directed
by John Ford
USA 1939
Based on the best selling novel by Walter D. Edmonds, “Drums
along the Mohawk” became Ford’s first color film. A huge commercial hit,
mainly because of its two stars, Fonda and Colbert, it went on to be an
overlooked, thus by many considered a minor, film by Ford in the shadow of
“Young Mr. Lincoln” and especially “Stagecoach”.
The story deals with a newly wed couple, who travels from “civilised” New York
to the Mohawk valley and settles downs as farmers. Hardly have they arrived,
before they are caught up in the revolutionary war.
Where Ford’s westerns are about history, about the men and women, especially
men, who created the USA, “Drums along the Mohawk” differs in motif, as its
not so much about the war itself or the men, but about a woman, as the story
concentrates on the transformation of Lana from naïve rich girl to an
independent frontier woman. Initially, she gets into a hysterical fit when
seeing an Indian for the first time, but towards the end, she is a woman of
action, fearing not even death, in protecting her community. This transition
is beautifully underlined by her costumes. as she to begin with comes complete
with bonnet and huge dresses, then changes into rural farmer clothes and
finally she wears a revolutionary army coat.
Alongside this stands the parallelism of duty (military) and faith (church).
It is by the words of the church unity is formed, which is underlined time and
time again, from the speeches of the minister to the notion, that only a
Christian Indian is a good Indian. At the end, however, the church is replaced
by the American flag, in a very moving sequence, where the American flag is
placed upon the church tower, juxtaposed by images of men, women, black, white
and Indian, all in awe of their flag, accompanied by the end tunes of “Star
Spangled Banner” (Home of the free, Land of the brave).
The problem with “Drums along the Mohawk” is however, that it shifts focus on
and off. Where the overall text deals with how American arose by victory over
the Tories, the story never leaves Mohawk Valley, so when the men are off to
war, we stay with the women, especially Lana. Thus it becomes a story about
Gil and Lana, which uses the war as a dramatic sub theme.
But despite being a minor Ford with an uneven structure, this is still a
beautiful film. It is full of Fordish humor and humanism and deserves
attention.
Poster
![]() |
Theatrical Release: November 3, 1939
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL
(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
DVD Box Covers |
|
|
Distribution |
20th Century Fox Region 1 - NTSC |
Optimum Releasing Region 2 - PAL |
Runtime | 1:43:52 | 1:39:47 (4% PAL speedup) |
Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
Bitrate:
Fox
|
|
|
Bitrate:
Optimum
|
|
|
Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (mono), DUBs: Spanish (mono), French (mono) |
English (Dolby Digital mono) |
Subtitles | English, Spanish, and none | None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters 24
|
Release Information:
Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
Comments |
Same deal as "Forty Guns" and "Warlock" as in this comparison. The Optimum is slightly sharper although differences are pretty negligible. The Fox has well-appointed optional subtitles and the Optimum has none. The Fox has a trailer for the film and a restoration comparison, where the Optimum has nothing. The Fox offers a Stereo option where the Optimum is only monaural. I don't see any significant cropping issues and as both are very reasonably priced.
Gary W Tooze
|
DVD Menus
(20th
Century Fox
- Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
|
|
|
|
![]() |
|
|
|
Screen Captures
(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
|
NO SUBTITLES ON OPTIMUM DISC |
(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
|
![]() |
(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
|
![]() |
(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
|
![]() |
(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
|
![]() |
Recommended Reading
for Western Genre Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
The Crowded Prairie: American National Identity in
the Hollywood Western (Cinema and Society) by Michael Coyne |
The Invention of the Western Film : A Cultural
History of the Genre's First Half Century (Genres in American Cinema S.) by Scott Simmon |
The Searchers (Bfi Film Classics) by Edward Buscombe |
The Western Genre by John Saunders |
Westerns: Films through History (AFI
Film Readers) by Janet Walker |
Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in
Twentieth-Century America by Richard Slotkin |
The Western (Inside Film) by David Lusted |
Red River (Bfi Film Classics) by Suzanne Liandrat-Guigues |
Check out more in "The Library"
DVD Box Covers |
|
|
Distribution |
20th Century Fox Region 1 - NTSC |
Optimum Releasing Region 2 - PAL |
Report Card:
Image: |
as good as a tie |
Sound: |
20th Century Fox |
Extras: | 20th Century Fox |
Menu: | 20th Century Fox |
John Ford's - Drums Along the Mohawk - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford's - Drums Along the Mohawk - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford's - Drums Along the Mohawk - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford's - Drums Along the Mohawk - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford's - Drums Along the Mohawk - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford's - Drums Along the Mohawk - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk John Ford DVD Review Drums Along the Mohawk