Quintessential john wayne, a quintessential westernin. Learning to swim from john wayne hondo 1953 smyrnian authority. The supporting cast features geraldine page as waynes leading lady, ward bond, james. Hondo 1953 immediately following completion of island in the sky, wayne had to fly to a remote location in mexico to star in hondo. Hondo had been a confederate soldier living with the apaches under chief vittorio, but when his wife, the chiefs daughter, was killed in a massacre, hondo joined the army to help prevent more massacres and. In hondo, john wayne plays a hardbitten cavalry scout who is humanized by frontierswoman. May 26, 2019 what a treat, then, that moma has been playing the 1953 film hondo, in 3d. Out of distribution for years, hondo 1953, one of the key westerns starring the duke, was finally restored by the john wayne society in 1995 and made available for viewings again. The year 1953 in film involved some significant events. The moviedb overview click to view army despatch rider hondo lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring apaches, and he becomes their protector. Not for the last time, he found himself in difficulties attempting to function solely as a producer. The complete series boxed set, manufactured on demand.
The contingency allowance may be a flat sum, but in most instances it is a fixed percentage of direct production costs i. When hondo is introduced to the young cavalry lieutenant, buffalo baker remarks that it is 1870. Out of the gun smoke into her heart army despatch rider hondo lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring apaches, and he becomes their protector. As the chief walks away hondo tells the woman the chief was only testing himthat apaches detest lies. Waynes performance is outstanding, matched in intensity by love interest geraldine page, in her screen debut. Hondo was originally filmed in the then popular 3d process which explains the emphasis on foreground shots and a few comin at ya 3d process shots. Wayne had wanted an unknown actress to play the part of angie lowe, a pioneer woman with a handsome but slightly weathered face. The screenplay is based on the july 5, 1952 colliers short story the gift of cochise by louis lamour. Shot on location in mexico in cooperation with warner brothers, the film boasted many highprofile aspects. This article needs additional citations for verification. Hondo 1953 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
Hondo is a 1953 warnercolor 3d western film directed by john farrow and starring john. Hondo 1953, which is set to play june july 4 at the museum of modern art. Film production completion bond allen financial insurance group. Army dispatch rider hondo lane discovers a woman and young son living in the midst of warring apaches and becomes their protector. Watch hondo movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at. Apr 30, 2018 hondo 1953 army despatch rider hondo lane discovers a woman and young son living in the midst of warring apaches and becomes their protector. Nevertheless, as it does in other respects, by its conclusion hondo. By the time the film was released at the end of 1953, the 3d craze was over and it was on to cinemascope. Unfortunately, for many years it was not easily available, so that, while waynes john ford epics became canonized, hondo was largely forgotten. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Hondo lane wayne is a cavalry rider who encounters angie and johnny lowe page and aaker, a mother and son homesteading near apache territory angies husband is away on business.
Actually the director was suspense expert john farrow, who worked with the duke only twice in his career the second film was an oddball war drama, the sea chase 55. Hondo 1953 an embittered indian scout attempts to escort a homesteaders wife and her son back to safety after her cowardly husband deserts her during an apache attack. Hondo is so perfect a john ford western that many people assume it was directed by john fordor at the very least, andrew mclaglen. Hondo is a 1953 warnercolor 3d western film directed by john farrow and starring john wayne and geraldine page. Hondo internet movie firearms database guns in movies, tv. Page, an acclaimed stage actress, was perfect for the part. The value of an idea has nothing to do with the honesty of the man expressing it. Film footage from hondo was later incorporated into the opening sequence of waynes last film, the shootist, to illustrate the backstory of waynes character. With john wayne, geraldine page, ward bond, michael pate. Michael pate had a recurring role as apache chief vittoro, hondos former fatherinlaw. John wayne, ward bond, geraldine page, james arness, leo gordon, michael pate official content from mpi home video well made tale of. Maltin, who also provides a commentary track for the film, muses on the importance of hondo in light of the 50s tonal shift in the western genre. Hondo 1953 cast and crew an embittered indian scout attempts to escort a homesteaders wife and her son back to safety after her cowardly husband deserts her during an apache attack. John wayne i believe payed lamour five thousand for the hondo rights.
