One of the greatest movie Westerns, John Ford's My Darling Clementine is hardly the most accurate film version of the Wyatt Earp legend, but it is still one of the most entertaining. Henry Fonda stars as former lawman Wyatt Earp, who, after cleaning up Dodge City, arrives in the outskirts of Tombstone with his brothers Morgan (.. Read more
| Starring | Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, Linda Darnell |
|---|---|
| Director | John Ford |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
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One of the greatest movie Westerns, John Ford's My Darling Clementine is hardly the most accurate film version of the Wyatt Earp legend, but it is still one of the most entertaining. Henry Fonda stars as former lawman Wyatt Earp, who, after cleaning up Dodge City, arrives in the outskirts of Tombstone with his brothers Morgan (Ward Bond), Virgil (Tim Holt), and James (Don Garner), planning to sell their cattle and settle down as gentlemen farmers. Yet Wyatt, disgusted by crime and cattle rustling, eventually agrees to take the marshalling job until he can gather enough evidence to bring to justice the scurrilous Clanton clan, headed by smooth-talking but shifty-eyed Old Man Clanton (Walter Brennan). Almost immediately, Wyatt runs afoul of consumptive, self-hating gambling boss Doc Holliday (Victor Mature, in perhaps his best performance). When Doc's erstwhile sweetheart, Clementine (Cathy Downs) comes to town, Earp is immediately smitten. However, Doc himself is now involved with saloon gal Chihauhua (Linda Darnell). The tensions among Wyatt, Doc, Clementine, and Chihauhua wax and wane throughout most of the film, leading to the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral, with Wyatt and Doc fighting side-by-side against the despicable Clantons. Its powerful storyline and full-blooded characterizations aside, My Darling Clementine is most entertaining during those little humanizing moments common to Ford's films, notably Wyatt's impromptu balancing act while seated on the porch of the Tombstone hotel, and Wyatt's and Clementine's dance on the occasion of the town's church-raising. Based on Stuart N. Lake's novel Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshall (previously filmed twice by Fox), the screenplay is full of wonderful dialogue, the best of which is the brief, philosophical exchange about women between Earp and Mac the bartender (J. Farrell MacDonald). The movie also features crisp, evocative black-and-white photography by Joseph MacDonald. Producer (Daryl F. Zanuck) was displeased with Ford's original cut and the film went through several re-shoots and re-edits before its general release in November of 1946.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, Linda Darnell, Cathy Downs, Tim Holt, Ward Bond, Alan Mowbray, John Ireland, Jane Darwell |
|---|---|
| Director | John Ford |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 32 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1946 To Rent: DVD: not available To Buy: DVD: 27 Feb 2006 |
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Archetypal Western mood piece, full of nostalgia for times gone by and crackling with memorable scenes and characterizations.
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The very, very best
More than just a western, this is actually a reflection on the creation of an entire civilization. When we first meet Wyatt Earp he is an unshaven, down-on-his... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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My Darling Clementine
It's been a few years now since I watched a good ole Western. I thoroughly enjoyed this. I love the legendary story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday, and have ... read more »
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Darling Clementine
A really good version of the OK Corral/Wyatt Earp legend
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Glass Half Empty Optimism
One of the stranger examples of Fords romantic optimism of the American West, My Darling Clementine is a Wyatt Earp story that is a “Law and Order” ... read more »
Nobody could make something out of nothing the way that Sergio Leone could. Just look at the first ten minutes of Once Upon a Time in the West: a fistful of tough hombres in ankle-length dusters are waiting for a train at a railway depot out in the middle of nowhere. Their faces are familiar yet strange: Woody Strode and Jack Elam are veteran Hollywood cowboys, with dozens of movies under their belts. But they have never been filmed like this before, gazed at so long or so longingly. Leone... Read more
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