widow who takes pity on the young couple but who later has to take one for the team.

All this apart, it's impossible not to like other aspects of the movie, including Ford's direction of crowd scenes and some wonderful cinematography, none more so than when Fonda outruns his pursuers under the golden hue of a setting sun. We also get a forerunner of the famous door-framing shot he later used to such telling effect at the close of "The Searchers".

Ford made better movies than this in this year never mind the rest of his long career, even if it is one of those "Indian-bashing" films he would later live to regret. However it's made so well that it's probably best to let the story simply unfold of itself, without looking for logic.

This film has everything, drama, humor, and action. My favorite character is Mrs. McKlennar, played by the great Dame Edna May Oliver (also see her in A Tale of Two Cities). She's got the right combination of real independence, sauciness, and feeling. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert are also fine as Gil and Lana. The usual John Ford stock company (Ward Bond, Arthur Shields, etc.) are in evidence in the well cast supporting roles. I'm kind of surprised that no one has targeted this story for a remake, though it might be a case of watching out what you wish for - it could be ruined by political correctness. Anyway, sit back and enjoy.

Exciting dramatic story of a Colonial pioneer couple (Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert) from the start of their marriage through the end of the Revolutionary War. This is John Ford's first Technicolor picture. For a director who made such great use of shadow in his black & white movies, it must have been quite the adjustment to get used to color. Not just from a technical standpoint, but from an artistic one as well. But he does a spectacular job here. Great supporting cast includes an eyepatch-wearing John Carradine, Ward Bond, and Edna May Oliver. Oliver steals the show, as she often did. She received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work. Fonda and Colbert are excellent, as well. A wonderful film full of romance, drama, action, humor, and tragedy. For a modern American viewer like myself it's refreshing to see these older nonjudgmental films that pay respect to our forefathers. It couldn't be made today.

Well, I chose to do an oral report for a WEsterns class a few years back. Since the film is now out on DVD, I thought I'd write some thoughts about it. It is perhaps one of the best 'overlooked" Ford films. I am one who likes "Mogambo" though! Nevertheless, Henry Fona is great here as a patriot leader who must fight off the local tribe to secure his family. It is a very visual film, and the DVD should enhance its' qualities. It is also very well-edited and has a great score. Alas, as one other person pointed out here, it came out in 1939 and it has been overshadowed by Ford's own "Stagecoach." The film also proves Ford worked well with other actors besides John Wayne, most notably Fonda and Jimmy Stewart among many others.

John Ford brings to us another one of his classic examples of why he was one of the greatest directors of the era. 1939 was a huge year for Hollywood. The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach and Gone With the Wind, all came out in 1939. You should see the list of films from that year. Anyway, with the motion picture business in full swing, filmmakers and producers were competing tough with each other, by producing pristine, professionally looking productions. The film industry was over 40 years old now and it showed. It was the pre-television era still, so entertainment at the matinee was red hot at this time. This time around, Ford tackles the Revolutionary War, but not the part, that most of us are familiar with. Most of us think about George Washington and all the battles and confrontations with the British, that happened on the east coast or in the northeast or mid-Atlantic cities found in the original colonies. There were other parts of the Revolutionary War, that are lesser known. In this case, this film takes place in a remote area of upstate New York. It was almost in Canada, in an area called Mohawk Valley.

So, I always tell people, that you shouldn't be looking for historically accurate information, when watching a Hollywood film. That is not the job of filmmakers, directors or producers. If I need historical accuracy, I'll look it up on my own or go to the library. The job of Hollywood is to entertain, make money and create thought-provoking ideas, that drive you to look into these things. You also have to remember, how much a film is influenced by real-world circumstances, that sometimes need to be addressed, when dealing with the public eye or political moods of the time. You can tell a story about our history, but you also don't want to ruffle any feathers, if the circumstances are different in the modern day (or the year the film was released). In the case of this film, being that it is 1939, you can't really go after the British in 1776 too hard, especially when in real-life, they are our allies, battling an evil force in Nazi Germany. So, unfortunately, for this film, the bad guy tag is given to the native Americans of the time, found in the area of Mohawk Valley. Now, it is true, that some of the many different tribes found in the region, did align themselves with the British and gave the settlers a lot of problems. It was that part of the equation, that John Ford wanted to explore. It is another example of making an entertaining, fictionalized story, based off of real-world events, but not for historical accuracy, but for the art of film.