Based the short story a gift of cochise, author lamour reworked it into a novel that sold 3,000,000 copies, the first with his real name attached. Warner brothers supplied the production with the newly developed all media camera, which could shoot in any format, including 3d, using twin lenses placed slightly apart to produce the stereoscopic effect necessary for it. This is a fun enough western that will leave you engaged from start to finish. John waynes western masterpiece hondo 1953 has long been heralded by critics as one of the dukes finest independent achievements. Hondo is still one of waynes more popular works to date, largely based on the status of wayne himself rather than the added allure of a john ford or a howard. Little does he know that the greatest peril he shall face is angie lowe geraldine page, a farmer more stubborn.
John farrow directs the film which stars john wayne, geraldine page, and ward bond. Hondo is about a rough tough cowboy who makes his way through the scorching heat of the arizona desert with only his ornery mangy dog, sam, for a companion. The completion guarantor will require the producer to include an adequate contingency allowance in the budget. The screenplay is based on the short story the gift of cochise by louis lamour. Otherwise though, hondo falls back on standard archetypes and lazy storytelling to pad out its narrative which is never really that interesting to begin with. It is somewhat a retelling of hamlet, in that hondo kills a young boys father, marries the boys mother and becomes a father figure for the boy. The distributing studio warner brothers did everything it could.
Hondo 1953 trailer hd john wayne geraldine page ward bond. Sep 21, 20 by the time the film was released in late 1953, the 3d fad had already passed, and hondo was mostly seen in a more normal format. Intermission card from hondo 1953 the end card from hondo 1953 supplementary. In 1954, hondo was the 16th highest grossing film of the year, and the 106th top grossing film of all time. This film marked one of the first appearances of geraldine page, who had been a popular stage actress.
Page would receive an oscar nomination for her work, and then make no major film. Hondo remains everybodys favorite john wayne film that isnt every other john wayne film. Angie and her sixyearold son, johnny, work the land while her husband is away. John wayne and his producing partner robert fellows wanted to shoot the film in the trendsetting 3d format. Their romance is blocked by the fact that he is a half breed. The supporting cast features ward bond, james arness and leo gordon. Hondojohn wayne, geraldine page, ward bond, james arness, lee aaker, leo gordon 1953. It concerns hondo lane, a former confederate cavalry officer who had moved west following the civil war and taken an indian bride, only to see her killed as part of a massacre of indians conducted by united states army troops. Hondo is a 1953 western starring john wayne as hondo lane, a stranger who befriends a homestead wife and her son and then finds himself defending them from apache raids. An army dispatch rider on the edge of indian territory, his work is pitted with perils, from indian war bands to stubborn homesteaders. Then on november 25 the times reported that movie officials where here to prepare for the world premier of hondo starring john wayne. Based on the louis lamour story the gift of cochise, this sparkling western has wayne as a halfindian cavalry scout who, with his feral dog companion, finds a young woman and her son living on a isolated ranch in unfriendly apache country. The book hondo was a novelization of the film also written by lamour, and. Based on his short story the gift of the cochise published in colliers magazine in 1952, hondo is the 1953 novelization of the eponymous film written by american author louis lamour.
Set in 1870 arizona, the story follows hondo lane, a u. Hondo warns her the apaches are on the war path, but she refuses to clear out. Hondo is based on the 1953 3d film of the same name starring john wayne and geraldine page, which was in turn an offshoot of an early louis lamour novel. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of hondo by louis lamour. In the final indian chase at the conclusion of the film, when a covered wagon rolls over, one can see the rope that was used to ensure it. He does work around the homestead to pay for one of their horses to use. Im always surprised how many john wayne films ive never seen. Jun 12, 2015 hondo, in any case, was released in late 1953, just as the initial 3d fad was starting to wane. While john farrow was credited as the director of hondo, several of the films battle scenes were directed by an. Such compassion was left out of the screen play with hondo wanting sam to make it on his own through the film. Angel and the badmanjohn wayne on filmthe star packerblue steel movie online. Hondo, comparison of short story to film essay sample.
