HONDO (1953)

Hondo is the name of a scout played by John Wayne. He ends up coming into the life of a woman and her young son who are living in Apache territory. The woman’s husband, another army scout, has abandoned them to their fate. As the Apache’s revolt against the constraints on them, the family, the scout and the army collide.

Independently produced western from John Wayne is one of his better ones. Shot in 3D, but more to emphasize the expanse of the open plains as opposed to the having things land in your lap, this is a glorious looking film that truly makes you feel as though there is fast nothingness around our characters. This is one of the few westerns you’ll ever see that puts in in the place where the events take place without the sense of there being a huge crowd just out of the shot.

The casting is perfect. Even though Wayne stepped in when Glenn Ford dropped out, he still manages to add color to his patented stoic hero with a heart of gold. There is enough here that you know he wasn’t walking through the shoot. Geraldine Page is excellent in one of her first big screen roles. She gives her homesteader tons of shading and you buy the emotional twists she goes through.

I really like this film a great deal. I love the complexity of the characters across the board. No one is one note anywhere along the line. I love that you have real turns of things like the Apache’s wanting the homesteaders out but at the same time finding that the small boy wins them over and thus get a pass, and other characters have shifting and opposing views of Wayne and each other.

The one problem with the film is the similarity to Shane. While it is similar but in no way a remake or even a riff (both films are based on novels from different authors), you can’t help but think of Alan Ladd film which came out shortly before. I think this a problem in that Hondo was very difficult to see for a long time, with it not playing on TV or in repertory as much as the Ladd film. Regardless of the similarity Hondo stands on its own two feet, and in my personal opinion I think this is the better film since its has less iconic moments but more real characters.

Highly recommended