Post by petrolino on Oct 12, 2018 21:35:58 GMT
The 3D character western 'Hondo' is based on the story 'The Gift Of Cochise' (1952) by Louis L'Amour. In the 1870s, homesteader Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page) and her six-year-old son Johnny (Lee Aaker) invite wandering stranger Hondo Lane (John Wayne) to take food and shelter. A broken truce has caused conflict between Apache warriors and officers of the U.S. Army Cavalry. Angie's remote ranch is located within a section of Arizona Territory that's being evacuated as it's regularly travelled through by riders of Apache Nation.
"Aside from the films of Howard Hawks and John Ford, this is arguably John Wayne's best and most beloved Western. Based on a Louis L'Amour story and directed by John Farrow (but with some uncredited help by John Ford), 'Hondo' gives Wayne a terrific role, stoic and bordering on cranky."
- Jeffrey M. Anderson, 'Mondo Hondo'
John Wayne & Geraldine Page
'Idle Worship' - Paramore
The cultural western 'Hondo' comes from the golden era of 3D film production (1952 - 1954). It's a story of two lonely souls facing cold, lonely nights together due to necessity, neither of whom is big on blind trust. Their tentative relationship grows more serious when they realise they have a lot more in common than they think. As Angie and Hondo's cultures collide, a bloody war beckons in this diverting tale of escalating tensions between communities.
"Hondo is one of John Wayne’s best Westerns in the 1950s, which was not directed by maestro John Ford. Wayne plays the eponymous hero, Hondo Lane, a former gunfighter who is now a dispatch rider for the U.S. Cavalry. Upon meeting Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page) and her son Johnny (Lee Aaker), Hondo learns that her husband had deserted them in the wake of an Apache uprising. The plot of the movie, directed by John Farrow (actress Mia Farrow’s father), resembles that of George Stevens’ Shane, released several months earlier. Both Westerns are based on the premise that every child needs a sociological father–a mature authority figure–to instruct him how to become a real man."
- Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7
- Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7
"A superb offbeat Western, set in the New Mexico of 1874. It is one of John Wayne's favorites, where John Wayne plays John Wayne. This is Wayne's first successfully produced film and made in conjunction with Warner Brothers; it was later made into a short-lived television series. The screenplay was by a Wayne regular contributor, James Edward Grant, who was evidently influenced by Shane (53). It also has the look of a John Ford film that was to soon follow suit, "The Searchers (56)." That should be of no surprise, since Ford was regularly on the set to help Wayne in an unofficial capacity. The film was released originally as a 3-D vehicle. Geraldine Page received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in this, her first film role; though, Wayne is clearly the star of this film. His portrayal of a complex man with deep feelings, someone who considers the truth the most important thing a man has, is accomplished in an amusingly self-deprecating way letting the viewer see both the soft and tough side to this independent man."
- Dennis Schwartz, Ozu's Movie Reviews
'Hondo'
'Idol' - Elton John
'Hondo' is a firm western with an overwhelming setting that engulfs viewers in its natural beauty. John Wayne is stout and true as principled army scout Hondo Lane who enjoys ribbing people and walks side by side with a dog. Geraldine Page is diligent, hard-working and circumspect as proud horse whisperer Angie Lowe. There's one mis-step when the camera zooms in on the Duke's stunt double during Hondo's bucking bronco horse breaking, but it's mostly sure-footed. A scene in which Angie leans over a water well and finds herself surrounded is unforgettable. Check it out!
