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.

grantss Wonderful, sensitive, emotional, intelligent and vastly underrated western. (The middle three qualities might explain the first and last ones).Certainly not your average western. Starts conventionally enough, with three cowboys robbing a bank and then being on the run from the law. However, from then the depth and intelligence of the plot, and John Ford's direction, start to show. The movie doesn't become a straightforward good guys-chasing-the bad guys action drama, it becomes a cat-and-mouse between the law and the outlaws. Each in turn tries to outsmart the other, in very plausible fashion.It is also, by this point, a survival movie, with the three outlaws having to fight the harsh desert as well as keep ahead of the law.Then Ford adds another layer, a human drama, with the introduction of a woman and, later, her baby.The baby, and how the three outlaws try to cope with it and look after it, also provides many funny and poignant moments.This layering and depth is incredibly revolutionary for a western, and makes the movie incredibly engaging. Also revolutionary for the time was the addition of a Mexican (Pedro Armendáriz) among the lead characters, alongside John Wayne and Harry Carey Jr.Good performances by all three. John Wayne shows a rare sensitive side here, and does so very convincingly. Good work too by Ward Bond as the Marshall.

TankGuy Again,master director John Ford never fails to disappoint,here's a another solid classic from Argosy Productions,it's a tale of life and how beautiful it is,and it's a tale of death,and of how harrowing and destroying it can be.The 3 godfathers is a flawless masterpiece and it's right up there with John Fords other classics like THE SEARCHERS,CHEYENNE AUTUMN,SERGEANT RUTLEDGE,RIO GRANDE and THE HORSE SOLDIERS.The main part of the plot involves a baby and it's birth,(representing life),the scene in which the baby is born and it's mother dies is one of the most exquisite,beautiful and tear jerking scenes in classic cinema and you will be in tears as you watch it.The rest of the story involves three men doing what any decent human being would do,fulfilling a mothers dying wish and taking care of her defenceless baby,this is extremely plausible,in the end it's sad to see the baby being taken into care and you get the feeling that the three men have failed,but they haven't.The men take the baby through dry,blisteringly hot deserts and mountains and still manage to take excellent care of the child,but in the process,two of the men,William and Pedro,die when they cannot go on any longer,the latter committing suicide,these scenes are also very sad and quite harrowing to watch and although the characters are outlaws,you come to like them and that thought will nearly bring tears to your eyes.The death of William and Pedro represent death,Robert meanwhile goes on with the child and finally reaches a nearby town,but gives himself up and is arrested.The storyline is excellent and perfect,we see a transformation in the three outlaws as they change from dangerous criminals to loving fathers and their mission is to no longer escape the sheriff but to take care of the baby.The characters are brilliantly put together and there's something lovable about them,John Wayne,Pedro Amadariz and Harry Carey Jr. are all brilliant as the three lawless men who have a job to do.Ward Bond is great as the relentless Buck Purely Sweet and he's probably one of the most lovable lawmen to be seen in a western.Some say this is a Christmas movie,it's not really,apart from a few Christmas references and a tree up in a saloon,this is just a normal western drama and can be enjoyed at any time of the year.Thers's a lot of funny lines from the main characters,and to find out that Robert's middle name is Marmaduke really made me laugh,Purely is also a cracker of a name.The scenery,as usual in a John Ford western,is absolutely stunning and the theme music is wonderful,the film is dedicated to veteran American actor Harry Carey(father of the man who plays William in the movie,Harry Carey Jr.) This isn't one for the action fans(you'll have to settle for a few gunshots and a horse chase),this is an excellent film,in the tradition of other cinematic classics like HOW THE WEST WAS WON,THE LONGEST DAY,THE ALAMO,CAST A GIANT SHADOW,SABATA,LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and THE GOOD,THE BAD AND THE UGLY,SEE IT,RELISH IT,REMEMBER IT,one of the greatest motion pictures ever made,highly recommended to anybody.A legend of a movie and a must see before you die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.