3 GODFATHERS: Blu-ray (MGM/Argosy, 1948) Warner Archive

Odd, interesting, and perhaps a tad misguided to think upon director, John Ford as a sentimentalist. Curmudgeonly to a fault, I suspect beneath that gruff exterior was concealed a more easily wounded, tender heart. For although Ford could notedly be a bastard to cast and crew – to say nothing of infuriating to his superiors in the front offices, the proof of the man’s truest mettle remains in the way Ford repeatedly navigated unforgiving narratives with a keen sense for the humanity of the piece. Case in point: 3 Godfathers, Ford’s 1948 masterpiece, made at the zenith of his Hollywood tenure, and affectionately dedicated to alumni, Harry Carey (who died the previous year, and who also appeared in Ford’s 1919 version, renamed ‘Marked Men’), and, to whom Ford paid homage, in no small way, not only with a glowing dedication at the outset of this picture, but also by casting the actor’s son, Harry Carey Jr. to appear in his father’s stead.  No doubt about it, 3 Godfathers is a love-in for fans of John Ford, John Wayne and the unsung hero working behind the scenes: producer, Merian C. Cooper. In 1936, Ford and Cooper amalgamated their stake in the picture-biz, forming their own indie company, Argosy with an initial deal at RKO. Cooper, whose stake in Hollywood cast a long shadow from the silent days to the dawn of Cinerama, is a forgotten figure in today’s Tinsel Town lore…and shouldn’t be. But his participation on 3 Godfathers is owed its due. Interestingly, his stake in the industry would not see out the 1950’s.  Coop’ died in 1973.

Although based on Peter B. Kyne’s 1913 novella of the same name, 3 Godfathers is transparently an allegory for the Biblical lore of the three wise men. As scripted by Frank S. Nugent and Laurence Stallings, that vagueness gets crystalized and brought to the forefront. Shot in glorious 3-strip Technicolor in Death Valley (a favorite spot for Ford), 3 Godfathers does contain an inaccuracy of sorts. For although the picture claims to be Harry Carey Jr.’s ‘introduction’ to the movies, the younger Carey was already a veteran of more than five pictures – none worth remembering. Carey, who agreed to partake of this exercise, partly as he believed in Ford’s devotion to his late father, was to be taken aback by Ford’s inexplicable cruelties along the way. Taking on verbal and physical assaults, Ford’s ‘abuse’ of Carey was quietly explained away by costar, John Wayne – no stranger to Ford’s caustic nature, designed merely to will a performance from his actors. Ford did, however, grant Carey an early day’s leave when filming the dedication to his late father as he believed the tribute would be too much for the younger Carey to bear.

Carey Sr. had appeared not only in Ford’s 1919 movie, but in the first silent adaptation, entitled ‘The Three Godfathers’ preceding it by three full years. In the first movie, Carey Sr. played Bob Sangster, an ex-horse thief determined to go legit. In Ford’s silent reboot, Carey Sr. was then reincarnated as Harry, an escapee who finds love among the ruins. From here, the legacy of Kyne’s original became reconstituted as an early talkie: Hell's Heroes (1930), directed by William Wyler, this time with Charles Bickford as Bob Sangster. Then again, as Three Godfathers in 1936, the picture cast B-actor, Chester Morris as Bob, now an unrepentant murderer, opposite Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan as cohorts in his gang. The ’48 Ford movie is, in some ways, a watered-down version of everything gone before it, in that Ford replaces the ruthlessness of his desperadoes with a streak of benevolence and empathy, and, undeniably lent the patina of MGM’s irrefutable studio gloss in glorious Technicolor. Over the years, debate has raged as to which celluloid reincarnation remains closest to Kyne’s original intent. If Ford’s is the slightest of the bunch, it nevertheless attains a rare distinction from everything gone before it, if only as it stars Ford fav’, John Wayne, newly rechristened as Robert ‘Bob’ Marmaduke Hightower (a.k.a. Bob Sangster), undergoes a miraculous conversion, with memorable support provided by Pedro Armendáriz as Pedro Encarnación Escalante y Rocafuerte (foreshortened to ‘Pete’) and Harry Carey Jr. as William Kearney (a.k.a. The Abilene Kid).

