Cheap My Darling Clementine (DVD) (Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell) (John Ford) Price

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Customer Reviews of My Darling Clementine

"My Darling Clementine" is one of those films about which so much has been written(including a good Rutgers "Films In Print" entry),that it seems pointless to belabour it's greatness.I award it five stars only because there are no more available."Clementine" is less a story than a series of incidents,and since the purchase of a video implies repeat viewings,this one is a natural for everyone's permanent collection.I'm all for lean,tightly constructed westerns(of which the James Stewart/Anthony Manns are excellent examples),but the leisurely "Clementine"---austere,relaxed,filled with moments that seem utterly spontaneous---has a roughhewn,unrehearsed quality that's all the more surprising in a major studio "A" western.Since we're dealing with Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the O.K.Corall,the narrative does eventually assert itself,if only to steer us toward the final confrontation---but the device involving the stolen "Chingadera" and it's reappearance around Linda Darnell's neck,seems almost an intrusion,taking us away from the simpler moments we've enjoyed(for nearly two-thirds of the running time!),and reminding us that there is a story which must be told and now let's get down to the business of telling it.More telling,however,are the many and marvelous details Ford reveals throughout---check out Doc Holliday's room in the hotel---not only do we see his diplomas,but there are photos of a college rowing team on the water---a wonderfully vivid and underplayed glimpse of Doc's past life.There's delightful scenes of people eating meals---big meals---alone and in groups---whereas in so many lesser westerns,all they do is drink whiskey.I love Ward Bond's frequent recitals of what he's just had,or is going to have,for breakfast.The Clantons may be outlaws,but they have framed pictures in their house and potted plants out front---even in town,they move about with familiar ease(check out the way Brennan walks behind the hotel counter to get his own room key).When the Earps are overlooking Tombstone(a stunning shot)just before their initial ride in,Wyatt regards it all quietly for a moment,follows with a resigned "Let's go..",as if knowing something disagreeable lies ahead.The business with the barber and his "sweet smellin' stuff" has been celebrated elsewhere,so I'll only add that the gag works beautifully for me because it's so underplayed---notice how both Tim Holt and Cathy Downs react to Fonda's explanation of the "honeysuckle"---both could have gone for an unsubtle laugh,and in a lesser director's hands,they might have.Several previous films had dealt with the Wyatt Earp legend---two are outstanding---"Law and Order",directed by Edward L.Cahn,and "Frontier Marshall",directed by Alan Dwan.The fact that neither are available on video points up the sorry state of affairs in home collecting these days---such a tiny portion of our great movie past is out there,and with each new technology being so ruthlessy swept away by the next,it seems unlikely that we'll be seeing many new releases of vintage titles in the near future(if at all).Still,there is "Clementine",and if you haven't already keyed it in for purchase,do yourself(and your viewing friends)a favor and buy it now.This is truly a picture you'll want to watch again and again.

My Darling Clementine
This is one of the best westerns of its time....or all time for that matter. Henry Fonda is at his best. John Ford does his genius. What more can a western fan ask???

A Gorgeous Moment between The Worlds
It's not often that everything comes together in a movie. John Ford's elegy to frontier America, "My Darling Clementine" is one of those movies, where script, acting, photography and directing make art. Many reviewers point out that the west of "My Darling Clementine" is a west of myth, where the characters, story and scenery are larger than life. But are they? If one could be transported back to the Western frontier and walk into a saloon in the 1880's, I think you'd see just the kind of characters that appear in the movie. The same glassy, emotionless stare of men who've been drinking heavily. The dark, low-ceilinged saloon that could be gay one minute and deathly the next fits the descriptions that I've read of the era; that combination of 100-proof whiskey, Colt's Army revolver, and little to do except gamble. <
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>The icy look in Henry Fonda's eyes when he confronts Doc Holiday or the Clantons - if you didn't have that look in the old west, how could you possibly be a lawman? This is the frontier, before the rule of law. Earp's declaration that he wants Tombstone to be a place where "decent folk can live" in a town that is still frontier - ie., lawless, ie., anything can happen. That's why we're fascinated. I'm speaking as a male, of course, and, as Freud has said, civilization does have it's discontents. <
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>And that's why the church dance scene is so riveting. The church is not built yet, only a foundation exists. It's the gorgeous moment between the worlds. The unformed and the formed, frontier and settled. When the church is completed and the school opens; it won't be a frontier. The movie exists in that moment between the worlds. When the Clantons are killed, civilization has won; the movie ends. <
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>But there have been hundreds of western movies with a similar premise. Why is this a classic, instead of a formula? The photography for one reason. Each scene is a balanced, well crafted composition. The landscape is a character in this movie. It dominates, we're not in the city here, folks, and we know it. Acting. Probably Henry Fonda's greatest movie. Fonda's Wyatt Earp has a moral and a physical center, a gravity that draws you in. In short, he's a man. Who today has that gravity? Leonardo di Caprio? Brad Pitt? Gimme a break. <
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>Walter Brennan is great as the Clanton father. He's a great actor whose work has not been recognized. See him also in "The Westerner" as judge Roy Bean. All the supporting actors are great, even Cathy Downs as Clementine, whom I never thought was given recognition that she should have. The one exception is Victor Mature as Doc Holiday. He just looks out of place in this movie. Maybe it's his Italian good looks. <
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>And finally, there's all those small "bits" that seem to breathe life into what could have been just another western. Fonda's "dance" on the porch post, the bit with the barber, the Shakesperean actor, the champaign scene, the poker game. Yes, this is a 1940's era movie, so Linda Darnell sings a couple of songs. There some fake saguaro cacti in a few shots, the opening credits are laughable. But this is a movie where one forgives. It has a largeness of spirit that's hard to find today.