Let's get right into this story, that takes us all the way back to 1776. Henry Fonda plays Gilbert Martin, a young civilized man from Albany, who takes his new bride, Lana (Claudette Colbert), up to his one room house in the remote area, known as Mohawk Valley. They are in the middle of nowhere, but still within salvation distance of the colonial fort, known as Fort Schuyler. This fort is comprised of many colonialists from ethnically German descent and various other lineage and all are preparing for the immanent revolution against the British. The British make a deal with some of the tribal nations of the area (some stay neutral and some actually join the colonists in the struggle) and the ones, who align with the British, conduct attacks on the settlers, burning down everything and destroying all their crops. This is what happens with Gilbert and Lana. After their property is destroyed, they seek shelter with a rich woman, Mrs. Mc Klennar (Edna May Oliver), who is in need of some hired help around the house and farm. From this point on, the Revolution is in full swing and we see the story of how all parties involved, fight, survive and live, until the war and the film come to an end.

The cast of this film, also were very busy in 1939. Claudette Colbert did three films that year. Edna May Oliver did four films that year. Henry Fonda was in five films. And, don't even get me started about Ward Bond. He is in everything. He is like the golden age version of Samuel L. Jackson, in the fact that, he needs to be in everything. I love Ward Bond. Bond was a Hollywood machine and he did upwards of 20 films, just in 1939 (albeit, often as a secondary or even a tertiary character). He had a heck of a career in the movies though. So, with all this seasoned talent in the film, Ford throws in his beautifully, composited images, he always captures, choses to use technicolor (lots of technicolor in 1939), gives us an interesting plot about life in the remote forests of north-central New York state (Utah actually, but it helps the fictionalized, entertainment part of the film) and delivers another highlight from 1939. It was a good year for Hollywood and the art of film in general. It also happened at a time, before the world went through a big change and is a film that encapsulates what the golden age of Hollywood was.

7.4 (C+ MyGrade) = 7 IMDB.

Ford made three great films in this one year, the others being the more quoted YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939) and STAGECOACH (1939). For this reason, this one has often been overlooked: patchy but frequently splendid, it's still an important achievement - a painstakingly realized production bearing some of the director's most characteristic traits.

Set in the period of the American Revolution, it's not strictly a Western but the film features a number of skirmishes between the settlers and the Indians - flanked by a band of renegades led by a one-eyed John Carradine in another memorable villainous turn for Ford (after having played the sadistic prison warden in an earlier historical piece, THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND [1936]). His death occurs off-screen, but it's subtly suggested by a wonderful bit of business towards the end - involving an Indian who's been converted to Christianity!

The cast, as always, is peppered with familiar Fordian faces - most notably Arthur Shields as a fervently patriotic priest! Leads Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda emerge as the perfect embodiments of the Spirit of America - idealistic, devoted and brave. Typically Fordian, i.e. corny, comic relief is provided by Edna May Oliver and Ward Bond - but, then, the former's fine portrayal of the indomitable frontierswoman par excellence was justly nominated for an Academy Award!

The film's color cinematography (which also duly received an Oscar citation) is simply gorgeous, particularly when Ford's camera - this was his first in the process - is directed at the sweeping landscape.

I've always thought Claudette Colbert was out of place when she acted in period pieces (Cleopatra excepted, of course). Although beautiful, her eyebrows and makeup style didn't look very old-fashioned. Drums Along the Mohawk takes place before the Revolutionary War, but if she really walked around with that much makeup, she'd have been branded as a harlot. She's married to Henry Fonda, who looks nearly as beautiful as she, and they try to make a go of life in the Wild West. Not a traditional cowboys and Indians movie, but they do have to battle Indians while surviving on their little farm in their small western town.

In my opinion, the supporting actors are the best part of this movie. Edna May Oliver plays a strong pioneer woman with tons of compassion and a great spirit. She was nominated for both an Oscar and a Rag for her career-best performance. It's also the only time you'll get to see her enjoy an onscreen kiss! During a party celebration, Ward Bond makes it his mission to wipe away the memory of her late husband - and with a Code-breaking eight-second smooch, he succeeds!

If you're interested in a western that takes place in 1700s, they're pretty hard to find so you can check out this oldie. There's lots of eye candy, even though the leads' acting leaves much to be desired. It's a classic, and I'd watch it again, but it's not something I'd show to a friend who doesn't like old movies. It won't really change your mind about anything, except for Edna and Ward.