This trio of desperados in disguise rides into ‘Welcome’, Arizona where they are swiftly – if socially – introduced to Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond) and his Misses (Mae Marsh) who innocently inquire as to whether these men have come across their niece and her husband while on the open trail. In short order, Bob, Pete and Will rob the local bank. It’s a botched job at best, and, their ill-gotten gains are almost immediately lost when Will’s horse is shot, forcing the men to hightail it on their remaining mounts. Pursued by a posse in a buckboard, Sweet manages to get off a round, puncturing Bob’s water bags. Desperate for fresh water, Bob, Pete and Will double back to Terrapin Tanks, a granite sump on the edge of the desert. The tanks, have been dynamited by Oliver Lathem (Charles Halton) whose wife, Ruby (Dorothy Ford) is in labor in a nearby covered wagon. Unbeknownst to all, the mother-to-be is Sweet's niece. The birth is complicated. But before Ruby dies, she names her newborn son, Robert William Pedro Hightower in honor of her benefactors, all of whom promise to become the boy’s godfathers. Will is deeply moved. Inside the covered wagon, he finds supplies for the child, also a Bible, Pete attempts to hand the ‘good book’ to Bob for guidance. Bob, however, is having none of it, not even Will’s suggestion that a higher power has similarly brought them into the wilderness to spare the life of a newborn.  

Inspired by a Bible verse, Bob, Pete and Will depart for the town of New Jerusalem on the other side of the mountain. Alas, the posse, along with Sweet, having come across the wagon with Ruby’s body still inside, believe the desperados have committed murder. Meanwhile, fate cruelly exacts its own revenge. Dehydrated after crossing a salt flat, Will collapses and dies. Pete breaks his leg in a craggy ravine and implores Bob to soldier on, but to leave his pistol behind to protect him from coyotes. Bob is barely over the mountain when he hears the pistol being discharged. Staggering with the baby in his arms, Bob hallucinates, but is spared a similar fate by the apparitions of his late comrades. Making it to a nearby cantina, in his depleted state, Bob is captured by Sweet and jailed in Welcome. Only now, the town begins to empathize with his heroic rescue of the child. Sweet has had a change of heart too. While Bob temporarily surrenders custody of his godchild to the Sweets, he refuses to barter total custody of the babe for his own freedom. Noting goodness in the man, the judge (Guy Kibbee) gives Bob the minimum sentence of a year and a day for his crime of robbery. On the day of his release, the townsfolk give Bob a rousing cheer in honored farewell.

3 Godfathers is an emotionally uplifting drama, tricked out in western garb and lent the A-list ‘class’ treatment by Ford, working from a deft screenplay with his superior cast. While it is oft regarded as another John Wayne/John Ford flick, the picture is actually more of an ensemble piece, with Wayne serving mostly as the kinetic mobile around which all the other performances dangle in support of this fragile narrative structure. The male camaraderie between Wayne, Carey Jr. and Armendáriz is fraught with Ford’s nimble romanticization of the male animal, behaving nobly under the most hellish circumstances wrought against his altruism. Virtually all of Ford’s best movies illustrate this passion in observance of man’s higher purpose in life, yet perhaps, nowhere, more astutely delineated with such affecting, if unusual tenderness for what would later be referenced as men getting in touch with their feminine side. In an age in film unaccustomed to such considerations, Wayne’s Bob nevertheless undergoes the most thoughtful and unanticipated conversion. This growth of character is motivated not merely by the hardships endured along the way, or even the bitter loss of his companions, but rather by stubborn – even grave – determination to live up to a promise made in death, thus to ensure the betterment of a life yet to be lived.  

3 Godfathers arrives on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive (WAC). It is yet another example of the studio’s stellar commitment to preserving 3-strip Technicolor movies in a manner befitting their original brilliance.  The hues here positively leap from the screen with refined clarity unseen anywhere, except, perhaps, on opening night, circa 1948. Flesh tones are bang on beautiful. The palette here favors the ruddy tints of the rugged landscape.  Contrast is superb and fine details abound. Age-related artifacts have been eradicated. As Technicolor was a ‘grain concealing’ process, the slight patina of grain is in keeping with the original re-composition of those 3-strip negatives, minus differential shrinkage. Truly, nothing to complain about here. The 2.0 DTS audio is a tad dated, exhibiting the shortcomings of Westrex sound recording, but otherwise to have faithfully reproduced it – warts and all – without hiss or pop. As an added bonus, WAC has included MGM’s 1936 B&W version for consideration, albeit, without the meticulous restoration work performed upon this remake. The ’36 holds up on its own, but is a different experience entirely, and should be viewed as such, with Chester Morris giving a much grittier performance on its merits apart from any comparison to Wayne’s turn. There is also a theatrical trailer. Bottom line: 3 Godfathers is a beautifully turned-out fable from John Ford. The Blu-ray is as exquisite from a technical standpoint. Very highly recommended!

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

1948 version – 5

1936 version – 4

VIDEO/AUDIO

1948 version – 5

1936 version – 3.5

EXTRAS

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