Diagonaldi Very well executed

ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Dotbankey A lot of fun.

classicsoncall After watching the 1936 version of "Three Godfathers" with Chester Morris, Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan in the titled roles, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I caught up with this 1948 remake. I didn't think it would take almost seven years but that's the way it goes sometimes. There's an earlier version yet, a 1916 silent featuring Harry Carey (Sr.) in the John Wayne role which I'll get around to eventually as well. For this film, director John Ford paid tribute to the elder actor with an opening screen dedicated to the memory of Harry Carey.The first thing to note with this movie was the surprising Technicolor format, very vibrant for 1948 and a plus for movie goers of the era. For this viewer however, the cinematography doesn't compensate for the superior way in which the story was presented in the 1936 film. For a picture from the Thirties, that one seemed to do a much better job of developing the principal characters, casting them as more reprehensible villains than the way Wayne, Harry Carey Jr. and Pedro Armendariz are presented here. In fact, following the Welcome bank robbery, Robert (Wayne), Pedro (Armendariz) and William (Carey) almost instantly acquire good guy status by virtue of their 'adoption' of the infant who's mother died after giving birth. By contrast, Chester Morris in the Hightower role (his name was Bob Sangster in the 1936 film), actually manhandled the baby pretty roughly. If he had a can of grease available, he probably would have dipped the kid in it! But if you haven't seen both films to make the comparison, this is more than a passable story. There's some humor thrown in to contrast the dire situation the three 'godfathers' find themselves in as they trudge their way through the Arizona desert. The 'baby greasing' scene was something of a hoot, and John Wayne's character got some good mileage out of that running gag reminding Pedro not to speak 'Mex' in front of the infant. While all this was going on, Sheriff Perley 'Buck' Sweet (Ward Bond) kept up a crafty chess-like strategy trailing the outlaws through the desert until there was only Hightower left to pursue.One other contrast stands out between this and the earlier 1936 film, and that's in the amount of overt religious symbolism and references. Not a bad thing necessarily, as the Bible the godfathers find in the covered wagon with the baby and it's mother serves as a beacon leading them toward their ultimate salvation and redemption. Though William and Pedro don't make it to the end of the story, they die for a noble cause, one for which they entered willingly and without reservation once fate dealt it's ultimate hand.

Byrdz Am currently reading "Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company" by Harry Carey, Jr. Chapter One deals with the ordeal of making "The Three Godfathers". This is "Dobe"'s first film made with "Uncle Jack" and quite a baptism by fire it proved to be. Not only was it actually filmed in the heat of Death Valley but it was directed by a sadistic bully of a man who loved to make all of his actors look and feel stupid when not actually on camera. Carey came to love John Ford but how ? I have no idea. All this aside. The Three Godfathers has an entertaining story. William, Robert and Pedro all do just fine as do Ward Bond, Ben Johnson (in a very tiny role) and all the other supporting players. Jane Darwell as a man-starved desert woman with an amazing laugh is terrific. Who is that lovely little woman playing Pearly Sweet's wife ? It is none other than MAE MARSH ... the "little sister" in Birth of a Nation ! The other reviews have pretty much said all that needs saying about the story, religious parallels, implausible and distracting staggering and falling but hey, they worked. I liked the ending of the silent version with Carey, Sr. better but this one was OK too. . I was surprised to note that "Ice Age" can be seen as remake but then, why not,it sort of is.Entertaining film and watching the support given by Wayne to his co-stars is great knowing what was happening, director wise.

