She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is the second film in director John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy" after Fort Apache (1948) which I have not seen, and Rio Grande (1950) which I have. The film covers about a week and is principally concerned with the final mission of Captain Nathan Brittles before retirement. Set in the American south west in the summer of 1876 Brittles, played by John Wayne in some old age makeup (Wayne was in his early 40's when this movie was made but is playing a man closer to 60) is charged with leading his troop to investigate possible Indian agitation in the aftermath of The Battle of the Little Big Horn. This mission is made more complicated because he is also tasked with escorting his CO's wife and niece to meet what may be the last stagecoach to visit the area for some time.

The film is beautifully shot, principally in Ford's beloved Monument Valley, but there is some stage work, even one purported exterior which is surprisingly effective in a stylized way. Brittles is a man who has given his whole life to the army, and lost his wife and daughter, presumably to Indian attack, about a decade or so prior to the action of the film. Brittles is not sure what he is going to do with himself after retirement, and there is a valedictory melancholy to the proceedings, with Wayne giving one of his better, more nuanced performances. The supporting cast is effective, though they are really playing more types then rounded characters this works for the film. There is also a bar fight with Victor McLaglen which is somehow both perfunctory and very involved at the same time.

I loved this movie, its everything you want out of a John Ford western. It's beautifully shot, its iconic, it's earnest and reflective but also lite and funny, It's got action, some fine character actors and its got a poetic soul. This would easily be a top 10 western for me, and I'm very grateful that I got to see it on a big screen, that helped the effect enormously, its really how Ford is meant to be seen. ****