Drums Along the Mohawk

To finish 2009, we'll take another visit to John Ford country, with the underrated Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), another exploration of Manifest Destiny which is not quite a Western, being set in Revolutionary War-era New York. Still, it's another fine work by Ford, his usual mixture of artistry and Americanism creating a rich, layered and entertaining film.

Frontier man Gilbert Martin (Henry Fonda) marries New York society girl Lana (Claudette Colbert) and takes her to his farmstead upstate. No sooner do they arrive then they find that the American Revolution has spread to their borders, with paramilitary forces made up of British officers, Loyalist troops - including the one-eyed Caldwell (John Carradine) - and bloodthirsty Mohawk Indians raiding settlements and farms all through the state. After Gil and Lana's estate goes up in flames, Gil joins the militia and Lana goes to work on the farm of tough frontier matron Mrs. McKlennar (Edna May Oliver). Lana is forced to take up arms alongside her husband when Caldwell and his Indians return in force.

Drums Along the Mohawk shows another populist birth of America, not in Continental Congresses debating independence and legislation, but on the frontiers, where yeoman farmers, displaced aristocrats, black slaves, and Christianized Indians forge a nation through hard work, cooperation, faith, when necessary, in blood. Life on the frontier is harsh and brutal, with rough weather, hard ground, rampaging Indians and greater political forces to contend with. The rough-hewn settlers must work together to survive, to create an Eden in an evergreen wilderness. It's obvious that Ford, the quintessential Irish immigrant, finds the story of hard-working, heroic, determined settlers creating a new country more compelling than the political dramas in Philadelphia. This is old-fashioned, populist patriotism at its purist and most appealing.

The movie couches its worldview in inclusive terms, with the males only part of the story. In this egalitarian society, the women and minorities are just as important, working the farm alongside their men and helping to fight off the wicked outsiders - the British, Indians, and traitorous Tories, elemental villains who must be destroyed for American society to progress. Lana's development is wonderful, as she overcomes initial reservations to prove herslef the equal of her husband. Mrs. McKlennar in particular is a wonderfully feminist creation, sharp-tongued, tough, and totally in control (as evidenced in the scene where she convinces the Mohawks burning her house to salvage her bed). The friendly Indian Blue Back (Chief John Bigtree) and slave Daisy (Beulah Hall Jones) are less successfully included, reduced largely to stereotype roles. The film's finale, where everyone stands in reverent awe of the American flag, is too gentle to be dismissed as jingoism; it shows Ford's vision of America as the ideal country, where everyone - including women and minorities - has a place. As Gil acknowledges, "there's a lot of work to do", but Ford has faith that his country will live up to its promise - a naive view perhaps, but an endearingly positive one.

This is Ford's first color film, and he makes full use of the rich, luscious Technicolor. The Utah countryside isn't quite convincing as New York, but as captured by Ray Rennahan, it's beautiful enough in its own right, with fine use of interiors and art direction to boot. As always, Ford handles his action scenes wonderfully, and he excells in the human element too, showing the daily travails of the farmers, the family and community tensions, and the aftermath of battle as vividly as the exciting siege at film's end. Alfred Newman contributes one of his best scores to the proceedings.

Henry Fonda is typecast as the usual noble yet tough frontiersman, investing the role with characteristic charm and dignity. However, the movie really belongs to Claudette Colbert, whose evolution from uptight society girl to tough frontierswoman is portrayed beautifully. Edna May Oliver provides an equally vivid characterization as the feisty frontier matriarch. John Carradine is an imposing bad guy but is sadly underdeveloped; Chief John Bigtree is mostly clownish comic relief. The supporting cast shows Ford's stock company already in evidence, with Arthur Shields, Eddie Collins, Ward Bond and Jack Pennick in key supporting roles.

Drums Along the Mohawk is a beautiful film which does perhaps the best job of encapsulating Ford's worldview. It may not be his best work, but in many ways it's his purest and most endearing.

Exeunt 2009. See you in the next decade!