John Ford (cinema)

Biography

Between Portland cement and Ireland

John Martin Feeney was born in a family from immigrants Irish. His/her father is originating in Spiddal in the county of Galway and his mother, of the islands of Aran. John Martin is the last of a family of 11 children - of which 3 died in the birth, and two in low-age, of diseases. After having been fishing and farmer, his father immigrates in the United States in 1872 and, naturalized American in 1878 or 1880, it opens with Portland in 1897 a Speakeasy where the Irish community of the city gathers.

In 1909, his/her brother Frank T. Feeney leaves for California with Gaston Méliès (the brother of Georges). It will become there Francis Ford, actor and realizer of Serial S for the studios Universal.

John, during his schooling, impassions himself for the history and proves to be an excellent player of basketball and football. He gains a little pocket money like opener in Jefferson Theater of Portland cement and can thus see the large actors of the moment such as for example: Ethel Barrymore or the Wild West Show S.

Beginnings with Universal

In 1914, John Martin is registered at the university of Maine but it will never enter there. Because this summer, his/her Francis brother returns to the house and speaks about Hollywood. John Martin then decides to encase the step to him. In July, it unloads in Hollywood and becomes its odd-job man. It is the occasion for him to discover the trades of the cinema on the films which his/her brother interprets and realizes for the Universal studios. It adopts the same pseudonym and appears with the credits under the name of Jack Ford. In 1915, it also interprets small roles in films of his/her brother of which he becomes the assistant-realizer. It was said besides that he would have in particular played one of the hooded members of the Ku Klux Klan in Naissance of a nation of D.W. Griffith.

From 1916, it is engaged by the Universal studios like assistant-realizer. It assists realizers under contract whose Allan Dwan and starts to direct the scenes of observers while his/her Francis brother, leaves Universal to him to found his own studio. Whereas he is only accessories supplier and during a visit of Carl Laemmle in the studios, he sees himself entrusting by chance his first realization, replacing with the foot raised a realizer absent. The film is entitled The Tornado and leaves on March 3rd 1917. It signs its first contract of realizer with Universal for 125 dollars per week and becomes the appointed realizer of the Western S with the actor Harry Carey. They will make together 25 films before being scrambled in 1919. On this date, it gains 300 dollars per week and acquires the stature of an important realizer in Hollywood.

It meets in 1920 Mary McBryde Smith of Irish and Scottish origin with which it Marie. She is resulting from a family of officers, downward of the politician Thomas More. She is divorced and, so the couple will be able to marry religieusement only in 1941, with the death of the spouse. They will have two children: Patrick Michael born in 1921 and Barbara born in 1922. Patrick will become after several small trades, assistant-realizer and film producer of Série Z, and monteuse Barbara.

The majority of silent films carried out for Universal are lost today. There remain only three about it: the Ranch Diavolo ( Straight Shooting ) realized in 1917 which is its first feature-length film, Bucking Broadway of 1917 recently found, and Of Blood in the meadow ( Hell Bent ) realized in 1919. In these three films interpreted by Harry Carey, one finds already the characteristics of the large westerns of Ford: its manner of integrating the characters in natural decorations sublimes, consistent female characters who are equal men.

In December 1920, John Ford is discharged by the Fox of William Fox.

Silent film with the Fox

The films carried out by Ford at the beginning of the Années 1920 also, for a great part of them, disappeared. There remain only Just Pals (1920) which is the first film that the author carries out on behalf of the Fox and Cameo Kirby (1923) with John Gilbert that he signs " John Ford" for the first time, in the place of " Ford" jack; , its preceding pseudonym.

In 1921, Ford undertakes a long voyage in Europe. It meets the family branch remained in Ireland whose cousin member of the WILL GO. It is presented to the Irish freedom fighter Michael Collins.

Ford gains 600 dollars per week now and sees itself entrusting in 1924 the realization of the Cheval of iron , production Pharaonic of the Fox. In 1926, always for Fox, it carries out “Three Bad Men” with George O' Brien, Tom Santschi, Olive Borden, J.Farell McDonald and Louis Tellegen. In 1927, it goes in Germany for the turning of the Four Wire ( Four Sounds ) and discovers on this occasion the Cinéma expressionnist. This film is the greatest public success of the dumb career of Ford. It will voluntarily re-use a photograph with the style expressionist in 1928 in Hangman' S House . In 1927 it is elected with the head of the Motion Pictures Directors Association.

