Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
Lucybespro
It is a performances centric movie
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
edwagreen
Rather depressing film, and I thought I was in Franco's Spain during his rule with all the anti-Catholicism shown.Dolores Del Rio as the woman that hunted priest finds and baptizes her baby daughter is constantly on edge throughout the film. She is devoted to the lord but in the meantime has had an illegitimate child with the general who is in constant hot pursuit of the fleeing Fonda.Both of Fonda's attempts to flee this revolutionary area in Mexico are destined to fail, solely because of his faith and his commitment to bless the dying. The ending shows the commitment of faith.
nbbaiyuchen
A nameless and conflicted Catholic priest is a fugitive in an unnamed Latin American country where religion is outlawed. Another fugitive, a murderous bandit dubbed "El Gringo", comes to town. He and a beautiful Indian woman conspire to help the priest escape. Taken to safety, the priest is then convinced by a police informant to return to the town on the pretense that "El Gringo" is dying and wishes to receive the last rites. The priest is captured and sentenced to death, but forgives the informant for betraying him. The priest's execution by firing squad brings an outpouring of public grief and shows the authorities that it is impossible to stamp out religion as long as it exists in people's hearts and minds. I think that The Fugitive is perhaps Ford's last great 'art film', a high-minded show of faith, a lovingly crafted paean to his own Catholicism.
utgard14
Of all of the John Ford films I've seen, this is the only one that I would classify as "artsy." That isn't to say his other films have no artistic merit. Absolutely not. He's got a long list of films that are artistically brilliant as well plenty of popcorn films too. But this is the only one where it feels like Ford got lost in experimenting and trying something different instead of making a more solid film with a good story. The plot is about a priest (Henry Fonda) in some fictional Latin American country trying to get away from a government that has denounced religion and is looking to eliminate all religious leaders.There's a lot of Christian symbolism in this one. If The Quiet Man was Ford's love letter to his Irish roots, this is Ford's love letter to his Catholicism. Both are deeply personal films for the director. The art-house feel of the film with the overtly religious nature of the story and its symbolism unfortunately will turn some viewers off. Some of the vitriol I've seen directed at this film on this basis is truly disturbing. I get not connecting with someone's religious or spiritual beliefs, but why react with hatred towards it? I don't get that. Nothing in this film warrants that kind of reaction. It's not offensive in the slightest. At its worst its simply dull. Bizarre, fascinating, and a very different film for Ford. Admittedly it's heavy-handed at times but I think it has value. It's certainly a beautiful-looking film. If you're a fan of Ford or Fonda, you really should see it at least once. It's different enough to warrant you try it.
ccthemovieman-1
You know Henry Fonda was a good actor when he can play a priest, and actually look pious. It was an odd sight to see him in this role, the patriarch of one of Hollywood's most liberal families giving the sign of the cross and other such playing-against-type Fonda gestures. It must have pained him to play this role and, with his reputation, made his character in here - watching this film for the first time in the 1990s - have no credibility. In 1947, before his kids became famous Left Wingers, Henry's role in here was more believable to audiences. Nonetheless, the main problem with this movie isn't Fonda - it's the script. This is a boring film. It's too slow-moving. The only worthwhile aspect is seeing John Ford's direction and the cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa. It was filmed in Mexico and there are some nice photographic touches in here.Maybe I am just not a fan of Graham Greene's overly melodramatic writing but not many other people liked this depressing tale, either. This bombed at the box office, and it's easy to see why. It's just too depressing
