3 Godfathers
by John Ford
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DVD details
Actor: Ben Johnson, John Wayne, Ward BondDirector: John Ford
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Mono; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-05-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 79859
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Fugitive bank robbers Robert (John Wayne), William (Harry Carey Jr.) and Pedro (Pedro Armendariz) stand at a desert grave. Caring for the newborn infant of the woman they just buried will ruin any chance of escape. But they won't go back on their promise to her. They won't abandon little Robert William Pedro.Director John Ford's Western retelling of the Biblical Three Wise Men tale remains a sceni
DVD Reviews of 3 Godfathers
DVD Review: 3 stars for the 3 godfathers
Summary: 3 Stars
"3 Godfathers" (1948) has been made so many times it probably earns the titled "18 Godfathers" by now. John Ford made it in 1919 ("Marked Men") from an earlier 1916 film with Harry Carey, directed by Edward LeSaint, a director who made over 100 silent films and as an actor appeared in more than 200 films, mostly westerns. As far as I can tell, the first version was done in 1915 by the great silent film star Bronco Billy Anderson (he's the guy who starred in "The Great Train Robbery" in 1903, considered the first western). It was done again in 1930 as "Hell's Heroes" with Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton, and Fred Kohler and in 1936 with Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, and Walter Brennan. Following Ford's 1948 version, it was re-made in 1999 ("Three Kings") with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube, and again as a really funny animated movie in 2002 ("Ice Age"). There is even a TV version ("The Godchild") in 1974 with Jack Palance, Jack Warden and Keith Carradine, a TV episode of Walker Texas Ranger (1996) and a Japanese version ("Tokyo Godfathers" in 2003).
The film stars John Wayne, Harry Carey Jr., and Pedro Armendariz as the 3 godfathers.
Wayne was a bankable box office draw at the time, having appeared in such western hits as "Stagecoach" (1939) and "Dark Command" (1940), and several war films - "Flying Tigers" (1942), "They Were Expendable" (1944), "The Fighting Seabees" (1944), and "Back to Bataan" (1945). "3 Godfathers" was his 111th film, and in that same year he would appear in "Fort Apache" (1948) and "Red River" (1948) and this would cement his place as the western icon. The next year he appeared in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949) and was nominated for Best Actor for "Sands of Iwo Jima" (1949).
Director John Ford and Wayne worked together on 21 films, one of the most prodigious collaborations in film history. This was Ford's 111th film (including 61 silent films). He had already won 3 Oscars - "How Green was My Valley" (1941), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), and "The Informer" (1935) - and made such memorable films as "Stagecoach" (1939) and "They Were Expendable" (1944) - both Oscar nominated (but not winners).
Harry Carey Jr. was the son of Harry Carey, a great silent film western star and one of Ford's longtime friends with whom he did 27 films. The son did 9 films with Ford, including the cavalry trilogy, "Wagon Master" (1950), "The Searchers" (1956) and "Two Rode Together" (1961). Though he specialized in westerns, he also appeared in "Mr. Roberts" (1955) and "The Long Grey Line" (1955). Ford claims to be introducing Harry Carey Jr. in this film, but in fact he'd been in several films before this, including his good performance with John Wayne in "Red River".
The great Pedro Armendariz is the third Godfather. Armendariz appeared in more than 100 films, from 1935 to 1963. Most of his films are Spanish language, but he appeared in dozens of US films, the most memorable of which are "Fort Apache" (1947), "The Littlest Outlaw" (1956), and "From Russia with Love" (1963). He won 2 Silver Ariel awards and was nominated 4 more times.
Pedro Armendariz worked with Wayne on "The Conqueror" (1956), and it is believed that both developed cancer from that shoot with took place about 100 miles from the Nevada test site - 91 of 220 people who worked on the film developed cancer, and most of them died from it. In a parallel to his death in "3 Godfathers" Armendariz killed himself with a gun rather than face the slow death from kidney cancer.
"Rio Grande" includes a few of Ford's stock company regulars, notably Ward Bond, Ben Johnson, Jack Pennick, Mildred Natwick, Mae Marsh, Jane Darwell, Francis Ford, and Hank Worden.