ma-cortes First-rate Western masterfully directed by the great John Ford that results to be a marvelous retelling of Peter B Kyne's saga dealing with three desperate who take a newborn baby in the desert , as the group come across a dying woman and her infant child and they promise the woman that they will take care of the child and get it to safety, even though none of them knows anything whatsoever about children or babies . After robbing the local bank , three outlaws named Robert Hightower (John Wayne) , William Kearney (Harry Carey Jr) and Pedro Roca Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) on the run to evade the local Marshal (War Bond) and his posse . In the wilderness they then find an abandoned wagon in which there is a dying woman (Mildred Natwick) who asks for help the men . The bandits take care of her child and they swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert , even at the risk of their own lives. The outlaws set out across the desert to deliver it to safety and then decide to do their best by the newborn and not all will survive and for those who get , prison likely awaits them.This nice Western contains interesting characters , full of wide open space and dramatic moments . This classic , sturdy picture ranks as one of the most sentimental of John Ford's work . It contains Ford's usual themes as familiar feeling , a little bit funny humor, friendship and and sense of comradeship among people and ample shots on desert landscapes ,specially on Mojave . Thought-provoking , enjoyable screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface by Laurence Stallings and Frank S. Nugent , Ford's usual . Multiple highlights as the raid bank at the beginning and of course the sensible final farewell on the train station . Outdoors are pretty good and well photographed by Winton Hoch and filmed on location in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Carson & Colorado Railroad, Owens Valley, Death Valley National Park, Mojave Desert,Zabriskie Point and RKO Encino Ranch Los Angeles ,California . Dedicated to the filmmaker's first actor , Harry Carey Sr . This excellent film featuring a magnificent performance by whole casting , including a top-notch support cast . Awesome John Wayne in a larger-than-life character along with his two likable partners Harry Carey Jr and Pedro Armendariz . In the film appears , as usual , Ford's favourite actors as Jack Pennick , Jane Darwell , Ben Johnson , Francis Ford , Guy Kibbee , Mae Marsh , Hank Worden, and of course Ward Bond as obstinate sheriff who sets off in pursuit . Sensible and emotive musical score including wonderful songs by Richard Hageman . The movie is stunningly produced by Merian C Cooper - Argosy Pictures Production- and magnificently filmed by Ford . Remade for TV as ¨The Godchild¨ (1974) directed by John Badham with Jack Palance , Keith Carradine, Ed Lauter and Jack Warden . This may not be Ford's best Western , as many would claim , but it's still head ad shoulders above most big-scale movies .You'll find the ending over-melodramatic according to your tastes , though it's lovingly composed by John Ford who really picks up the drama and sensibility towards the ending . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching . .

magicmyth505 I had not seen this film for some time and I had forgotten what a lovely film it is. I feel this one should be up there with John Ford's masterpieces for the photography and the wonderful performances by the actors. Especially Pedro Armendiaz and John Wayne. This is another film that goes in the category of why do people think John Wayne can't act because when you see him in something like this you just know he is a wonderful actor. When he screams "Steal a man's burro in this county. They string ya." You feel all the agony of that walk. And that long scene Wayne does almost without a break "That ain't the worst of it." It takes a real actor to be able to do that without even a cut away and to show how much frustration. And when Bob and Pete walk away from the kid's unburied body, it just hurts. The pain almost comes off the screen like the sun.Wonderful moments in this film. Harry Carey singing. The whole caring for the baby scenes. The expression on John Wayne's face when Pete and the kid read from the book that the NURSE should grease the baby and they both look at Wayne. John Wayne sitting uncomfortably on a chair to small for him, trying not to cross his legs as he holds the baby. Pete sitting on the edge of the wagon after he delivers the baby, just dying inside because he cannot save the mother. The argument between Bob and Pete over not breaking their promise to a dying woman. Lots of nice foreshadowing there when they both talk about growing long white beards in Yuma penitentiary and then later Bob's confident belief he can do twenty years standing on his head. And more foreshadowing when they find the woman and Bob declares it can rain "until I get religion", meaning forever and of course he gets religion.There are some great tributes to Harry Carey and in not jokes exactly but moments. Ward Bond blows the smoke away from the rifle he fires at the water bag, just like Harry Carey did. In the scene where the ghosts of Pete and the Kid walk with Bob, Pedro calls Bob a saddle tramp which is the role Harry Carey most played. And the way Wayne asks for a cool cool beer "for me" is almost a mimic of Harry Carey.Also the names of towns, clearly biblical Damascus, Jerusalem and Cairo. Also the Marhall mentions Dobe ( Harry Carey Jr's nickname) and (I think) Tres Hermanos ( three brothers).Its also pretty clear where MarmaDUKE comes from. I would bet that Pearly is an in joke too but don't know that one.It also rather fun to try and see when it really is John Wayne's hands with the baby. The baby is not much bigger than his enormous hand. (Check the size of them when he hold's Mildred Natwick's hand in his) Pretty sure its him greasing it. Sounds like the sort of thing Ford would make him do. And also him in the barroom at the end where the baby holds his finger.