The beginning of speaking

The first film entirely speaking about Ford is Napoleon' S Barber (lost today). New fact at the time since the appearance of speaking, and in spite of the reserve of the studios, the sound recordings are made in outside. In first talking films that Ford realizes for Fox, the direction of the dialogued scenes is entrusted to directors of theater and are inspired little. Ford lets nevertheless burst its talent of director in the scenes of action.

In 1928, it signs with Fox a two year old very remunerative contract: it gains 2.500 dollars per week the first year and 2.750 dollars the second. S-13 ( Men Without Women ) (1930) is the first collaboration of Ford with the scenario writer Dudley Nichols. Ford will say of him in Ford speaks about Ford ( Présence of the cinema , March 1965): “We were very friendly. He adored the cinema. He never wrote whirring sentences. He wrote a language of the daily newspaper, and reduced the dialogs to the minimum. It was a marvellous man. ” Ford found a scenario writer in phase with his cinema. In 1931, Fox which lost William Fox puts an end to its contract. Its engagement is re-examined with the fall, but it can from now on turn for other companies. Ford starts its first alcoholic detoxification therapy during a voyage to Honolulu.

In 1931, it carries out Arrowsmith for the producer Samuel Goldwyn, who is worth to him his first nomination with the Oscars. For this film, Ford shows a remarkable adaptability to the style of the productions of Samuel Goldwyn. Its following film, Burned Head ( Air Email ) of 1932, is produced by Universal. It carries out then its first film for the Subway-Goldwyn-Mayer: the melodrama a Woman occurred ( Flesh ). It retouve Dudley Nichols for the lost Patrol which it puts in scene in 1934 for RKO with Victor McLaglen to which it offers a new great role since Hangman' S House . Bound by its contract with Fox, it must deal with the realization of the Monde moving , large fresco family which covers the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. Although this film comprises very successful scenes of war, Ford will hate this film. It had more success with Judge Priest with Dudley Nichols with the scenario and the actor Will Rogers whom it had directed the previous year in Doctor Bull and whom it will again direct in 1935 in Steamboat Round the Bend before it finds death in an air crash. Ford admires the work of Rogers and a great freedom leaves him, moreover Judge Priest is one of its preferred films. It will make of it a Remake in 1952: The sun shines for one and all.

In 1934, Ford earns its living very well and is associated with the receipts of its films. It acquires of a Yacht which it baptizes Araner in homage to Ireland. It will keep it until in 1970. It will make two films there and will go there regularly to escape the pressure from Hollywood or to work with its scenario writers. It honors its amity with John Wayne met at the time of its beginnings in the silent film (it makes some figarations in first films of Ford), and embarks it to celebrate Christmas while it works the scenario of the Mouchard with Dudley Nichols.

In 1935, Ford founds with dimensions King Vidor, Lewis Milestone, William A. Wellman, Frank Borzage and Gregory Undermined It the Screen Directors Guild to replace the Motion Pictures Directors Association. the Informer with Victor McLaglen, which it very quickly carries out for RKO in studio and with a small budget, enables him to approach Ireland which it presents like a ground of suffering and misery which fights the British invader. He made not mystery of his sympathies to the WILL GO there. One discovers a rather skilful Ford with the decorations of studio which it masks with a thick fog, accentuating the dark and oppressive side film. One is far from the Ford of big spaces and the breath epic of the beginnings, marked by the large westerns of the traditional era. With this film dark, formally near to the Cinema expressionnist and quite distant from his usual universe, the scenario writer paradoxically gains his very first Oscar of the best realizer in 1936. He however will not seek his trophy following the boycott launched by the young person Screen Directors Guild. The film is a success. Ford and Nichols will be seen entrusting, two years later, always for the RKO, the adaptation of the part of Seán O' Casey Révolte in Dublin ( The Plought and the Stars ) which proves on the other hand a financial failure.

