The Shepherd of the Hills (1941)

What makes it different from others?

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It's rare to come across a cult movie that I can not only unreservedly recommend but that I feel fully justifies its cult reputation. Of course, maybe the cultists like the movie for the wrong reasons. But with The Shepherd of the Hills it's hard to find wrong reasons. Everything about the picture is so right. The luminous performances: Wayne, perfectly cast, giving one of the best of his entire career; Carey, so winning and sympathetic, making the title role so memorable it will become a point of reference for the rest of your life; Marjorie Main, equally unforgettable as the blind woman who sees too much too quickly; Beulah Bondi, never more embittered or meaner-spirited as the real head of the Matthews clan; Marc Lawrence, giving the finest and certainly the most unusual study he ever attempted as the pathetically inarticulate Pete. So many others - Ward Bond who has the realistic fight with Wayne, Fuzzy Knight as the singer, Olin Howland as the squirrelling storekeeper... And all brilliantly directed by Henry Hathaway too. Henry, as I've said before, is the sort of director I most admire. For a start, he doesn't direct actors. He expects them to know their craft and is equally impatient with amateurs and hams. Secondly he's a specialist in action and outdoors work. He once said that he always preferred location assignments because it took him well away from front office interference. Hathaway ran a tight unit, turning out the movies he wanted to make in the way he wanted to make them. He had an eye for natural scenery, and could see its dramatic and story possibilities. Weeping Meadow is just that. The hill country in Shepherd is both brutal and supremely picturesque. Of course it's the script's large array of bizarre, vividly realized characters, plus the unusual setting in which they move, and the age-old conflicts which they generate (particularly Youth against Age, Idealism against tainted or even repented Experience, Freedom and/or Libertarianism against Authority) which has propelled The Shepherd of the Hills into such firm favoritism with present-day cultists. The movie of course has these qualities. But it has something else which is not so popular to-day and which indeed, both when the novel was written back in 1907 and throughout its various film versions, was the main reason for its existence. It has a spirituality, a supernatural element, a discussion of the Two Ways, a depiction of the classic struggle between good and evil, and the power of Light to overcome Darkness.

Movies about fathers and sons hold a special poignancy for me; can't really say why because my own relationship with my Dad was pretty good. One regret perhaps is that he never really wanted to share his war time (WW II) experiences, but that was true of many returning servicemen. With his passing, there's no way to make that connection again.So here's a surprisingly well told tale that strikes me as what I've come to describe as one of the best movies you've never heard of. John Wayne's name is at the top of the bill, but it's really Harry Carey's character, Daniel Howlitt, that merits one's full attention and consideration here. Arriving at a small community in the Ozarks, Howlitt begins to cast his charming spell of friendship and warmth that captivates young Sammy Lane (Betty Field) and the mentally challenged Pete Matthews (Marc Lawrence). Think of the Lawrence role as the one Robert DeNiro might have given as Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird" if he was given the chance.The principal dynamic in the story has to do with the unbridled hatred young Matt Matthews (Wayne) harbors for a father he never knew, that hatred kept alive by an unfortunate circumstance in the early life of his Aunt Mollie (Beulah Bondi) and the tragedy that befell her own son Pete, leaving him a scarred mute. When an equally tragic accident occurs near the end of the story, the trauma allows Pete's voice to emerge long enough to let his Mama know that she was the real curse of the family, a revelation that offers a redemption of sorts for those who were captive to it's embrace.A surprise for me in this story was the actress Betty Field in the role of Sammy, in love with young Matt and serving as a bridge to cushion the feelings within the extended family. Her prayerful supplication to ward off evil spirits before entering the Moanin' Meadow was so well conceived by the script writer that it had to be done twice. There was a comic element to it underneath the drama that was a joy to behold. If I had to describe Betty Field to someone who hasn't seen her, I'd say she had a Jodie Foster-like quality to her persona that made her genuinely appealing.With as many John Wayne films as I've seen, I've almost come to expect to see Ward Bond show up and so it was the case here as well. I don't think I ever saw them mix it up the way they did here over the plight of poor Pete Matthews. Young Matt did the right thing sticking up for his cousin, in a turning point to the story that allowed him to open up to Daniel Howlitt. I can't say that the revelation of Howlitt being Young Matt's father came as much of a surprise, though they're confrontation at Moanin' Meadow wound up a definite shocker. You'd be hard pressed to find another film in which John Wayne comes up second best, and at the same time, all the better for it.

This is John Wayne's first color film and he receives top billing, though clearly the star of this hillbilly movie is Harry Carey. Unfortunately, there were quite a few films about the Ozarks made during a 10 year stretch in the 30s and 40s and they were all pretty bad (such as SWING YOUR LADY, THE MILLERSON CASE and SPITFIRE). And while this movie isn't exactly bad, it sure isn't good--due to weird script writing and some over the top performances (particularly Beulah Bondi who plays a character like a mean version of Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies").Harry Carey is a stranger to the mountains and wants to buy land and move there. Considering that there is no logical reason for a stranger to move there, it's amazing how long it takes the residents to realize who he really is. At the same time, John Wayne (who seems rather out of place in this hillbilly heaven) broods about how he hates the father who abandoned him--yet he and so many others don't bother putting it all together to realize his father is Carey. Now I know that this technically is a spoiler (so it is noted), but every member of the audience guessed this LONG before the folks did in the movie. Sadly, I think the idea that mountain folk are superstitious idiots is how you are supposed to rationalize how none of them figured this out for the longest time! I'm sure most Arkansans groan when such stereotypes appear on film.Despite beautiful color cinematography, there isn't much to recommend this dull little film due to dumb (and occasionally cartoon-like) characters, a silly plot and a rather listless pace. While it's far from horrible, it's nothing like you'd expect from John Wayne and it's only passable entertainment.

**possible spoilers**Although it has John Wayne in the cast it is not really a western. It is more a study of the Ozarks and the people who live there. Although some scenes are filmed in the studio you do get a feeling of the landscape of the area and the kind of people it produces; sturdy, suspicious, superstitious, kindly, ignorant and wise. Much like any isolated community around the world. The film is surprisingly good. The acting is solid all round. John Wayne makes a good attempt at the Young Matt role, bringing out well the confusion and conflicts in his mind. Beulah Bondi is riveting as the bitter Aunt Mollie. Harry Carey is good as ever. Betty Field as Sammy Lane is excellent and it is her who holds the film together. It is through her eyes we mainly see things. She is also quite sexy in her tight jeans and short tops. Some of the scenes are exceptional; when Daniel Howitt is cashing a never seen before cheque, when Granny Becky has her eyes uncovered after an operation, when Young Matt talks about how love is so complicated, when Daniel Howitt takes possession of the old house in Moaning Meadow, when Aunt Mollie cremates her dead son and herself, when Pete the mute brother is discovered in a stream of light pouring through a window trying to catch dust motes. All directed without sentimentality but with real feeling.It is one of those films which did not promise much from the TV listings but actually delivers much more than one expects.