Becoming John Ford

The Ford at Fox Collection

His career spanned seven decades. He directed over 100 films. He made patriotic and mythological Americana-themed films. John Ford was one of the most iconic directors of the twentieth century who brilliantly and poignantly captured the American Dream on the big screen.

Becoming John Ford takes a look at the enduring impression Ford made on film and filmmaking. From his 1924 breakout film, The Iron Horse, through his days at Twentieth Century Fox, the legendary director created some of the best imagery ever seen on film.

Fillmakers and historians discuss Ford's influence on moviemaking with personal and historical accounts of his life including: his relationship with Fox's studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck, how he helped launch Henry Ford's career, his push to make the back-to-back Academy Award-winning films The Grapes of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley, his time spent serving in World War II and the impact his service made on his post-war western films. With clips and back stories from some of his greatest films, Becoming John Ford shows Ford's unmatchabletalent and how there was no greater eye behind the camera than John Ford.