My Darling Clementine (1946)

Waste of time

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Just so...so bad

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE is a pretty good western from iconic director John Ford, benefiting from some strong actors and bolstered by some fine tunes being played throughout, but I found the definitive version of this story to be Costner's Wyatt Earp, which just seems more layered, more detailed, and with better characterisation to boot.Henry Fonda is a good choice for Earp, bringing exactly the right level of gravitas to the role, although Victor Mature's Doc Holliday is something of a more controversial choice for the role. The requisite number of familiar faces play in support and there's a woman with the bizarre name of Chihuahua. A lot of purists have complained that Ford changed a lot of the facts to fit the film, but that's not something that particularly bothers me.

If you have read anything about the Earps, you know immediately that this is an historical travesty. Of course, that doesn't matter. I'd like to know which cattle drive the Earp brothers went on when the youngest got killed. The whole thing with Wyatt was about him as a politician. He also had a sad history with women. Now, throw that all aside and assume this movie has nothing to do with the famous family. Well, they do have the same names. By making Wyatt a squeaky clean, heroic figure, we open the door to his treatment of the bad guys. Of course, he now also has the goal of avenging his brother's murder. Hollywood also throws in a romantic element and we're off. We know that the Clantons are lurking and something is going to have to be done about them. I get a big kick out of this movie. In addition to Henry Fonda, there are some superb characters that are unforgettable.

If you want historical accuracy about Wyatt Earp check out Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp. You want historical accuracy concerning the OK Corral check out Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp in TOMBSTONE. But if you want a fun Wyatt Earp story that has Nothing to do with the facts . The Check out MY DARLING CLEMENTINE simply because it is a great deal of fun. Wyatt Earp was many things . A prospector buffalo hunter Lawman for brief periods of time . and professional gambler. Earp was always in search of the quick fortune. Money is what drove him and he had many shady sides to him. My Darling Clementine is the fulcrum of the Earp legend all the misinformation about Earp can be found here. But that doesn't detract from the fun. Henry Fonda plays Wyatt Earp as taciturn and socially stiff. but a man of bravery and good moral fiber. We are led to believe. He becomes Marshall of Tombstone to avenge is brothers murder and to find out who did it and rustled his cows. The Real Earp was never a cowboy. But the moody film noir of this movie gives it grit. Fonda and Ward Bond steal every scene they'll in. Bond was a wonderful actor who knew how to steal scenes and since it's a John Ford movie Bond is a scene stealing Gem. My only complaints are Victor Mature as Doc. I personally thought Frank Sinatra of 1946 would have been perfect. Mature's Doc doesn't come across as sick and suddenly he's a Surgeon What a load of rubbish the real Doc was a Dentist. But still this is a movie about good guys and bad guys after you break it all down that's what it's all about . A movie for kids that transcends its audience because adults thrill to it as well and I did. This movie has so much going for it that you overlook the flaws and watch it simply because it's a great western adventure story. John Ford Knew the Real Wyatt Earp and based his Gunfight at the OK Corral on Earp's memories. The Gunfight lasted 31 seconds and overshadowed Wyatt Earp for the rest of his life. and gave birth to a legend and a myth. Well to Quote John Ford. when the legend becomes fact. Print the Legend .

No need to recap the plot or echo consensus points. To me, this is one of best of Ford's westerns, beautifully staged and subtly acted. And frankly, I prefer the b&w to Technicolor since the b&w doesn't distract from the well-plotted action. Still, Ford's celebrated pictorial eye is in evidence, but in a way that complements the drama instead of competing with it. In fact, that last elegiac scene between Wyatt (Fonda and Clementine (Downs) has to be one of the most gracefully meaningful of any western I've seen. I love the lone trail leading up to the lordly stone monolith in the far distance. It's an endearing human warmth set against a boundless horizon all in the same frame. That alone is worth the price of admission. Ford may have been an artful myth-maker and a sometimes uncritical one, yet Clementine remains the most dramatically uncompromised, of his many fine horse operas.