- Ben Johnson was the consummate cowboy. He appeared in nearly 100 films, mostly westerns. In addition to his 9 films with John Ford, Johnson appeared in such classics as "Shane" (1953), "Hang `em High" (1968), "Dillinger" (1973), and "Bite the Bullet" (1975). He was a favorite of Sam Peckinpah who used him in "Major Dundee" (1965), "The Wild Bunch" (1969), "Junior Bonner" (1972), and "The Getaway" (1972). He won the Oscar and a Golden Globe in 1972 for "The Last Picture Show" and a Western Heritage award for "Bite the Bullet" (1975). He appears as a member of the posse.
- Ward Bond was a football player at USC with his life time friend, John Wayne, and together they appeared in nearly a dozen films including "They Were Expendable" (1945), "Fort Apache" (1948), "The Searchers" (1956), "Wings of Eagles" (1957), and "Rio Bravo" (1959). Without Wayne, Bond was also a staple in Ford's stock company and appeared in "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939), "Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)", "My Darling Clementine" (1946), and "The Grapes of Wrath (1940) among the 25 films they made together. He's probably best remembered for his role as Major Seth Adams on the TV series "Wagon Train" (1957 - 1961), based on the 1950 film "Wagon Master" in which he appeared. Bond was in more Top 100 AFI films (7) than any other actor, and appeared in 11 films that were nominated as Best Picture. He appears as Buck Sweet, the Marshall.
- Mildred Natwick made her film debut in Ford's "The Long Voyage Home" (1940) and followed this with appearances in "3 Godfathers" (1948), "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1948), and "The Quiet Man" (1950). She earned an Oscar nomination for "Barefoot in the Park" (1967) and she won an Emmy for "The Snoop Sisters" (1973). She appears as the mother whose infant is placed in the care of the 3 godfathers.
- Jack Pennick made more films with John Ford than any other actor (41), mostly as an extra. Among his credited roles he played Amos in "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939), Doc in "They Were Expendable" (1945), Sgt Schattuck in "Fort Apache" (1948), and the barman in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962). He plays Luke (the conductor) in "3 Godfathers".
- Mae March made 17 films with John Ford. She was a great silent film star ("Birth of a Nation", "Intolerance") who retired but was forced to return to films after the Wall Street crash of 1929. She appears as Mrs. Sweet, the Marshall's wife.
- Jane Darwell made 7 films with John Ford, and she gave one of the finest screen performances in history and won the Oscar for "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940). She was much in demand and made more than 200 films between 1913 and 1964. She appears as Miss Florie.
- Francis Ford was John's older brother. He was a writer and a director and also an actor, appearing in several films directed by his younger brother - "The Informer" (1935), "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939). It was Francis (when he worked at Universal) who introduced John to directing and also introduced him to Harry Carey. "The Quiet Man" was his last film with his brother.
- Hank Worden made 8 films with John Ford and 17 with John Wayne. He was a cowboy turned actor. He's best remembered for his role as `ol Mose in "The Searchers" (1956). He appears as Deputy Curly (an in joke considering his bald scalp).
Some of Ford's other regulars are missing - like Harry Tenbrook who did 26 films (played Squarehead in "They Were Expendable"), Joe Farrell MacDonald who did 25 films (played the barman in "My Darling Clementine"), Willis Bouchey who did 9 films (the newspaper man in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"), John Qualen who did 9 films (played Lars Jorgensen in "The Searchers") and Anna Lee who did 8 films (played the insane Mrs. Malaprop in "Two Rode Together").
Frank Nugent did the screenplay based on the 1913 novel by Peter Kyne. Nugent worked with Ford on several films, and together they won the Oscar for "The Quiet Man" (1952). Nugent won the WGA award as well, and also won it for "Mister Roberts" (1955), and was nominated 2 other times for Ford films ("She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Fort Apache").
The film is shot in Death Valley by Winton Hoch. It's Ford's first Technicolor film, and Hoch, who was originally a chemist, was one of the people who actually developed the Technicolor process. He was the first person to win back-to-back Oscars ("Joan of Arc" in 1948 and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" in 1949), and won his third one for his work with Ford and Wayne on "The Quiet Man" (1952). They continued to work together until 1956 ("The Searchers").
