I know there are others to put in the mix but for the classic elements of an old-fashioned Western combined with some more textured acting from Wayne than was typical, this at least enters the conversation.
What movie of his is better?
I'd hate to argue that Wayne made a better movie than She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, though I'd say Red River, Fort Apache, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are roughly equal.
shareI'd say Red River, Fort Apache, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are roughly equal.I seem to have less feeling for The Searchers than many others but the others all belong in the conversation from my standpoint. Maybe it is from more of a historical rush, but I always get a kick out of Stagecoach as well.
Yellow Ribbon is one of the great westerns, but imo it is not in the same league as The Searchers or the Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Great film, though.
shareI rate SWAYR as among the Duke's best.
There were many actors who were much better than Wayne, but then, there are also examples among his pictures where no one, but NO ONE, could have outacted him in those roles! I include SWAYR, "The Searchers," and "The Sands of Iwo Jima" as the primary examples.
Honorable mentions are:
Stagecoach
Red River
Fort Apache
The Quiet Man
Hondo
Rio Bravo
The Comancheros
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
McClintock
The War Wagon
True Grit
The Cowboys
The Shootist
Recently, I watched most of "Eldorado" and it had been over 30 years since my previous viewing. What impressed me most about it was how well the Duke and Robert Mitchum worked together, and I admired how Wayne never attempted to rob any glory from Mitchum in their shared scenes (Mitchum was great in this Western!) "Eldorado" is a virtual remake of "Rio Bravo" but still worth watching for the terrific chemistry and screen pairing of Wayne and Mitchum.
I even liked "Angel and the Badman." It was a low-budget oater but one of the first of Wayne's efforts as a producer ("Batjac Productions") and featured some memorable supporting work by one of the screen pioneer Western stars, Harry Carey Sr. Great family fare, too, without descending into the juvenile silliness of Roy Rogers' Westerns.
Just to narrow down a bit:
Yellow Ribbon
The Sands of Iwo Jima
Stagecoach
Fort Apache
The Quiet Man
Hondo
Rio Bravo
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The War Wagon
The Shootist
And I'll add in Flying Leathernecks and In Harm's Way.
That's enough for two good careers right there without even mentioning the other good flicks on your list.
Liberty Valance is my personal favorite, followed closely by Rio Bravo, True Grit and Fort Apache. The latter three are all tied for second.
Red River, Hondo, The Comancheros, The Shootist and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon get Honorable Mention.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is my favorite, but I think as an acting job, Wayne was better in The Searchers. That being said, Nathan Brittles is a lot easier to like that Ethan.
L
A good film, but there are several of other Wayne westerns I would put ahead of this...
Stagecoach (1939)
Red River (1948)
Rio Grande (1950)
The Searchers (1956)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Obviously subjective, but I can't see putting Rio Grande in this discussion. While the first two of the cavalry trilogy (Fort Apache and SWAYR) are classics for the ages, the third (which was made as part of a deal with Republic to get financing for the Quiet Man) was "merely" good. Fun and enjoyable? No question. One of the Duke's best films? No.
shareThe Searchers is, by far, his best western ever. I would go along with Red River and True Grit being at the next level, but this one is further down than these.
shareHe's done other movies with 'textured' acting - Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Red River to lesser extents, The Searchers and The Shootist to a greater one. I do like his performance/character a lot in this, but to me it's nowhere near his finest movies, and is probably the weakest just from the Cavalry Trilogy.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiYF7pUPuFs
Don't know if it is his best film, but it's my favorite of his films.
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