This is the second picture in what is known as John Ford's cavalry trilogy. The three pictures may have been directed by John Ford, but trilogy is a misleading term because it implies intention and authorship. In fact, the stories of the cavalry trilogy were all the work of popular Western writer James Warner Bellah, who wrote many of this kind, but She Wore a Yellow Ribbon especially bears the hallmarks of its screenwriter Frank Nugent.
It was Nugent who really pioneered these stories of grizzled old men of the West stepping wearily aside for their younger comrades. John Ford directed most of them, and probably had a love and respect for Nugent's heroes, but he was by no means the originator of them. For comparison, check out the Nugent-scripted The Tall Men, directed by Raoul Walsh. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon shows the level of depth and self-reflection that the genre was acquiring in the hands of writers like Nugent. Unlike the previous year's Fort Apache, which is very much about the Indian wars and full of rousing battles and chases, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is not really much of an action picture. The Indian conflict is kept to the background, and does not follow a strong, cohesive storyline. If you like, it is a MacGuffin, the excuse for the real story arc of Captain Brittles wanting to retire with the taste of glory and the knowledge that the troop will continue in his tradition. In fact a lot of the criticisms of this picture seem to focus on the fact that the action scenes aren't very well thought through. This is a fair enough point – I don't think Nugent struck as good a balance here as he did in Fort Apache, and the ending in particular is something of an anti-climax.
It was a bold move casting 41-year-old John Wayne as the grizzled old man in question. This sort of upward ageing didn't happen a great deal in classic Hollywood, or if it did it was usually for necessity in stories spanning generations such Cimarron or Citizen Kane. Although the Duke isn't made up to look as authentically old as could be achieved today, and his voice does not sound like an older man's, he does successfully act old in his stance and mannerisms. It certainly made more sense to cast him as a 60-year-old than as a Mongolian (see The Conqueror, 1956). Of Ford's co-stars, the standouts are George O'Brien, once a leading man in the silent era, and appropriately enough making his biggest impact here in moments of silence; and a young Ben Johnson, who looked every inch the dopey cowboy but could act and act well. As to the young romantics, I'm afraid to say Joanne Dru is simply huffy and snappy, while John Agar is just dull.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is shot in glorious Technicolor, at a point where this became more and more the norm for the genre. Here it was probably done for no other reason than that this was the first time the independent Argosy Pictures could afford it. While John Ford's colour compositions were not particularly pleasing to the eye (pink and orange shirts on the Indians!), Oscar-winning cinematographer Winton C. Hoch has done a fine job bringing to life the reds and browns of the landscape. Even in the dusky scenes, those tones are beautifully picked out while all else is shadow.
Now, some might think my comment so far has been an unmitigated attack on John Ford. This wasn't intended, but if you feel it was the case, I recommend you read this last paragraph three or four times for the sake of balance. Ford was ideal for these pictures because he really gave a sense of danger to the untamed West. He actually does a better job of this here than in the more action-orientated Fort Apache. The little camp seems particularly empty and lacking in bustle. Its interiors are cramped and Ford emphasises this by never leaving much space between the camera, the actors and the back wall. Coupled with the quiet sound design, this gives the little outpost a real sense of eerie loneliness. On the open plain, the earlier shots are very light and blue skies are our backdrop. However as the situation literally darkens Ford changes his angles to bring more of the ground into the frame. And despite these "cavalry" pictures being a very distinct sub-genre, Ford still brings the iconic imagery of the time and place – the timeless buttes of Monument Valley, men on horseback silhouetted against the sky, motionless Indians who seem one with the landscape. Frank Nugent was a great storyteller of the West, but John Ford was its great image-maker.
It was Nugent who really pioneered these stories of grizzled old men of the West stepping wearily aside for their younger comrades. John Ford directed most of them, and probably had a love and respect for Nugent's heroes, but he was by no means the originator of them. For comparison, check out the Nugent-scripted The Tall Men, directed by Raoul Walsh. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon shows the level of depth and self-reflection that the genre was acquiring in the hands of writers like Nugent. Unlike the previous year's Fort Apache, which is very much about the Indian wars and full of rousing battles and chases, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is not really much of an action picture. The Indian conflict is kept to the background, and does not follow a strong, cohesive storyline. If you like, it is a MacGuffin, the excuse for the real story arc of Captain Brittles wanting to retire with the taste of glory and the knowledge that the troop will continue in his tradition. In fact a lot of the criticisms of this picture seem to focus on the fact that the action scenes aren't very well thought through. This is a fair enough point – I don't think Nugent struck as good a balance here as he did in Fort Apache, and the ending in particular is something of an anti-climax.
It was a bold move casting 41-year-old John Wayne as the grizzled old man in question. This sort of upward ageing didn't happen a great deal in classic Hollywood, or if it did it was usually for necessity in stories spanning generations such Cimarron or Citizen Kane. Although the Duke isn't made up to look as authentically old as could be achieved today, and his voice does not sound like an older man's, he does successfully act old in his stance and mannerisms. It certainly made more sense to cast him as a 60-year-old than as a Mongolian (see The Conqueror, 1956). Of Ford's co-stars, the standouts are George O'Brien, once a leading man in the silent era, and appropriately enough making his biggest impact here in moments of silence; and a young Ben Johnson, who looked every inch the dopey cowboy but could act and act well. As to the young romantics, I'm afraid to say Joanne Dru is simply huffy and snappy, while John Agar is just dull.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is shot in glorious Technicolor, at a point where this became more and more the norm for the genre. Here it was probably done for no other reason than that this was the first time the independent Argosy Pictures could afford it. While John Ford's colour compositions were not particularly pleasing to the eye (pink and orange shirts on the Indians!), Oscar-winning cinematographer Winton C. Hoch has done a fine job bringing to life the reds and browns of the landscape. Even in the dusky scenes, those tones are beautifully picked out while all else is shadow.
Now, some might think my comment so far has been an unmitigated attack on John Ford. This wasn't intended, but if you feel it was the case, I recommend you read this last paragraph three or four times for the sake of balance. Ford was ideal for these pictures because he really gave a sense of danger to the untamed West. He actually does a better job of this here than in the more action-orientated Fort Apache. The little camp seems particularly empty and lacking in bustle. Its interiors are cramped and Ford emphasises this by never leaving much space between the camera, the actors and the back wall. Coupled with the quiet sound design, this gives the little outpost a real sense of eerie loneliness. On the open plain, the earlier shots are very light and blue skies are our backdrop. However as the situation literally darkens Ford changes his angles to bring more of the ground into the frame. And despite these "cavalry" pictures being a very distinct sub-genre, Ford still brings the iconic imagery of the time and place – the timeless buttes of Monument Valley, men on horseback silhouetted against the sky, motionless Indians who seem one with the landscape. Frank Nugent was a great storyteller of the West, but John Ford was its great image-maker.