Richard Hageman did the musical score (and also played the piano in the film). Hageman won the Oscar for "Stagecoach" (1939) and was nominated 4 other times. He worked on several Ford films including "The Long Voyage Home" (1940), "Fort Apache" (1948), "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949) and "Wagon Master" (1950).
The film is often billed as a Christmas parable due to the presence of an infant, 3 men, and a destination called New Jerusalem. Wayne also carries a bible. While these common elements are there, it's hardly a parallel. In the bible, the wise men (there are NOT 3 in the gospels) follow a star to reach the infant. In this film, the men are neither wise nor carrying gifts. Instead they carry the infant. In the gospel tale, the authorities (Herod) are looking for the child. In this film, they are after the men. Etc., etc. If this isn't a Christmas re-telling, then what is it? A tale of redemption, one of Ford's favorite themes.
The number 3 was unusual for Ford, He worked best with loners, but often paired them with another figure in order to draw out the contrasts. The single or pair was his forte, and this is one of the few times you'll find more than 2 male characters at the center of a Ford film.
It's also unusual for Ford to feature a non-white among his leading characters. The 1936 version had 3 whites in the lead, but Ford wanted Armendariz as the caretaker (a role shared by Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan). The only other non-white actor to feature prominently in Ford films was Woody Strode ("Man who Shot Liberty Valance" and Sgt Rutledge").
Another departure for Ford is the sparse use of characters. Ford's films are set against cavalry troops, or war platoons, or other masses of people. Most of this film consists of 3 men crossing the desert.
There are all kinds of in jokes throughout the film. Wayne's name is Robert Marmaduke Hightower - Bryan Hightower was Ford's favorite stuntman and the "Duke" was Wayne's nickname (originally the nickname of his great uncle Tommy Morrison). Ward Bond mentions the name "Dobe" which was Harry Carey Jr.'s nickname (because his mother thought his red hair and skin looked like red Adobe soil), and he blows the smoke from his rifle in the same way that Harry Carey Sr. used to do.
If you like this film, you may look at the 1936 version. In this version, Chester Morris (playing the Wayne role) is dying of thirst and must decide to drink poisoned water which will give him the needed energy to reach town before he dies, this saving the life of the baby. Morris sacrifices his life to save the baby, whom he turns over to his former girlfriend in church, and director Richard Bolesawski has Morris lean against a column where a crown of thorns/laurel wreath is hanging, highlighting the sacrifice.
Description of 3 Godfathers
3 GODFATHERS - DVD MovieIt's hardly shameful that The Three Godfathers ranks as the slightest John Ford Western in a five-year arc that includes My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Wagon Master, and Rio Grande. The source, a Peter B. Kyne story both hard-bitten and sentimental, had already been filmed at least five times--once by Ford himself as Marked Men (1919). The star of that silent version, Harry Carey, had recently died. This remake is dedicated to him ("Bright Star of the early western sky") and proudly introduces his son, Harry Carey Jr. (who had already appeared in Howard Hawks's Red River--as did his father--but we won't quibble).
Just before Christmas, three workaday outlaws (John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in Welcome, Arizona, and flee into the desert. The canny town marshal (Ward Bond) moves swiftly to cut them off from the wells along their escape route, so they make for another, deep in the wasteland. There's no water waiting for them, but there is a woman (Mildred Natwick) on the verge of death--and also of giving birth. The three badmen accept her dying commission as godfathers to the newborn. Motley variants of the Three Wise Men, they strike out for the town of New Jerusalem with her Bible as roadmap. It becomes increasingly apparent that saving the child's life will cost them their own.
Ford's is the softest retelling of the tale; in place of Kyne's bitter/triumphant final twist, he adds a very broad comic postlude. Elsewhere, the nearly sacramental treatment of the mother's death is followed by an extended gosh-almighty sequence of the banditos reading up on childcare. But it's all played with great gusto and tenderness--especially by Wayne, who's rarely been more appealing. Visually the film is one knockout shot after another. This was Ford's first Western in Technicolor, as well as his first collaboration with cinematographer Winton Hoch. What they do with sand ripples and shadows and long plumes of train smoke is rapturously beautiful. It's also often too arty by half, but who can blame them? --Richard T. Jameson
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