Review of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) by Stephen C — 26 Aug 2014
Quite possibly the best of John Fords Cavalry films this contains all the themes of honour and duty which the director holds so dear in his best work.
John Wayne gives and outstanding performance as Captain Nathan Brittles an aging soldier who is due to retire in six days time.
Trouble is Custer's men have been massacred at the Battle of Little Big Horn and the local Indians are arming themselves for a confrontation .
Brittle's must step up to the plate and use all his years of experience to avoid another massacre.
Everything works here and the film is one of the best in the genre.
Wayne proves that given the right direction he could put in a top grade performance.
Ford also allows the comedy elements to shine through including one of his best stock actors Victor McLaglen as a hard drinking and hard fighting sergeant who is also due to retire in a few weeks.
The film is testament to the director and would show that the Western could be more than Good Guys V bad guys.
A masterpiece.
This review of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) was written by Stephen C on 26 Aug 2014.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon has generally received very positive reviews.
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