Hondo is a 1953 warnercolor 3d western film starring john wayne and directed by john farrow. Later, when the survivors return to the ranch, they claim to have killed victorio. In the book when hondo is returning the horse he borrowed,sam the dog is scooped up by hondo and he flees holding sam. A time when the western cast off its one dimensional approach of cowboycavalry heroes slaughtering the enemy indians purely as an entertainment medium. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events.
However, by the time the film was completed, public interest in 3d had started to wane. After viewing the film at one point, wayne supposedly declared, ill be. Out on the new mexico territory, in the middle of apache country, sits the lowe ranch. Hondo internet movie firearms database guns in movies. A good, though not great, western, hondo nonetheless stands out from other movies of its era. A former confederate officer tries to keep the peace between the apaches and white settlers. Theatrical trailer for the 1953 western hondo starring john wayne and oscarnominee geraldine page. Hondo is a former confederate officer, the best scout and spy on either side. Hondo is a film directed by john farrow with john wayne, geraldine page, ward bond, michael pate, year. The film has been unavailable for viewing for about 15 years. The film s biggest positives is that it has a lot of intimate moments which provides a fair amount of charm, and the large number of extras give hondo some impressive scale.
For its time 1953 the violence on film was grim but loved seeing that in a john wayne film. Somehow, over the years ive missed seeing hondo 1953, which. New yorkers, you have one more chance to get your ass there. A poetic and exciting script, outstanding performances, and breathtaking scenery make this an indisputable classic. Quintessential john wayne, a quintessential western. At the lowe ranch, angie and her sixyearold son, johnny, work the land while her husband is away. One day, a man named lane, arrives on foot asking for help after losing his horse in a confrontation with indians. Hondo lane, a despatch rider for the cavalry, encounters angie lowe, a woman living alone with her young son in the midst of hostile apache territory. Based on the book by louis lamour and the 1953 john wayne movie of the same title, hondo follows the life of hondo lane, a cavalry scout living in the arizona territory during the 1870s.
It played in 3d for about a week and was released simultaneously in 2d, which is how the film was and remains widely seen. The film was adapted from a short story by louis lamour, who would later write the novelization for the movie. Hondo lane, producer geraldine page angie lowe ward bond buffalo michael pate vittorio james arness lennie rodopho rudy acosta silva leo gordon ed lowe tom irish lieutenant mckay lee aaker johnny lowe paul fix major sherry rayford barnes pete lassie the dog crew john farrow director alfred ybarra art director archie j. It was said to be waynes personal favorite of all of his westerns and the storyline has a classic simplicity which captures the true spirit of the frontier. This films portrayal of american indians hondo 1953. And, in return for a pardon, hes tasked with making peace with a belligerent apache chief michael pate, reprising his film role who happens to be his former fatherinlaw. Angie, determinedly awaiting the return of her brutish husband leo gordon, refuses to leave their homestead despite the growing danger from nearby warring native american tribes. Hondo isnt by any means the dukes best film, but it is far from his worst. The chief tells the woman to hold onto her man hondo because he is a good man. John wayne plays hondo lane, a cavalry rider who becomes the designated protector of the strongwilled angie lowe geraldine page as well as a father figure to her boy, johnny lee aaker.
The book hondo was a novelization of the film also written by lamour, and published by gold medal books in 1953. John wayne plays the character of hondo lane in the novel turned 1953 film hondo. Hondo was directed by john farrow but certainly reminds one of john fords films and stars his usual alist actor john wayne in a western film, albeit a little offbeat one. Kathie brown played angie dow, who runs a general store at fort lowell.
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