Hondo (Full Screen)

I recently saw it online. it is such a great film, you won't be disappointed. This is a big one for John Waynes efforts to get the people he wanted involved.

His performances are all legendary & no one will ever surpass him!

good movie

They don't make them like these anymore. Took me back to sitting on the couch, eating popcorn and watching with my parents. What I would give to relive those days.

Hondo - one of JW’s, if Not the best western!!!

At first glance, John Wayne's 1953 western, "Hondo", bears a remarkable similarity to another 1953 release, George Stevens' classic, "Shane". Both films open with an iconic stranger appearing out of the wilderness, spotted first by a young, impressionable boy. Both title characters arrive at homesteads in need of an 'extra pair of hands', and form unspoken bonds with the women of the households. Both Hondo and Shane have survival skills the families desperately need, even as the families fill a void in their own lives. But while Stevens' filmmoves at a slow, deliberate pace, meticulously creating a near-mythic vision, "Hondo" director John Farrow, working from a script by longtime Wayne scribe James Edward Grant (from Louis L'Amour story), cuts the exposition down to basics, giving the film a much leaner 'look', with a climax (actually directed by John Ford, as Farrow had scheduling problems with another film) that is so fast-paced that it can leave a viewer in 'midair', expecting more. As a result, "Hondo" isn't held in as high esteem as "Shane", but is certainly a rewarding, entertaining experience, with one of Wayne's best pre-"Searchers" performances, and Geraldine Page earning an Oscar nomination in her film debut.Filmed in the broiling summer heat of Mexico, utilizing massive,cumbersome dual cameras to create 3-D (which both Wayne and Warner studio head Jack Warner felt was the wave of the future, but would be passé by the film's release), the production was grueling, yet formed lasting friendships. Australian Michael Pate, playing the key role of historic Chiricahua Apache Chief, Vittorio, was stunned to find Wayne, during a dangerous riding sequence, running along, off-camera, to protect him if he fell (Wayne, impressed by the actor, would cast him, ten years later, as another Indian chief in "McLintock!"). Several of Wayne's 'Stock Company' (Ward Bond, Paul Fix, James Arness, and Chuck Roberson) have roles (Bond's bearded, crusty 'Buffalo Baker' is a standout). John Ford, between films, vacationed in Mexico to visit Wayne and Bond, and was recruited (unbilled), to help direct.The only discordant note on the set was stage actress Page. Wayne had hoped to get Katharine Hepburn for the role of Angie Lowe, but the liberal actress wasn't comfortable working with the politically conservative Wayne at that time (during the "Witch Hunt" for suspected Communists in the film industry), and passed on the project (as would her long-time love, Spencer Tracy, in "The High and the Mighty", Wayne's next production).It would be 22 years before Hepburn and Wayne would finally team up together (in "Rooster Cogburn"). Geraldine Page, picked by Farrow for her fresh, 'natural' look, carried her stage training and 'attitude' into the filming, which did little to endear her to the cast, and Wayne felt little chemistry between them (although her performance would be the most honored, by the film industry).With colorful characterizations, a chaste romance, plenty of action, and little of the obvious '3-D' gimmicks (only noticeable in the titles sequence, and two Indian fight scenes), "Hondo" was a HUGE hit when released, and has endured as one of John Wayne's most popular westerns.Best of the Special Edition DVD 'extras' is a wonderful "Making of" documentary, with comments by Pate and the film's juvenile lead, Lee Aaker; brief bios of writer Grant, and Ward Bond; and a revealing, VERY balanced Apache overview of both the film and the REAL Chiricahua Chief Vittorio.With nearly pristine image and sound quality, the "Special Edition" certainly lives up to expectations!

Shipped quickly, and packaged well so it arrived in great shape. Love the movie. A happy customer!

JMJ. This is a good example of what a Man should be. Honest, hard working, good manners, Fatherly, Brave, Survivor, Justice. At the start of this movie, Duke looks like he was seriously dehydrated & suffering from heat exhaustion. But he still was faithful to the success of his mission. I want to mention the appearance of very important actor. I feel James Arness (Mat Dillon Gunsmoke) is the future of American Westerns. My favorites are the ones w/Ken Curtis (Festus) in them. Westerns wouldn’t be the same without him. Swell acting , especially by the Indians.

John Wayne is great

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John Wayne never fails.

très bon western vu pour la première fois

Wester antiguo de los de antes excelente