She said that as a director, he doesn't seem to know how to communicate with actresses.
Although this view is extremely emotional and personal, it also shows to a large extent that in John Ford, women should have a subordinate position. Women are not the protagonists of his works. At best, they are only men's foils. When actors get along, they are not as happy as Hitchcock and Gu Ke.
Ford's movies are men's movies, expressing the world of men. Even if there are women in this world, it is just one of the countless tests of how men should make choices in this world. He is a master of Western movies, and his work is a textbook of mainstream American conservatism. He promotes tradition and authority, the dominance of men and the obedience of women. Even among them, there are signs of rebellion, which is also out of a kind of injustice. Rebelling, in the end, his protagonist always obeys authority and leads a plain and traditional American Puritan life.
Most of his heroes are taciturn, calm and resolute tough guys, no matter facing evil forces or unruly women, they conquer each other with an unquestionable majesty. And this American-style solution is face-to-face-duel, with the legacy of European knights and the Anglo-Saxon's demands for fairness.
His films have influenced many mainstream film directors so far. Their narrative style is classicism. From the appearance of characters, the account of contradictions, to the resolution of the final conflict, it is not difficult for anyone who is used to watching American movies to find this routine.
The climax of every movie that expresses the contest between justice and evil is at the end of the movie, just like the final duel of a western movie.
As an American of Irish descent, Ford is good at making films with Irish local features with his high nationalism and understanding of traditional culture. The most famous is "The Whistleblower". Although this movie is a humorous family comedy on the surface, its means of expression and central idea are still the motifs of that western movie. How should a man choose when facing an unjust world alone.
The story itself is actually nothing surprising. A former boxer returned to his hometown in Ireland and wanted to live a normal country life. But he fell in love with an old girl who had a tyrannical and stingy elder brother, with red hair, and a fierce personality. After many twists and turns, she finally married her in, but because of offending the eldest brother-in-law, she didn't get the dowry she deserved. Because the local folk customs are conservative and regard women who are not married as a shame, this grumpy woman is quite annoyed, thinking that her husband’s refusal to argue with her elder brother is incompetent, and she is angrily preparing to leave home.
The man immediately dragged the woman off the train and returned to his family's home to severely teach the two brothers and sisters. He won the respect of the whole village with his superb boxing skills.
In the end, the couple reconciled, and the eldest brother-in-law also conceded defeat, and married the wealthy widow with the tape on his face, and they all ended happily.
This is a movie about men. This man used to be a brave professional boxer. He accidentally beat his opponent to death in a match, so he regretted it. Since then, he hated violence and returned to his hometown incognito. There is only one priest who knows his true identity.
A lonely man came to a strange town, faced with a tough woman and a series of troubles caused by her. The conflict in this drama is the woman and the dowry, but this setting itself is still to show the man's choice and The way to solve it.
As a bloody man, he doesn't care about a woman's dowry, nor does he want to fight for money. All he loves is the woman herself, which shows a slight Ford-style rebellion against traditional habits.
However, when this indifference to tradition finally formed a huge contradiction, when women regarded themselves as an insult to themselves, and when they resisted leaving home, this man who could not bear it for most of the film Finally, there was a complete explosion. Under the attention of everyone, an open boxing match was held, showing that his bravery and generosity has won people's respect. In the end, everything returned to tradition, and his wife was no longer arrogant and became a well-behaved little woman. He was an indisputable authority and a man.
This is Ford's principle. Authority must be respected. Despite many shortcomings, tradition must be adhered to.
The two protagonists of the film are the director's queen beloved generals, John Wayne and Marlin O'Hara.
John Wayne is a believer in Great Americanism and is known for his conservative political stance. He is an anti-Communist vanguard and a supporter of the Vietnam War. He is the incarnation of an American father. He is majestic, traditional, fortitude, tenacity, and no lack of warmth and humor. It is a model of American traditional ideals.
In shaping this character, Wayne’s performance is as always in keeping with his own style, introverted, reserved, and calm. On the surface, everything looks as peaceful as lake water. However, when all the accumulated power erupts, Just like the momentum of thunder sweeping through thousands of troops, the overwhelming posture appeared before people's eyes.
The explosion of this point is based on the relief of most of the film. Therefore, for most of the time, the rhythm of the film is tepid, lyrical and relaxed, and only a little bit of violent point is also resolved by the protagonist's patience. Only in the last moments did he take action, and it was precise and powerful, so the audience watched it very vividly, even cheering loudly.
This is a real man, docile like a lamb, brave like a lion, like the general who loves to grow flowers in Hugo's writings. No one knows that this gentle man is a powerful general.
Because he never slapped the weak, only resisted the strong and evil.
In the film, he fell in love with a wild girl who everyone was afraid of, which proved his courage and perseverance. One scene was a rainy night in the cemetery. The woman felt cold and frightened. He took off his clothes and put on her, hugging her tightly to comfort her.
When his wife misunderstood her and prohibited him from entering the room, he angrily slammed the door in, but still respected her wishes and did not use her husband's legal violence against her.
All kinds of behaviors show that he is a resolute and bold political man who does not fear evil, protects the weak, and a quiet person who does not speak much, but always appears at the right time.
The film is full of strong Irish folk colors, cheerful and lively, especially in the final country duel, showing the director's outstanding talent in comedy.
To truly understand this movie, in addition to knowing something about westerns, it is also necessary to understand the special significance of boxing to Americans and Irish immigrants.
I adore this quiet man, just like Burns’s poem---
If you stand in the cold wind, alone on the grass,
My hut will block the fierce wind and protect you.
If disaster falls on you like a storm,
I will warm you with my breasts,
share everything , share everything,
if I stand in the terrible wilderness, and the darkness will turn my way. Mystery, even
the desert becomes a paradise,
as long as there is you.
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