MY DARLING CLEMENTINE

This is maybe a unique John Ford Western in that it is about real Wild west characters and events.  In this case we’re in Tombstone so of course the film must climax with the gunfight at the OK Corral.  

Not that you would know this from the title, which was apparently chosen by Ford simply because he liked the song.  Accordingly a fictional character, Clementine Carter, was created as a love interest for Wyatt Earp.

Many other liberties were taken so that what we have here bears very little resemblance to actuality.

This is a story about two warring families, the Earps and the Clantons.  The former consist of four brothers at the outset, although two are killed by Old Man Clanton before we get to the gunfight itself.  The first brother is killed early on when the Clantons (father and four sons) steal the Earps’ cattle.  This prompts Wyatt to become marshal but if the viewer is expecting an exciting revenge tale they will be disappointed.

Instead Ford directs at a leisurely pace, with the Clantons not much to be seen, and Wyatt is played by Henry Fonda at his most laconic and laid back. 

The main relationship on view is between Wyatt and Doc Holiday, the latter is played by Victor Mature as a doomed and tragic figure who is dying from tuberculosis.  He's a complex character who is very well educated but full of self loathing.  He's the opposite to Wyatt, who is very happy in his own skin, but eventually a bond of mutual respect grows between them.

The only time we see Doc happy is towards the end, just after he has carried out what seems at first to have been a successful operation to save the life of his girl Chihuahua (Linda Darnell).

Ford stamps his pictorial authority (as one critic called it) on every frame - the stark black and white photography is a delight throughout.  Combined with the lack of much of a musical score makes for a restful if somewhat austere picture, punctuated by the odd bit of humour, such as the town barber’s enthusiasm for all things new.

I can understand why it is beloved by critics even if I would have liked rather more excitement and action, especially since the romance between Wyatt and Clementine is lukewarm at best.