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Amazon.co.uk Review
How is it that John Ford's greatest film remains largely unknown? All right, let's not kick sand on The Searchers, or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, or Ford's many other masterworks. But the director himself numbered Wagon Master among his personal favorites, and it's an utterly unique and original film no one else could have made. This crusty, eccentric production, slipped in between installments of Ford's Cavalry trilogy, doesn't really star anybody. Ward Bond plays a Mormon elder, a reformed sinner still given to "the words of wrath" who asks a slightly larcenous young horse trader to lead a wagon train through the desert to a valley "the Lord has reserved" for them. The newly anointed wagon master is played by Ben Johnson, an amazing horseman Ford had been bringing along in character roles; at this point Johnson was still getting used to delivering lines, though that's part of his charm and serves his character beautifully.
A transcendent allegory of the opening of the frontier, Wagon Master follows no conventional, linear itinerary. The Lord moves in mysterious ways and so does the movie, which begins before it begins (that is, before the opening credits) and ends a few luminous seconds after THE END has come and gone. Storytelling takes a backseat to poetry, with long passages consecrated to savoring faces, landscapes, and raw sunlight. Some of these passages are supported by songs, and sometimes music rises faintly like an auditory mirage borne in from a great distance. The musicality extends to communal dancing, and to the demonic jingling of spurs that signals the appearances of "Uncle" Shiloh Cleggs (Charles Kemper), patriarch of an inbred outlaw clan whose dog-legged journey eventually intersects the wagon train's.
In keeping with Ford's vision of civilization and its discontents, Wagon Master is populated mostly by pariahs. Besides the deservedly outcast Cleggses, there are the Mormons, the vagabond horse traders played by Johnson and Harry Carey Jr., a medicine-show troupe, and the first people on the land, the Navajo. As individuals and groups drift and coalesce, then separate and coalesce again in fresh configurations, a new nation gets its footing while marching west--"out across the backlands, where the dust has lain so long...." This is the heart's-core of American cinema. --Richard T. Jameson
Synopsis
John Ford said of this film, Wagon Master came closest to what I hoped to achieve.' A relaxed epic Western without major stars, it features Ward Bond as Jonathan Wiggs, a sardonic Mormon taking a wagon train of his people to Utah's San Juan Valley with freewheeling cowpokes Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy Owens (Harry Carey Jr.) as guides. En route, the group comes upon a medicine show troupe, run by Dr. A. Locksley Hall (Alan Mowbray), that is heavily under the influence of its product and out of water, and they too become part of the caravan. As the trek continues, the Mormons also begins to run low on water, which is less of a problems than a meeting with the murderous Clegg family, led by the unctuous Uncle Shiloh (Charles Kemper), who claims that he and his five 'boys' are simple cowhands. To avoid violence, Wiggs allows them to join the convoy but regrets it when the medicine troupe attempts to leave the wagon train and is stopped at gunpoint by the Cleggs. An enjoyable character-based excursion that draws humour from the uneasy coexistence of a wide range of social types, Wagon Master showcases the gruff and appealing Bond in a role that he would repeat, with little alteration (and great popular success), on television's Wagon Train.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lesser Known Ford Classic.,
By Bob Salter "Captain Spindrift" (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Wagonmaster [DVD] (DVD)
"Wagon Master"(50) is certainly one of John Ford's lesser known Westerns but it is certainly one of his better. Ford himself once said "I think Wagon Master came closest to being what I wanted to achieve". Coming from the master that should give pause for thought. Ford himself formulated the story which was then written by Frank S Nugent and Ford's son Patrick. The film was made in black and white on location in Professor Valley near Moab, Utah. Ben Johnson as Travis Blue and Harry Carey Jnr as Sandy Owens play the two lead roles. Ford opted for lesser known actors in this film. Ben Johnson was a former world rodeo star and was a stalwart support actor for the duration of his career. Harry Carey jnr was the son of a famous silent Western star who Ford had worked with in the past. Carey jnr had already taken a major role as one of Fords "3 Godfathers"(48). He too was to spend his career in support roles. Ward Bond provides solid support and Joanne Dru provides the romantic interest. Bond's role later propelled him into the star role for the TV series "Wagon Train" 57-65, later taken over by John McIntire after his death.The film opens with the evil Clegg gang robbing a bank. They later force the wagon train led by Bond to hide them from a pursuing posse. Travis and Sandy have been hired by the Mormon wagon train to guide them through unfamiliar territory. Travis later falls in love with Joanne Dru who joins the train. Later one of the Clegg boys is whipped by Bond for molesting an Indian girl. The Cleggs swear vengeance. We head to a climactic shoot out as Sandy and Travis come to the Mormons aid. I am pleased that this lesser known work has got a thoroughly deserved DVD release. The film is rich in gentle, nostalgic emotion with lighter comedic moments. It is deceptionally unpretentious, which was not always the case with Ford, and in many ways is the high point of his Westerns. His optimism and pessimism are well balanced. The whole film has a good balance to it and is a hugely enjoyable experience. Highly recommended.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful 'forgotton' western.,
By
This review is from: Wagonmaster [DVD] (DVD)
Wagon Master is an outstanding John Ford Western. Not that much of a story but it does not need it. Great acting. This film gets better the more time it is watched. Showing how a Wagon Train would have looked. Full of interesting and people, there are no real stars and perhaps that is right as the film it's self is the real star!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great Westerns of the 50s,
By
This review is from: Wagonmaster [DVD] (DVD)
Wagon Master is one of John Ford's lesser known westerns - but reputed to be among his most satisfying pieces of work - one in which he felt he had captured the very essence of the genre.The film is actually a simple story, straightforward and formulaic. A wagon train of Mormons led by (Ward Bond) are heading off to a new life and persuade a couple of cowhands (Ben Johnson and Harry Carey jr) to assist by leading the way and taking charge of the wagon train. On the way they encounter a travelling medicine show and also attract a bunch of villains who are being sought by a posse following a shooting. A troop of Navaho Indians put in a token appearance also. You will have seen it all before, but what makes the movie standout is the brilliant atmospheric photography and the horses, dust of the trail and the rolling, jolting wagons, all superbly captured on film. There is not a lot of violence and what there is not especially graphic. It was probably a Saturday afternoon `U' on release. The film has no major star, only actors that usually appeared in the also rans lists. A very youthful James Arness, who was some years later to play the lead in the TV series `Gunsmoke' appears in the gang of crooks. The horsemanship of Johnson and Carey is splendid - Johnson especially, as would be expected from a horseman who was a rodeo star before he even began appearing in films. Ward Bond of course appeared in many a western, both in cinema and TV series. If you like 50s westerns and especially the work of John Ford, you will have nothing but pleasure by catching up on this one!
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