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- THE SEARCHERS (1956) Screenplay by Frank S. Nugent, based on the novel by Alan Le May. Starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Wad Bond, Natalie Wood.
- THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, based on the novel by John Steinbeck. Starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Shirley Mills, John Qualen, Eddie Quillan.
- STAGECOACH (1939) Screenplay by Dudley Nichols, based on ‘The Stage to Lordsburg’ by Ernest Haycock. Starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, John Carradine, Andy Devine, George Bancroft.
- MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946) Screenplay by Samuel G. Engel and Winston Miller, story by Sam Hellman, based on the novel ‘Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal’ by Stuart N. Lake.
- Jeremy Urquhart
- Senior Author
- 'The Searchers' (1956) Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, and Natalie Wood. Few Westerns are quite as iconic as The Searchers, to the point where labeling it John Ford's greatest achievement as a filmmaker feels like a no-brainer.
- 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1940) Cast: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine. One year before he won a Best Director Oscar for How Green Was My Valley, John Ford also won for his work on The Grapes of Wrath.
- 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962) Cast: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, and Lee Marvin. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was one of John Ford's final Westerns, and arguably his last great one, too.
- 'Stagecoach' (1939) Cast: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, and John Carradine. Though it was released in 1939, which was an overall very strong year for American movies, Stagecoach still stands out, and is arguably one of the very best releases of its entire decade.
- 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962) Who's in it: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles. Starring John Wayne and James Stewart, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is a classic Western that explores the contrast between myth and reality in the American West.
- 'The Searchers' (1956) Who's in it: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood. Starring John Wayne, "The Searchers" is a Western masterpiece that tells the story of a relentless quest to rescue a kidnapped girl and the complexities of the characters involved.
- 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1940) Who's in it: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine. Based on John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath" is a powerful drama that follows the Joad family's journey from the Dust Bowl to California during the Great Depression.
- 'Stagecoach' (1939) Who's in it: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine. "Stagecoach" is a landmark Western film that follows a diverse group of travelers as they journey through dangerous territory.
- T Apache (1948) – 7.5
- Ng Mr. Lincoln (1939) – 7.6
- Ter Roberts (1955) – 7.7
- Green Was My Valley (1941) – 7.7
- Darling Clementine (1946) – 7.8
- Quiet Man (1952) – 7.8
- Gecoach (1939) – 7.9
- Searchers (1956) – 7.9
- Grapes of Wrath (1940) – 8.0
- Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – 8.1
Arguably the most ground-breaking western of the 1940s, Fort Apache’s brilliance lies in its subversion of the outdated and jingoistic ‘Cowboys vs. Indians’ narrative – painting its Native American characters as sympathetic victims of U.S. Cavalry’s increasingly violent outbursts. Starring an against-type Henry Fonda as the cavalry’s intolerant, wa...
Starring Henry Fonda as the sixteenth president of the United States, Young Mr. Lincolntells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s early years as an impoverished lawyer. The movie chronicles Lincoln’s first successful case, in which he defends a pair of brothers who are wrongly accused of murder. RELATED: 10 Of The Best Biopics To Watch Sure, the movie is...
Nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Actor – the latter of which was awarded to Jack Lemmon for his role in the movie – Mister Robertsis one of John Ford’s most beloved non-western movies. Following the crew of the U.S. Navy cargo ship ‘Reluctant,’ the movie explores the politics and personality clashes th...
Famous for beating the classic Citizen Kane at the 14th Academy Awards – boasting an impressive ten nominations – How Green Was My Valleyis based on the 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, which sees a working-class Welsh family navigate the harsh conditions of the South Wales coalfields. A poignant story about the socially destructive nature of indus...
Chronicling the famous conflict between lawman Wyatt Earp and the malicious Clanton gang, My Darling Clementinenot only stands as one of the definitive westerns in John Ford’s filmography but one of the definitive westerns of all time. RELATED: The 10 Best Classics Of All Time (According To Rotten Tomatoes) Featuring a pitch-perfect Henry Fonda as ...
1952’s romantic comedy-drama The Quiet Manisn’t exactly the kind of movie you’d expect from director John Ford. Following John Wayne’s Sean Thornton as he attempts to buy a farm and court the hot-headed Mary Kate Danaher – played brilliantly by the legendary Maureen O’Hara – the movie sees Sean’s efforts scuppered by her brother, the bitter, unplea...
With 1939 being considered one of the best years in the history of film, it should come as no surprise that Stagecoach released in that very year. Not only did the movie put a young John Wayne on the map, but its pristine execution served as a template for Orson Welles’ directorial efforts in Citizen Kane. RELATED: The 10 Best Movies Of All Time, A...
Argued by many to be the greatest western of John Ford’s career – if not of all time – The Searcherswas made forty years after the inception of Ford’s incredible career, and the movie bears the mark of a much more mature, nuanced storyteller. Chronicling the efforts of John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards to rescue his niece from the Comanche tribe who kidna...
Based on the classic novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, 1940’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrathis widely seen as one of the best movies ever made. Though its ending is decidedly more optimistic than its bleak source material, the movie is a harrowing depiction of the abject poverty of a Great Depression-era America. RELATED: Fans Preferred ...
Shot in the twilight of John Ford’s career, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceproves that the legendary director never lost his talent. A delightfully revisionist old west tale, the movie sees James Stewart’s Ranse Stoddard go head-to-head with the nefarious criminal Liberty Valance for the soul of Shinbone – a small frontier town. Offering a few fun...
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The 1962 film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was adapted from Dorothy M. Johnson’s story of the same name. Although movies in color were becoming popular at this time, John Ford insisted that the project must be done in black and white.
- The Searchers. The Searchers was one of John Ford’s color films, and considered one of the best Western movies of all time. Also starring John Wayne, the film tells the story of a civil war veteran who has embarked on a search for his missing niece with his adopted nephew.
- Mister Roberts. Mister Roberts is another piece that stars Henry Fonda and other famous players such as James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon.
- Young Mister Lincoln. A 1939 biographical movie about the American president, Young Mr. Lincoln follows the life of an adolescent Abraham Lincoln, played by Ford’s second choice next to Wayne, Henry Fonda.
Jul 10, 2024 · From John Ford's studio films to John Ford's independent films, this John Ford filmography keeps tabs on all John Ford movies, and lets the cream of the crop rise to the top. The list you're viewing has a variety of movies, like The Searchers and Stagecoach, in it.
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With over 140 directorial credits, Ford has helped shape what American Western cinema would eventually become and influenced virtually every foreign and American filmmaker who would ever make a Western, Sergio Leone included. These are the best John Ford movies ever made.
