Another piece of Ford brilliance: warm, witty, tender, poignant. Small town Virginia - the Civil War is over, and what remains of North-South hostilities is played out in respectful admiration with duels over banjo-played songs and flag 'borrowing'. Great script from Laurence Stallings from stories by Irvin S Cobb, story involves election battle between Judge Billy Priest, and town secret concerning the local Madame. Funeral procession scene is one of those that are so simply done yet so deep and moving. Lots of understatement and plot being revealed slowly, subtle looks and touches, lots of fondness for black community - scene where he saves boy from lynching, whilst similar to Young Mr Lincoln, is wonderfully gripping.
Great score from Victor Young, shot by Archie Stout.
Charles Winnegar great as drinking Judge. With Arleen Whelan, John Russell (no-good returnee), Stepin Fetchit (I maintain the source for the best friend character in Forrest Gump!), Russell Simpson (Doctor), Ludwig Stossel, John's brother Francis Ford (permanently drunken marksman), Slim Pickens, Eve March, Jane Darwell.
Ford: "It's my favourite picture - I love it. And it's true to life, it happened. Irvin Cobb got everything he wrote from real life, and that's the best of his Judge Priest stories." (Ford talking to Peter Bogdanovich, 1966.) It was a remake of his own Judge Priest in 1934.
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