My Darling Clementine

This article is about the John Ford Western. For the song see Oh My Darling, Clementine.
My Darling Clementine

Theatrical poster
Directed by John Ford
Produced by Samuel G. Engel
Written by Story:
Stuart N. Lake
Sam Hellman
Screenplay:
Samuel G. Engel
Winston Miller
Starring Henry Fonda
Linda Darnell
Victor Mature
Walter Brennan
Music by Cyril Mockridge
David Buttolph
Cinematography Joseph MacDonald
Editing by Dorothy Spencer
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s) December 3, 1946
(U.S.A.)
Running time 97 minutes
Country United States
Language English

My Darling Clementine (1946) is a western film, directed by John Ford, and based on the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. It features an ensemble cast including Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, and others.[1]

The movie was adapted by Samuel G. Engel, Sam Hellman, and Winston Miller from the book Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal by Stuart N. Lake. The title derives from the folk song "Oh My Darling, Clementine", which is sung in the movie. Whole scenes from an earlier version, produced by Sol M. Wurtzel, 1939's Frontier Marshal, directed by Alan Dwan, were reshot by Ford for this remake.

In 1991, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Contents

Plot

In 1882 the Earp brothers, Wyatt, James, Morgan and Virgil, are driving cattle to California when they cross the Clanton family led by the "Old Man". Told of a nearby town, Tombstone, the older brothers ride in, leaving the youngest brother James to watch over the cattle. The Earps quickly find Tombstone a lawless town. When they return to their camp, they find the cattle rustled and James dead.

Seeking vengeance, Wyatt returns to Tombstone and takes the open job of town marshall, meeting with the local powers, Doc Holliday and the Clantons, again and again in order to find out who was responsible. In the meantime, a young woman from Boston named Clementine Carter arrives in town...

Cast

Critical reception

Film critic Bosley Crowther lauded the film and wrote, "Let's be specific about this: The eminent director, John Ford, is a man who has a way with a Western like nobody in the picture trade. Seven years ago his classic Stagecoach snuggled very close to fine art in this genre. And now, by George, he's almost matched it with My Darling Clementine...But even with standard Western fiction—and that's what the script has enjoined—Mr. Ford can evoke fine sensations and curiously-captivating moods. From the moment that Wyatt and his brothers are discovered on the wide and dusty range, trailing a herd of cattle to a far-off promised land, a tone of pictorial authority is struck—and it is held. Every scene, every shot is the product of a keen and sensitive eye—an eye which has deep comprehension of the beauty of rugged people and a rugged world."[2]

The staff at Variety magazine wrote of the film, "Trademark of John Ford's direction is clearly stamped on the film with its shadowy lights, softly contrasted moods and measured pace, but a tendency is discernible towards stylization for stylization's sake. At several points, the pic comes to a dead stop to let Ford go gunning for some arty effect."[3]

References

  1. ↑ My Darling Clementine at the Internet Movie Database.
  2. ↑ Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times, film review, "Darling Clementine, With Henry Fonda as Marshal of Tombstone, a Stirring Film of West," December 4, 1946. Last accessed: January 28, 2008.
  3. ↑ Variety. Film review, 1946. Last accessed: January 28, 2008.

External links