The Classic Western

The truth is, I have never actually seen a western before, except maybe for a minute or two, I'd just get bored after that. Surprisingly, I did not mind John Ford's "My Darling Clementine." Because I was absent, I had to rent the movie and watch it at home, which was nice because I just got to watch it the whole way through without any interruptions (not that class discussions aren't helpful...) The film recounts the story of Wyatt Earp and his rise to Marshall in the town of Tombstone. The film's overall theme is the coming of civilization in to the West, and throughout the film that overlying theme becomes clear very quickly. One of my favorite scenes in the entire movie was when Wyatt takes Clementine to the very first service in the yet to be completed church. Clementine, who represents modern civilization, finally connects with Wyatt, the once scruffy frontiersman. With all the violence thrust in his life, Clementine seems to represent a piece of innocence that is long overdue. I was extremely impressed with Henry Fonda's portrayal of Wyatt Earp. He proves to be a fantastic character actor. Wyatt's transformation from cattle herder to sophisticated lawman does not seem pushed and plays off quite naturally as if it were a right of passage. The film is set in Arizona and I was very surprised to learn that John Ford especially wanted to film in Arizona, on his favorite locale, instead of sets in Hollywood. Once again this gives the film a more realistic tone, which is important when telling a story of a real life man. Native Americans are represented as they always are in Westerns, uncivilized, trouble making Indians, but it was the mind set of settlers during that time period. The tension that grows between Wyatt, Doc Holliday and the Clantons is build up nicely but the finaly fight at the OK Corral was not as climactic as I would have expected. It was honestly one of my least favorite sequences in the movie. Although, during this sequence was the first time I noticed that Wyatt was being shown by a low angle camera, possibly representing his new found power. Towards the end of the sequence when many have been killed, Wyatt chooses not to shoot Old man Clanton; a clear representation of the honorable man that he is, and everything a Western hero is supposed to be.