Twentieth Century Pictures repurchases in 1935 the Fox which becomes 20th Century Fox and whose owner is Darryl F. Zanuck. Ford realizes in close cooperation with its new owner, large admiror of Abraham Lincoln, I did not kill Lincoln ( The Prisoner off Shark Island ). Association between Ford and Zanuck starts with a violent one confrontation about the accent Southerner of Warner Baxter that Ford wishes to preserve. Ford is with two fingers of claquer the door of the 20th Century Fox but reaches the desires of Zanuck finally. Thereafter a great admiration and a reciprocal regard will settle between the two men.

It has a short connection without continuations with Katherine Hepburn which it directs on Mary Stuart ( Mary off Scotland ) for RKO in 1936. It realizes for an important seal The Hurricane produces by Samuel Goldwyn.

In 1937, it adheres to the Motion Picture Comittee to Aid Republican Spain which gives its support for the Spanish Republicans. It personally sends an ambulance to the international Brigades, in Spain. Ford is also very active in the fight against the Nazisme. It publicly gives an opinion to claim the boycott of the Nazi Germany in 1938, and is an active member of Hollywood Anti-Nazi League. Besides the signature of the Pacte germano-Soviet will be worth to him critical sharp on behalf of the Communists who will show it “propaganda of war”.

The traditional period

Of the fantastic Ride with the Fugitive

With the fantastic Ride , Ford joins again with the western, kind which it had not approached for 13 years. The western is not then any more in vogue; a hundred westerns was indeed distributed in 1938, but they are mainly films of Série B. Ford, to the origin of the project, does not manage however to convince David O. Selznick to produce it; this one does not rely any on John Wayne which did not turn that in minor westerns since the beginning of the Années 1930. Ford thus addresses itself to Walter Wanger and United Artists. For the first time, it turns in outside, with Monument Valley: “I was everywhere in the world but I regard this place as most beautiful, most complete and calmest of planet”. For this film which achieves the unanimity of criticisms, which is still new for a western, Ford receives the New York Film Critic Award but fails the Oscars vis-a-vis Gone With The Wind .

After the fantastic Ride , Ford finds Zanuck and its passion for Lincoln. It carries out admirable the Towards its destiny ( Young Mr. Lincoln ) with Henry Fonda which will be also the main actor of its two following films: On the track of Mohawks ( Drums Along the Mohawk ), its first color film, and Grapes of anger (adapted John Steinbeck), the second collaboration with the scenario writer Nunnally Johnson. For this last film, Ford obtains in 1942, for the second time, the Oscar of the best realizer who passes under the nose of Alfred Hitchcock, of George Cukor, William Wyler and Sam Wood, nothing less. The author is then with the ridge of his glory, his talent is recognized as well by the critic as by the professionals of the cinema.

He piles up again with John Wayne in the Men of the sea ( The Long voyage Home ), from now on more credible thanks to the success of the fantastic Ride , while Zanuck tries of surfer on the vagueness of the success of the Raisins of anger with the Road of the tobacco ( Tobacco Road ).

Last film of Ford before the war, Which it was green my valley is an immense public and critical success. It raid five Oscars of which those of the better film and the better realization, in front of Citizen Kane of Orson Welles, then the New York Film Critics Award to which Ford from now on is accustomed.

As of 1939, Ford with the intuition that America will not be long in being trained in the Second world war. It is with the head of a group of scenario writers who request from Franklin Roosevelt the boycott of the Nazi Germany and it founds the Naval Field Photographic Unit with an aim of putting the talents of Hollywood at the service of the army. In October 1941, this one is officially recognized and at the time of the Japanese Attaque on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941, the team operational and is scattered with the four corners of the world whereas the air and Armies organize similar teams.

During the war, Ford and its unit will traverse the theaters of military operations. They are first of all in the Pacific and in 1942 it realizes there for the navy, documentary the December 7th on the attack of Pearl Harbor and The Battle off Midway . These two films gain the Oscar of best documentary. During the Bataille of Midway the realizer is wounded with the hip whereas he films only the American attack. A small film Torpedo Squadron of which 29 of the thirty members perished in Midway is carried out for the families of the victims. In 1942, one finds Ford in North Africa to cover the unloading. During the year 1943, it covers multiple external operations of which victory of Alliés in Burma in Victory in Burma . In 1944, it films the Débarquement of Normandy without unloading since it remains on a boat to seize the waves of successive marine attacks. It will unload with its team with Bellevue-on-Sea. In 1945, it follows the army of Patton to Germany before taking part in the preparation of the Procès of Nuremberg by gathering documents filmed for the charge. From February to June 1945, it turns Sacrificed the ( They were expendable ) for the Subway-Goldwyn-Mayer with John Wayne and Robert Montgomery which finished film, Ford being broken the leg. It finds the scenario writer of Air email , Frank W. Wead on which it will make a film in 1957, the eagle flies to the sun . Sacrificed the is curiously the only film of Ford (except the comedy ( Mister Roberts ) over the Second world war, in which it however took part actively. The money gained with Sacrificed the makes it possible at Ford to partly finance construction close to Encino of an establishment to receive free the veterans of the Field Photo Links, the Field Photo Farm.

