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The film was publicly criticized by former President (and former supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe) Dwight Eisenhower as grossly inaccurate, which is a bad sign. Eisenhower’s anger is understandable. Viewers would think that the Battle of the Bulge was a close call, saved only by a few brave, bright men, especially Henry Fonda’s character Kiley, the hero of the film, who has to figure out the Germans’ entire plan by himself. Read More…
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The movie presents Abraham Lincoln’s first major case as a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, where he defends two young strangers accused of murdering a popular deputy. Director John Ford’s first collaboration with Henry Fonda, they would work together again on Drums Along the Mohawk and Grapes of Wrath. A touching movie with excellent court-room scenes, Fonda’s Lincoln employs a simple manner and sharp wit to win the sympathy of the jury, and proves to be a formidable cross-examiner. Despite a slow start, Fonda captures the real Lincoln’s mix of self-depreciating humor and belief in people’s better nature. Read More…
The star of films like Grapes of Wrath (1940), My Darling Clementine (1946) and 12 Angry Men (1957), Henry Fonda (May 16, 1905-August 12, 1982) was one of the great Hollywood icons but his greatest love was the theater. It is impossible to look at Henry Fonda and not think of integrity, therefore his image as a strong, silent hero was so entrenched in the minds of American moviegoers that that they rejected him as a cold-blooded killer in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), and the movie had to be withdrawn. Read More…
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Although Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) is not one of John Ford’s best movies, it is worth watching since there are only a handful of movies on the American Revolution. Read More…
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Aside from the James brothers and Bob Ford, Jesse James (1939) gets almost nothing right but it is very entertaining and has a surprisingly bleak view of the outlaw life. Read More…