John Ford westerns are classics. Yes he uses scenery to great effect but it is also the characters he portrays. Everybody is different and for that reason they feel real. Nobody looks like a Hollywood actor who has just left his or her car in the parking lot and come on set. Sheer brilliance. There is not a bad John Ford western but clearly Stagecoach and the Searchers head the list but the others are by no means second story.
+Kohl423 Don't forget "non-western" masterpiece John Ford films like "The Grapes Of Wrath", "How Green Was My Valley", and "The Quiet Man" too. Stunning work every bit as good as "The Searchers", or "Stagecoach".
Spielberg's two most recent films, Lincoln and War Horse are marvelous examples of contemporary filmmaking and storytelling at its best. I thought that War Horse was particularly moving and beautifully done; as good as Ford at his best. Similarly, Lincoln, as stunningly portrayed by Daniel Day Lewis, is a film that will stand the test of time.
War Horse had stripes of How Green Was My Valley and The Quiet Man. Last Crusade and Close Encounters were homages to Monument Valley shots used by Ford.
Ford, Capra, Hawks and Kubrick were to film what guys like Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard were to rock n' roll. Everyone and everything that came after them in film are eternally indebted to them.
Jim Koenig the opening as well reminded me of How Green Was My Valley and The Quiet Man. The opening of Last Crusade was something ripped from The Searchers.
seems that all the great directors harken back to visual artists (painters, still photographers etc;) as a reference point to build their visual language. One of the most glaringly obvious is Stanley Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon'. That film is literally a landscape painting with moving figures in it
I'm 14 years old and I have seen nearly every major black and white movie and I love it. my favourites are in no particular order citizen Kane a trip to the moon der golem nostefaru universal monsters physcho and loads more
Black and white movies give a very unique sense of history and very often of the peace of mind. Thank You very much for sharing Your thoughts and viewing preferences.
