If you were to ask me who was my favorite pick out of all of the actors who have played Wyatt Earp over the past century (Burt Lancaster, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, James Garner, etc) I would have to pick Henry Fonda and the favorite film about Earp and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral would probably be the one he's tied to: John Ford's poetic Western "My Darling Clementine." Now if one is looking for historical accuracy, one will be vastly disappointed. But if one is looking for artistic, allegorical, and poetic film-making at its very best, from one of the greatest directors who ever lived, then, well you get the idea.
Unlike a great many other films of the same tale, "My Darling Clementine" may be in plot about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and the plot may lead up to the inevitable gunfight at the O.K. Corral. But in terms of the story, that's not at all what it's about. I guess part of the reason why Ford chose to make a less-than-accurate version of the story was because he wanted to give us the poetic view of the West and the changing times and therefore some alterations had to be made from the facts. The movie is really about the transformation of the Western front from the dusty, raucous and untamed prairie into the dawn of civilization.
Unlike other adaptations, such as "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957), "My Darling Clementine" uses real-life characters and invents some fictional ones to be allegorical personifications of the fate of the Western frontier. The undisputed villain of the story, Old Man Clanton played magnificently by Walter Brennan, represents the rowdy lawlessness that people tend to associate with when they think of the Old West. Victor Mature as the tubercular Doc Holliday represents the slow death of this generation. Wyatt Earp is portrayed in a gentler, more sophisticated manner by Henry Fonda, who doesn't even carry a gun throughout most of the film. This is perhaps Ford's way of showing that the real tamer of the West was a calm mind and human intellect rather than a quick hand with a six-gun. Part of the reason why I admire Fonda's performance so much is that he uses not physical force, but psychology, a smart use of words, and a cemented stubbornness to bring order to town. And perhaps the most important character in the story is the title character, a woman, Clementine played by Cathy Downs. The movie makes a gradual change in tone after her introduction, because she represents the oncoming of civilization. And like civilization, some welcome here, some try to push her out, but her presence does not go unnoticed.
Unlike other retellings, "My Darling Clementine" takes the liberty of excusing numerous scenes of gunplay and violence, placing the majority of them at the beginning and in the climactic shootout at the end. In other movies, this routine either slows down the pacing or transforms the story into basically a run-of-the-mill action picture. Ford gives us enough violence to show how rowdy the West once was, but fazed it away as it did once civilization and law began to take over.
"My Darling Clementine" would probably be a universally loved Western if it were more accurate for the historians. Being familiar with the real story of Wyatt Earp, I spotted inaccuracy after inaccuracy, but it didn't spoil my fun, for I realized what Ford was doing. He wasn't interested in simply telling the same story over again. And the greatest and most memorable part of this Western is not the gunfight, but rather a very sweet little scene where Wyatt Earp and Clementine dance at the dedication of a church, another sign of changing times.
Unlike a great many other films of the same tale, "My Darling Clementine" may be in plot about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and the plot may lead up to the inevitable gunfight at the O.K. Corral. But in terms of the story, that's not at all what it's about. I guess part of the reason why Ford chose to make a less-than-accurate version of the story was because he wanted to give us the poetic view of the West and the changing times and therefore some alterations had to be made from the facts. The movie is really about the transformation of the Western front from the dusty, raucous and untamed prairie into the dawn of civilization.
Unlike other adaptations, such as "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957), "My Darling Clementine" uses real-life characters and invents some fictional ones to be allegorical personifications of the fate of the Western frontier. The undisputed villain of the story, Old Man Clanton played magnificently by Walter Brennan, represents the rowdy lawlessness that people tend to associate with when they think of the Old West. Victor Mature as the tubercular Doc Holliday represents the slow death of this generation. Wyatt Earp is portrayed in a gentler, more sophisticated manner by Henry Fonda, who doesn't even carry a gun throughout most of the film. This is perhaps Ford's way of showing that the real tamer of the West was a calm mind and human intellect rather than a quick hand with a six-gun. Part of the reason why I admire Fonda's performance so much is that he uses not physical force, but psychology, a smart use of words, and a cemented stubbornness to bring order to town. And perhaps the most important character in the story is the title character, a woman, Clementine played by Cathy Downs. The movie makes a gradual change in tone after her introduction, because she represents the oncoming of civilization. And like civilization, some welcome here, some try to push her out, but her presence does not go unnoticed.
Unlike other retellings, "My Darling Clementine" takes the liberty of excusing numerous scenes of gunplay and violence, placing the majority of them at the beginning and in the climactic shootout at the end. In other movies, this routine either slows down the pacing or transforms the story into basically a run-of-the-mill action picture. Ford gives us enough violence to show how rowdy the West once was, but fazed it away as it did once civilization and law began to take over.
"My Darling Clementine" would probably be a universally loved Western if it were more accurate for the historians. Being familiar with the real story of Wyatt Earp, I spotted inaccuracy after inaccuracy, but it didn't spoil my fun, for I realized what Ford was doing. He wasn't interested in simply telling the same story over again. And the greatest and most memorable part of this Western is not the gunfight, but rather a very sweet little scene where Wyatt Earp and Clementine dance at the dedication of a church, another sign of changing times.