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Drums Along The Mohawk

Lawless frontier. Indian attacks. Settlers protecting themselves the only way they know how-with guns and courage. In the years before the Revolutionary War, the East was as wild as the West would be one hundred years later. Henry Fonda delivers one of his most memorable performances ever as a young frontier leader protecting his family in the backwoods of New York state. Claudette Colbert so-stars as his spirited wife. With a fine supporting cast that also includes Edna May Oliver and John Carradine, this is one of John Ford's most exciting historical dramas.

Critiques des membres

A One-Sided Look at the Settling of the Frontier - MovieProf

I thoroughly enjoy John Ford films, and "Drums Along the Mohawk" is a thrilling film, but I can't write anything here without stating what to me is the obvious: this film has a clear bias directed at the American Indian of the 1770s.

The film deals with two New Yorkers, Gilbert Martin (Henry Fonda) and his wife Lana (Claudette Colbert) who set out to live in the frontier. They meet up with interesting characters, notably Mrs. McKlennar (Edna May Oliver), and are forced to battle for their lives against bloodthirtsy native Americans. At the same time, the American Revolution has just brken out.

The film does a decent job of showing the dangers involved with these early settlers, and the constant violence that strang up along the frontier. However, never is the obvous question asked: why are these natives so bloodthirsty, drunk, and mercilous?

The truth is that Gilbert and Lana are the intruders, settling on land that is not their own. The natives, long since out of patience with settlers intruding on their land, are simply trying to evict the squatters. Their methods are excessive, but I am sympathetic to their plight.

John Ford chooses to have Chief John Big Tree play BLue Back, a friend of Gilbert's. This choice shows that not all natives were evil. However, Blue Back's broken English and sexist overtones seem to be used more for comic relief than anything else, judging by the Americans who laugh at him when he speaks.

I don't want to trash this film. I gave it three stars out of five because I did enjoy it. John Ford used native Americans in dozens of his films, and his depictions weren't always one-sided: take "Cheyenne Autumn," for example, a film that is extremely sympathetic to the natives' plight. I just wish there was a little more balance here. Even the scenes of British soldiers standing by while the natives burn and pillage both settlers' homes and settlers themselves are completely rediculous.

Great in its day--Still good today - zzzzzz

Good performances and (for its time)fabulous location color photography, period sets and costumes set this movie apart.

If Gone With the Wind (the Zanuck's "other" hit that year)had been made any other time, "Drums" might have fared better in our collective memory.

Not as cliched,dated and hammy as some of John Ford's work--although there are moments-"Drums" benefits greatly from believable performances from its two leads. Stack this one up against other 1939, '49 or '59 pics and it still shines.

Critiques des membres Lire tous...

A One-Sided Look at the Settling of the Frontier - MovieProf

Great in its day--Still good today - zzzzzz

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Drums Along The Mohawk

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