Producer: Willis Goldbeck & John Ford
Director: John Ford
Music: Cyril J. Mockridge & Alfred Newman
Release Date: April 22, 1962
Awards: Nominated for Best Costume Design in behalf of Edith Head. It was also nominated three times for a Laurel Award and won one once. It has won a Bronze Wrangler and was placed in the National Film Registry in 2007.
Origination: The screenplay was based on a short story written by Dorothy M. Johnson.
Interesting Fact: The musical theme that was used for the sadness of Lincoln in Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), was played at the beginning of this film when you view the burnt down home of John Wayne's character.
Maxwell Scott: This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
I love this film for it's mysterious plot and also its expression on courage and honor. Stewart and Wayne played perfectly off of each other in their first film together. Though each of them were seasoned actors by this time they gave each other enough room to be the lead character. It's a pity that they weren't in more films together.
Now as a kid, the part played by Lee Marvin use to give me nightmares. What makes his performance even more impressive is when it's contrasted with Donovan's Reef (1963), one year later with Wayne again. One was a villainous sadist and the other as a free loading sailor with a dry sense of humor.
One last thing that I'd like to comment on is the talents of Edith Head seen in this film. Her work hadn't been unnoticed by the Academy as she was nominated for an Oscar which is mentioned above. Though she did many westerns, this one sticks out to me as a fresher look than the others.
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