Review of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) by Jason H — 21 Feb 2011

3.5 Stars out of 4.

What amazes me about John Ford's She Wore A Yellow Ribbon is how it places John Wayne in a role you'd think he would have played in 1959. The glorious year of Rio Bravo. He is Captain Nathan Brittles of the US Cavalry. He is tired, old, his moustache mean and thick, and he wants out. But the Cavalry is in his blood so it draws him back in. The film is a story of a man's last-memorable trip through the desolate but gorgeous valleys of Arizona. It's a collage of nostalgia for Brittles.

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon was Ford's second film of his US Cavalry trilogy, preceded by Fort Apache and followed by Rio Grande a year later. The cinematography is accomplished masterfully by Winton Hoch (of which he won the Academy Award). Hoch worked with indefatigable pleasure, but he grew angry at Ford when he forced him to shoot a scene in a lightning storm. It put the crew in danger, but great cinema cannot be conceived without some absurd risks.

Ford arranges the action to Hoch's avail. Placing conversations and chases in long shot, the film embraces the allure and character of the Monument Valley in the Navajo over just the human characters. Ford envisions this film as a recollection for Brittle; a last beautiful memory as he departs from his service.

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon does not capture the Western romanticism of, say, Ford's superior The Searchers, nor does it capture the essence of the female characters enough. This is a Wayne story once again and his transformation from a man of rigidness to vulnerability. "Don't say sorry", he blares, "it's a sign of weakness." Classic Wayne line.

The film is contained with glorious action sequences, shot with tremendous energy and urgency. The Apaches of course are the antagonists and it seems Westerns just never want to get to know anything about them. Up until 1990 that is. But the ending confrontation with the Apache tribe will amaze you; how Ford has the gumption and courage to avoid a violent pay off and conclude with the compassion of an American saint.

And who could forget that leitmotif song "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" based on a song called "All Around My Hat" and is still used today in the marches. Ford's film here, therefore, is an emblem of the cavalry and the joy it carried. While you watch the movie, be sure to notice the ubiquitous puppy dogs who wander through each scene aimlessly, but represent the little things that should never go unnoticed in cinema. The final moments are odd and out of place, but can be summarized properly as a "little bit of business.".

The important remnants of She Wore A Yellow Ribbon is to never say 'Goodbye': Goodbye is a word we don't use in the cavalry.