Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

mark.waltz The perfect double bill for the 1940 20th Century Fox classic "Brigham Young, Frontiersman", this John Ford western is a fast moving and action packed follow-up to that story of a group of Mormons heading into dangerous territory with a family of vile murderers and thieves on their trail. The moment the Clegg family slithers into their camp you know something is up because of the sudden mood of merriment changing into a somber atmosphere. This slimy looking clan is wanted by the Fed's, and it is obvious that when they innocently ask for food from the traveling caravan that there is going to be trouble in the wake of their arrival.Charles Kemper is the slimy patriarch of the Clegg clan (which includes a young James Arness), and he is certainly one of the most unforgettable villains in westerns. Ben Johnson gets the leading hero role here, someone who only draws his gun on a snake, which he certainly will need to do here. Harry Carey, Ward Bond and Jane Darwell are among the elders of the group, joined by non-Mormans Alan Mowbray and Joanne Dru, a shapely woman of ill repute who has the Mormon women watching their husbands very carefully. Jim Thorpe, as in "Jim Thorpe, All American", plays a member of the Navajo tribe the group encounters. Ford presents the Navajos as distrustful of white men because of bad deals they made with others, and amusingly, when the Navajos discover that the group are Mormons, they refer to them as only partly dishonest as opposed to the other group they encountered before.A disturbing sequence has one of the Clegg men being whipped for obviously having just raped a Navajo woman, and as the Morman elders try to convince papa Clegg, it's better for his son to be whipped than the rest of them be scalped. It's nice to see the Navjos presented as a friendly tribe whose efforts to befriend the white man in previous encounters has only lead to betrayal from the supposedly more civilized Caucasians. When the Mormans, having been held at rifle point by the Cleggs, encounter the Feds, the mood becomes intense and they must make some quick decisions in order to avoid bloodshed while being questioned. These seemingly simple non-violent people prove themselves to be pretty crafty, and they realize obviously at some point, they are going to have to resort to violence to keep themselves from being annihilated by the Cleggs which comes none too soon.John Ford really was the master of the western, having in recent years proved his medal with such classics as "Fort Apache", "Red River" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon". This one actually is made more memorable by the absence of John Wayne because this is much more an ensemble piece where everybody is either a hero or villain and the focus isn't on just one character. This also has a very memorable musical score and some extremely intense moments, particularly one where they desperately try to get the covered wagons over a dangerous cliff that certainly isn't covered wagon friendly. This is a film that even non-western fans can enjoy because it is very unique in its storytelling and features a very interesting premise not usually associated with the common man's western.

l_rawjalaurence WAGON MASTER has been justly praised as one of director John Ford's most poetic films, with its vivid evocation of a lost world of a wagon train traveling west in the late nineteenth century, carrying a group of Mormons led by Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) and guided by two horse-traders (Ben Johnson, Harry Carey jnr.)In view of its release-date (1950), however, it is possible to see the film as a lament for a lost world of community, where people of different interests learn to co-exist with one another: the horse- traders set aside their buccaneering lifestyles and agree to guide the Mormons, while the Mormons offer them their hospitality in return. The only possible threat to the survival of this community is Uncle Shiloh Clegg (Charles Kemper), who initially agrees to travel with them, yet ends up holding the Mormons and the horse- traders at gunpoint. Although pretending to be friendly, it's clear he's not someone to be trusted. This notion was something very much on the public agenda in the early Fifties, at the time of the anticommunist purges: no one could be trusted anymore. WAGON MASTER makes much the same point, and further suggests that those who appear to be the most friendly turn out to be the most dangerous.Ford emphasizes the importance of community not only through the screenplay, but through the musical score (by Richard Hageman) and the songs, which evoke a prelapsarian world in which people's first loyalty is to their God and their fellow human beings rather than themselves. Although leading a very precarious life, subject to attack by various forces, including questioning by an over-zealous Marshal (Cliff Lyons), the train keeps resolutely to its chosen path and eventually reaches its own particular El Dorado. The implication is clear: faith (that inspires people to embrace the frontier myth and proceed westwards) brings its own rewards.The film has a clutch of memorable performances, ranging from Bond's comically splenetic Elder, perpetually trying to stop himself from cursing, to Jane Darwell's Sister Ledyard, who is always willing to offer succor in the form of words and/or food to anyone in trouble. Perhaps WAGON MASTER is not one of Ford's most celebrated films, but it is nonetheless a little gem.

