My Darling Clementine

Beyond any shadow of a doubt, My Darling Clementine is one of the best westerns ever made! With captivating performances, an iconic soundtrack, an atmospheric landscape and John Ford’s assured direction you know that you will get something well beyond the run of the mill.

Whilst out cattle-driving, the Earp brothers (Wyatt, Morgan, James and Virgil) encounter Old Man Clanton (Walter Brennan) and one of his sons. Initially ole Clanton appears to be on the friendly side and makes an offer to Wyatt (Henry Fonda) to buy the herd. Raising the offer twice, Wyatt still refuses the deal. The set look on Clanton Jr’s. face and Old Clanton’s grimace inform us pretty quickly that we are dealing with the bad guys here. Old Clanton furthermore informs the brothers about the nearby boomtown of Tombstone and the Earps ride on, leaving youngest brother James (Don Garner) behind to look after the herd… which is exactly what the scheming Clantons wanted. No sooner have Wyatt, Morgan (Ward Bond) and Virgil (Tim Holt) arrived in town and are badly in need of a shave when trouble erupts in this lawless place. A drunken Indian is shooting up the town and bullets fly through the adjoining barbershop. In this town of rattlesnakes and cowards there are only two men who’ve got some bottle, one is absent, and the other is of course our Wyatt. Suffice to say it doesn’t take him long to sort out the situation and is promptly offered the job of town’s Marshall! Whilst thinking about the proposition, Wyatt and his brothers return to the camp – only to find little brother James murdered and the cattle rustled. It is now that Wyatt returns to Tombstone to accept the position and to appoint his brothers as deputies. One evening while playing poker in the local saloon with the card sharp, Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) makes his big entrance and orders the card sharp to get the hell out of town. Thus begins a friendship that went down in history. The self-destructive Doc has his own problems, amongst them a penchant for booze, consumption, and two girlfriends. Enter girlfriend number one – semi-prostitute and all-round bad girl Chihuahua (Linda Darnell) who is in cohorts with the card sharp. Consequently, she and Wyatt get off to somewhat of a bad start. A short while later, girlfriend number two arrives unexpectedly in Tombstone: Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs), who is in fact Doc’s former flame and has travelled across the West to in search of her man. In contrast to the fiery Chihuahua we have a real goody-goody-two-shoes in Clementine. It takes a while for the fine and noble Wyatt to realise his feeling for Clementine though she is still hopelessly and blindly in love with Doc.

Meanwhile, and matters of the heart aside, it doesn’t take Wyatt and new pal Doc long to figure out that the Clantons are responsible for the theft and the murder, but solid proof is needed. However, matters soon come to a head when reckless Billy Clanton commits a misdemeanour in town and Wyatt tells brother Virgil to go get him. Indeed he does and the naïve and fair-minded Virgil rides to the Clanton farm to make an arrest. What d’ya know, Old Man Clanton simply shoots him in the back and soon the stage is set for the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral (which in reality lasted a mere 30 seconds).

Despite the film’s title (based on the old folk song and misleading to say the least) the lady in question, Clementine, has very little to do with the central plot and is a rather insignificant part for little known actress Cathy Downs. As soon as we hear the name Wyatt Earp we know where we are and where the actual plot is leading to – yes, the OK Corral.
Along with John Wayne, Henry Fonda was one of director Ford’s favourites and Fonda certainly does not disappoint in the role of Wyatt Earp, giving us a deep and impassioned performance. Linda Darnell’s ‘Chihuahua’ is full of verve and chutzpah, though Victor Mature is ostensibly not ideal casting as Doc Holliday but does a pretty good job nonetheless.

John Ford’s direction was always big and here it is no different: full of brilliant touches! So you need to see the film again and again to appreciate what’s really on offer. We even are treated to an amusing little cameo by English actor Alan Mowbray as traveling Shakespearean thesp Granville Thorndyke.
The real Tombstone is actually situated nowhere near the location used in the film, but who can blame Ford for using the awe-inspiring Monument Valley – itself an integral part of the film.

My Darling Clementine (1946) is the third film based on Stuart Lake’s 1931 novel ‘Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal’. The second film, Frontier Marshal (1939), is included in the abundantly overgenerous and oh so interesting Special Features.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

* High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of My Darling Clementine’s theatrical and ‘pre-release’ versions and Frontier Marshal
* Original uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound
* Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw

BLU-RAY DISC 1: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (THEATRICAL VERSION):

* 4K digital film restoration
* Commentary on the theatrical version by author Scott Eyman and Earp’s grandson, Wyatt Earp III
* John Ford and Monument Valley – a 2013 documentary on the director’s lifelong association with Utah’s Monument Valley containing interviews with Peter Cowie (author of John Ford and the American West), John Ford, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Martin Scorsese
* Movie Masterclass – a 1988 episode of the Channel 4 series, devoted to My Darling Clementine and presented by Lindsay Anderson
* Lost and Gone Forever – a visual essay by Tag Gallagher on the themes that run through My Darling Clementine and the film’s relationship with John Ford’s other works
* Stills gallery
* Theatrical Trailer

BLU-RAY DISC 2: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (‘PRE-RELEASE’ VERSION), FRONTIER MARSHAL AND OTHER WYATT EARP TALES [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]:

* 2K digital film restoration of the ‘pre-release’ version of My Darling Clementine
* What is the Pre-Release Version? – a documentary by Robert Gitt, Senior Film Preservation Officer at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, comparing the two versions of My Darling Clementine
* High Definition digital film transfer of Frontier Marshal, Allan Dwan’s 1939 Wyatt Earp film starring Randolph Scott
* Two radio plays inspired by Wyatt Earp – a 1947 adaptation of My Darling Clementine starring Henry Fonda as Earp and Richard Conte as Doc Holliday, and a 1949 Hallmark Playhouse production in which Conte played the role of Earp
* Frontier Marshall Theatrical Trailer
* 40-page booklet