My Darling Clementine (1945)

 
BACKGROUND
 

Ford's first post-war film, My Darling Clementine was described by Tag Gallagher as a: “commentary on the emptiness and grief felt by veterans after the war.” The mournful mood of the film, along with many of his post war films, contrasts the anticipatory energy of Stagecoach, Drums Along the Mohawk and Young Mr. Lincoln made before the war. One can sense that the director, cast and crew, nearly all of whom were veterans of the war, had learned a great deal about the cruel realities of life. Americans were discovering first hand the horrors of imperialism. 

 

My Darling Clementine weaves meaning and craftsmanship together with such skill that an indescribable quality emerges which evokes the vast world that lies beyond the screen. It is the kind of film that one can become enamored with without knowing exactly why. On the outer level, it is a simple retelling of an old legend. On the inner level, it contains the depth of Ford’s empathy toward humanity and his energetic struggle to reconcile the contradictions warring in the human family.

 

PLOT SUMMARY

The Earp brothers and Doc Holiday face off against the Clantons while the town of Tombstone grows from a violent outpost into a respectable community.