After the war, of return at Hollywood, Ford takes again the way of Monumental Valley to turn the infernal Continuation ( My Darling Clementine ). It finds Henry Fonda there that it directs again in God died ( The Fugitive ) in 1947. God died is the first film produced by Argosy Pictures that Ford has just founded with Merian C. Cooper. Argosy will produce eight films of Ford before being dissolved in January 1956. Argosy makes it possible at Ford with complete freedom to work, it will say in connection with God died : “I carried out film such as I wanted it. For me, it is perfect. The critic appreciated it, but it did not have obviously an attraction for the public. But I am very proud of my work.”

the quiet Man

Ford finds quickly popular success with the Massacre of Strong Apache which opens the Cycle of the cavalry . It is its first collaboration with Frank S. Nugent which succeeds Dudley Nichols as appointed scenario writer of the realizer. Whereas God died of Dudley Nichols is an animated work of a rather arid formal research, the adaptation that makes John Ford of it, joining again with the style of its first films, brings more simplicity to him. The passage of witness between two actors as paradoxical as Founded and Wayne, mark also a rupture in the cinema of Ford. Bertrand Tavernier, which hardly appreciates “Ford esthète and intellectual that encouraged the capital and rather pernicious influence of Dudley Nichols” written on this subject in its dictionary 50 years of American cinema : “The dramatic turns of events are supplanted there by very favorites. This cinema which takes its time and seems to be invented under our eyes abolishes this famous construction in acts, Hollywood creed, with the profit of a broad, majestic account, tormented and lazy like the course of a river”. Compared with preceding films on Ireland, the quiet Man is the perfect example of this metamorphosis even if the western seems the kind privileged by Ford to explore the new dash taken by its cinema. It turns successively in two years, of 1948 with 1950: the Son of the desert ( Three Godfathers ), the heroic Load ( She Wore has Yellow Ribbon ), the Convoy of the brave men ( Wagon Master ), Rio Grande . The realizer however offers a bracket in this series with the comedy Planqué in spite of him ( When Willie Comes Marching Home ).

For the dark period of the Maccarthisme, Ford denounces “methods worthy of Gestapo”. He is opposed violently to Cecil B. DeMille which wishes that the members of the Screen Directors Guild sign an oath of honesty towards the United States. A time, FBI suspects it of communist sympathies; it adheres to a trend of opinion to be protected very on the right from the rumors. In 1950, Ford leaves in Korea and turns for Navy documentary on the Guerre of Korea, This is Korea! . This film is very different from the Battle of Midway , Ford does not put ahead American patriotism and heroism, but quite to the contrary delivers a pessimistic work which wonders about the direction of this war. In March 1951, Ford which has just been promoted “Rear Admiral”, request to be put at the retirement of Navy and share for Ireland to turn the quiet Man ( The Quiet Man ), project which has been due to him in heart for 5 years. The film is one of most important public successes of the Republic Pictures and allows to the realizer empocher a fourth and ultimate Oscar of setting in scene in 1952.

Ford then carries to the cinema a part which it had assembled in 1949, What Price Glory before carrying out The sun shines for one and all , remake of Judge Priest . In 1952, it turns Mogambo to Africa with a trio of dream (Ava Gardner, Clark Gable and Grace Kelly). After having overcome health issues, it returns to the cinema in 1955 to film in Cinémascope It is only one goodbye ( The long Gray Line ). But its alcoholism worsens; he suffers soon from internal bleedings and the meeting again with Henry Fonda for Permission to the paddle ( Mister Roberts ) are calamitous. Ford fights with Fonda and, too drunk, it is replaced by Mervyn LeRoy. It finds nevertheless all its means to carry out splendid the the Captive one of the desert ( The Searchers ). Argosy is dissolved in January but in August 1956, Ford founds, with inter alia John Wayne, John Ford Productions .

