3 Godfathers (1949)

3 GodfathersIf America had authored the Bible the three wise men would also be bearing arms.Proof positive is this oater about the legendary magi.A band of bandits (John Wayne, Harry Carey, Jr., Pedro Armendáriz) abscond into the desert after a botched robbery with the relentless sheriff (Ward Bond) in hot pursuit.Approaching dehydration, the trio stumbles upon a dying woman who makes them promise to escort her newborn son to the safety of New Jerusalem.Reluctant, but motivated by the biblical comparison, the outlaws continue their perilous journey across the arid wasteland. Featuring all the hallmarks of a classic John Ford western, i.e. The Duke as the principal, Death Valley as the backdrop and antiheroes as the subject – this reimagining of the Christmas nativity is a respectable and enjoyable interpretation. Furthermore, if Mary and Joseph had been armed they would've got a room at the very first inn.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

. . . to its beloved hit, THE WIZARD OF OZ, most of the OZ cast was committed to other film projects. Undeterred, Ford plunged ahead by casting newcomer Harry Carey, Jr., as the Scarecrow, with Pedtro Armendariz filling the Tinman's shoes, and John Wayne swishing Bert Lahr's tail as the Cowardly Lion. Unlike OZ director Victor Fleming (or Ford's main rival, Frank Capra, who Helmed IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE shortly before 3 GODFATHERS came out), Mr. Ford was no cock-eyed optimist. As Hollywood's resident cynic, John Wayne's spiritual guru begins the real action of GODFATHERS by having Dorothy Gale die in childbirth, just after Re-meeting her trio of new-found friends, who--of course--promise to Bring up Baby. The Scarecrow, a.k.a., The Abilene Kid, takes charge first, reprising his wild, fresh-off-the-pole dance from OZ--before falling down dead! After this enduring Ford flourish, it's Tinman's turn to lug the baby while recreating Jack Haley's stumbles as "Pedro." And, wouldn't you know it, he too falls down--mortally injured. This leaves it up to the constantly belly-aching, Bible-tossing, threatening-to-fink-out Cowardly Lion to save the day. Can John Wayne rise to this task? Do pigs have wings?

Having already made a version of the story in 1919 as Marked Men with Harry Carey, John Ford clearly had a kink for this delightful redemption parable. Opening with a touching tribute to his friend and mentor Carey, who had sadly passed away the previous year (and who also starred in the 1916 version of The Three Godfathers), it was also the first out and out Ford Western to be made in colour.The story tells of three outlaws - Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro "Pete" Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) and The Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Junior) - who after robbing a bank in the town of Welcome, are on the run from the law led posse. After hitting problems in a desert sandstorm, the men struggle on to Terrapin Tanks, where they happen across a woman in labour. Giving birth to her child, but sadly on her death bed, the woman begs the men to take care of her baby. They agree and embark on a perilous journey to get the child safely to "New Jerusalem"...It's an odd sort of Western, but in a good way. Backed up by the usual high standard of location work from Ford and the irrepressible Winton Hoch. And with customary staunch support work from Ward Bond as the Sheriff, 3 Godfathers is a must see in relation to the careers of John Ford and John Wayne. It has a mixed reputation from fans of the two Johns, which is understandable given the flighty nature of the picture, but one thing that is true about the piece is that once viewed, it's unlikely to be forgotten. 7/10

I can't say much for the storyline of 3 Godfathers as much as I can say for its visuals and imagery. For many, it is an allegorical tale with its heavy use of the Bible and other symbols throughout. However, I had a problem with the realism of the story, something this kind of plot needs to rely heavily on. Here we have three rough and tough men, by no means weak or unable to take care of themselves. Still, what they go through in this film along with trying to take care of a newly born infant, it boggles my mind as to how it is possible and perhaps it isn't.I think I am reading too much into this and am missing the point John Ford was trying to make. So, I will try to understand the movie in its simplest terms. That would be that Ford was a master of imagery and using it to further the story. Here, every shot of the desert and swirling winds captures perfectly the atmosphere and mood, making the audience feel as if they are in the desert. It is most effective and does pick up some of the slack such as when the three men are first taking care of the infant or the final ten minutes in deciding Wayne's fate. All in all, this is not one of the great Ford Westerns. But, it shows once again his ability to control the mood and tone of his films and that can go a long way in providing leverage to an audience.