Drums Along the Mohawk is pretty dull fare. The scenery and historical period activities (clearing forests, barn dances, etc.) are all well done, but otherwise, this is a dull movie. There is no plot to speak of, just a string of raids and battles of American patriots against Tories and Indians. The villain (John Carradine) is undermotivated in the script, and is not given enough screen time to make him into a character worthy of either admiring or hating. Fonda and Colbert are miscast -- neither is suitable for the part, especially Colbert. This error was due to the "star system" which caused studios to "milk" their big names by putting them in every conceivable movie. (Warner Bros. similarly miscast Errol Flynn as a Western hero in Dodge City in the same 1939 year.)
The dialogue and delivery is mostly wooden. Only Edna Mae Oliver comes across as a real human being. (I actually have relatives like that!)
The message of the movie -- "Gee, wasn't life tough in those pioneer days, and how brave young brides had to be to cope with these hardships" -- is pretty trite.
1939 was a year of great films. Drums Along the Mohawk is not one of them. I know that will outrage those who think that anything directed by John Ford is automatically good, but the fact is that this is one of Ford's clunkers. Great camera work and accurate period flavor do not make a great film. The makers of "Barry Lyndon" in the 1970s should have learned that lesson from this 1939 dud.
The dialogue and delivery is mostly wooden. Only Edna Mae Oliver comes across as a real human being. (I actually have relatives like that!)
The message of the movie -- "Gee, wasn't life tough in those pioneer days, and how brave young brides had to be to cope with these hardships" -- is pretty trite.
1939 was a year of great films. Drums Along the Mohawk is not one of them. I know that will outrage those who think that anything directed by John Ford is automatically good, but the fact is that this is one of Ford's clunkers. Great camera work and accurate period flavor do not make a great film. The makers of "Barry Lyndon" in the 1970s should have learned that lesson from this 1939 dud.