Last years

Tired by alcohol and a career without respite, John Ford turns over to Ireland to carry out When the moon rises , a film “to amuse me”, on the Irish origins of Tyrone Power. It connects with the eagle steals to the sun on his friend the scenario writer Frank W. Wead, one of the precursors of the Naval Aviation before being exiled of Hollywood to carry out without conviction in 1957 in London a police small film, Inspecteur of Service ( Gideon' S Day ). The following year, the Last brass band ( The last Hurrah ) with Spencer Tracy sounds like a song of good-bye. In this film which it produces itself, it brings together the actors and friends who accompanied it during his career. The cinema of Ford becomes increasingly pessimistic with the image of the defeat and of died of Skeffington (Spencer Tracy) which is also that of America of men of character, heroes exhausted vis-a-vis in America of the mediocrity, imbecile, wrongfully puritan, handled by the financial elites and television.

In 1959, Ford pains to upwards draw in the Riders ( The Horse Soldier ) the scenario from John Lee Mahin which is also the producer of film. It is however much more enthusiastic with the idea to carry out the black Sergeant ( Sergeant Rutledge ) a western whose American black is the hero with Woody Strode. It binds friendship with Strode which it will still direct to three recoveries in the Two Riders , the Man who killed Liberty Valance and Chinese Frontière . It is also by friendship that it helps John Wayne to carry out certain sequences of Alamo . The pessimism of the Ford of the dermières years clearly appears in the Two Riders ( Two Rode Together ) carried out in 1960. During turning, he learns death from his friend and actor Ward Bond. Very touched by this disappearance, Ford cuts off itself in its yacht and sinks still a little more in alcohol. It will have to be again hospitalized urgently with Honolulu. Of return to Hollywood, it must battle five months with the Paramount to obtain to the financing of the Man who killed Liberty Valance , his last chief of work. Ford surprises by its skill to film this western intimist whose action proceeds in eight-close, far from big spaces. the Man who killed Liberty Valance again approaches the topics developed in the Last brass band : truths hero are from now on useless and ridiculous. One could see in film a passage of witness symbolic system between the traditional western of the pioneers and that of the newcomers like Arthur PEN or Sam Peckinpah.

After the Business Riley , realized for television and the sktech on the Civil war in the Conquest of the West , Ford turns between friends the Tavern of the Irishman (1963) on his yacht “Aramer”, in an environment good child. Cheyennes ( Cheyenne Fall ) is its last western. It is a homage to the Indian people. “I wanted to show the point of view of the Indians here, for once. Let us be right. We badly treated them. It is a true spot in our history. We rolled them, stolen, killed, assassinated, massacred, and, so sometimes, they killed a white man, one dispatched the army to them. ”, he entrusts to Peter Bogdanovich in 1966. But Ford is ratrappé by tiredness and the disease, and in spite of its enthusiasm of the beginning of turning, it ignores this one gradually, letting its assistant realizer turn of many scenes. The following year it must give up with Jack Arnold the turning of the Jeune Cassidy and leaves ressourcer on the Aramer .

In 1966, whereas Peter Bogdanovich carries out a long interview of the realizer and that the Cahiers of the cinema devote an special issue to him, Ford makes its last film Chinese Frontière ( 7 women ) before engaging last once near the Army to support the Guerre of Vietnam. It there will go by twice in 1967 and 1968 and will produce the film Vietnam! Vietnam! for the United States Information Agency.

Not working, Ford cannot assume any more the financial expenses of the Aramer which it must sell in 1970. In 1969 it is its charitable organization, the Field Photo Farm which is forced with closing. In 1970, Ford, patient and who has already two broken coasts, are victim of an car accident which weakens it still more. A cancer is diagnosed to him. In March 1973, two years after the Mostra of Venice where had been decreed to him a Gold Lion for the whole of its career, Richard Nixon pays a supported homage to him whereas it decrees off to him the Presidential Medal Freedom. He dies the August 31st, in end of the afternoon, by holding his chain.

Selective catalog of films

Ford realized more than 150 films, to date 53 seem definitively lost.

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