Was John Ford religious? Though set in Mexico, this is essentially the story of Jesus, and Three Godfathers, made the following year, is a parable about the three wise men. He was Catholic though not a church-goer.
Based on a Graham Greene novel 'The Power and the Glory', it harks back to the anti-clerical rule in Mexico in the 1920s.
Henry Fonda is the last remaining priest in Mexico who finds he is unable to flee the country. There's a great scene where he is summoned to pronounce last rites on a dying man but has no wine, so heads to a dodgy hotel to get some, but the proprietors start drinking it. Then he's arrested for having brandy (alcohol is also illegal). Another great scene where soldiers are after him but he's fallen asleep outside the taverna and no one notices him.
It's actually very interesting and looks amazing thanks to Gabriel Figueroa, who trained under Gregg Toland and was also responsible for eminent Mexican films La Perla and Maria Candeleria, Bunuel's Nazarin, El, Simon of the Desert and Los Olvidados, and later for Under the Volcano, The Night of the Iguana, Kelly's Heroes and Two Mules for Sister Sarah.
With Dolores del Rio (Mexican star who made it big in Hollywood in the 1920s), Pedro Armendariz, J. Caroll Naish (the informer), Leo Carillo, Ward Bond, John Qualen.
Ford: "It came out the way I wanted it to - that's why it's one of my favourite pictures.. It wasn't popular...It had a lot of damn good photography, and we'd wait for the light - instead of the way it is nowadays where regardless of the light, you shoot."
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| Shots like this were making me think of de Cirico |
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