disdressed12 although i liked this Western,i do have to say,it's not one of my favourite John Ford Westerns.for me,it just lacks a certain something that most of his other films(the ones i have seen anyway)possess)i'm nit sure what that something is.it's not something tangible.anyway,the gist of the story is about a Mormon wagon train which is being used by a band of outlaws as a hideout from a pursuing posse.Ford employs a lot of his regulars here.there are some interesting characters,some nice scenery,a bit of action,and excitement.it all adds up to a watchable experience.it's certainly not boring.just not quite up to the usual John Ford standard.for me,Wagon Master is a 7/10

rooster_davis I don't think I really have any spoilers in here but since I do describe a couple of funny scenes, I'll check the box saying 'might contain spoilers' just to be on the safe side. Now...I hardly know where to start. By now you know the basic outline of the story - horse traders Travis (Ben Johnson) and Sandy (Harry Carey Jr.) take the job of guiding a Mormon wagon train West to their 'promised land' and along the way encounter a variety of trials and interesting characters, most notably the outlaw Clegg family.Anyone can enjoy this movie. You don't have to be a fan of Westerns to like this one. For one thing, Johnson and Carey are two of the most quickly likable characters you'll see in any movie. Carey in particular is animated and outgoing, almost like a big kid - while Johnson is a little calmer and wiser, kind of like an older-brother figure. I get a kick out of the scene where they sell the sheriff one of their 'gentle horses' for ten dollars; then inform him that the horse has "some peculiarities - you might say failings"... Travis elbows Sandy who lets loose with a shrill whistle, sending the sheriff's new horse off on a wild bucking fit with him in the saddle. The look on his face as the horse finally dumps him and gallops away is priceless.Pay attention to the music... even if you never thought you'd be a fan of the Sons of the Pioneers, listen to "Shadows in the Dust" as the wagon train is shown in motion with some of the people walking along between the wagons. It's a truly beautiful song- too bad only half a minute or so of it is in the movie. I want to hear the whole thing sometime.One thing that impressed me greatly about this movie is that much of it must have been almost as hard to make as the real situation it portrays. Teams of six horses pulling wagons up steep mountain trails, straining to make the top - this was no simple and easy film. It must have been risky for the actors, the stunt people and the animals as well. Fording rivers too, this movie has plenty of authentic-looking action involving the movement of the wagon train. It should be mentioned that both Harry Carey Jr. and Ben Johnson were extremely competent riders, both with many years' experience riding, roping, and doing all manner of cowboy-type things. Carey grew up on a ranch where his family employed many Navaho Indians and in fact he learned to speak Navaho before he learned to speak English. No rhinestone cowboys in this movie - "Travis" and "Sandy" were the real thing through and through.Watch for the scene when Miss Denver throws out the pan of water from her wagon, hitting Travis's horse in the face... the horse starts bucking, eventually throwing him off it. Watch the look on Sandy's face when Denver tells Travis 'I'm sorry you fell off your horse.' Another favorite scene of mine is when Harry Carey Jr. (Sandy) gets into a bit of a tiff with one of the Mormons. They're working back to back getting their gear ready, and after Sandy gets disgusted with the other fellow, the two of them get into a rear-end bumping match that quickly turns into a rolling-around-on-the-ground fist fight. Even after the Elder (Ward Bond) stands them up and separates them, the two combatants continue trying to get at each other. The Mormon (named 'Jackson' in the film) gets one final kick in at Sandy so high it hits his shoulder. It's a really funny scene from start to finish. I don't know what else I can say about this movie other than that it has a good story, very engaging characters, beautiful scenery and plenty of action balanced with humor and a bit of drama. Oh, it has been colorized, at least in the version I saw; not the most beautiful color film you'll ever see but I think I prefer it to black and white. I give this one a ten and I don't give out many 10's. One of my favorite movies, without a doubt. And, judging by the other comments, I have plenty of company in that assessment.