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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

HONDO (1953)

Well-plotted Western, from a Louis L’Amour story, doesn't have the elbow-room it needs to follow thru on its best ideas. Helmer John Farrow got stuck using 3-D, Jack Warners’ gimmick of choice that year, and its synched projectors used 40 minute reels which usually meant 80 minute running times for these features. This shortchanges Michael Pate's Apache warrior, who makes his villain such a compelling character, with a touch of Shylock in the conception, that his off-screen disappearance robs the story of its proper shape. John Wayne tempers his tough guy approach with some Apache accents – Indian blood, customs, respect, even an Indian ex-wife -- while courting unlikely homesteading mom, Geraldine Page who’s odd, but effective in her film debut. When Farrow got pulled off to work on another pic, John Ford shot the finale with his lenser of choice, Archie Stout. But look sharp for two more possible Ford helmed scenes; a comic dialogue bit in front of the homesteader’s porch and a striking visual conception of Wayne alone in the dark.

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