Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

(1949)

I’m far from a John Wayne fan, but in the right part, he’s hard to beat. This is part of the John Ford “Cavalry Trilogy,” the only one in color, and it’s a doozy. The Monument Valley has never looked so good in saturated Technicolor. They also used some camera tricks to make it come even more alive. Wayne is a retiring cavalry officer, and all he wants to do is prevent an Indian war with the Cheyenne. He finally manages to do so. Wayne was actually too young for this part, but with a little gray in his hair he handles it all very well.