The Fugitive (1947) watch online HD

There are essentially two ways in which to view this movie.

The first one is to compare and contrast this film with the novel from which it is loosely inspired, "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene. This would unfortunately lead to disappointment and a poor understanding of John Ford's motives in making this movie. While the characters and situation are indeed taken from the book, The Fugitive is radically different, not just in the manner in which the main characters are treated, but more importantly, in the message it carries. While Greene's masterpiece described how even the most outwardly depraved and despicable of human beings can be redeemed by their last actions of faith and sacrifice, John Ford was more concerned with showing how circumstances may transform a cowardly priest into a martyr for the faith. While these two themes may be related, they reveal a difference in their respective author's world view and understanding of faith and redemption. It may be argued that the code of those days would not have permitted the showing of an alcoholic and adulterous priest on screen, but this would be misunderstanding the fundamental philosophy of John Ford, whose relatively conservative views in matters of morality would have recoiled at such an idea.

This brings us to the second way in which this movie can be enjoyed and appreciated, namely as John Ford's labour of love and guilty pleasure. It has been said that, of all the masterpieces he created with Henry Fonda and others, and there were many, The Fugitive was one of his all-time personal favorites, even though it was never a popular, nor critical success. Ford projected in his version of the story many of his personal trips regarding his faith. Allegories, and barely subtle Christ references abound in this movie, though never in a simple, nor trite manner. Rather, it is a beautifully-made story of a man's journey from fear and doubt to a better understanding of his role, no matter how modest, in the grand affairs of the world.

The photography is truly a work of art, masterfully using light and shadows, brightness and dark, close-ups of faces distorted by anguish and halos of figures resembling statues in church alcoves. Fonda's performance, always perfect, reaches new heights here. His mastery at containing emotions, while letting them seep through the audience, undiluted, gives this particular characterization extraordinary strength and complexity. It would have been tempting to interpret the priest as an almost static character, given the subject matter. Instead, while his priest was neither alcoholic, nor adulterous, he displays an even greater weakness and flaw of character: lack of faith, profound self-doubt and abject cowardice. His fears, doubts and anguish and his gradual descent into debasement, are in many ways more disturbing since they are in direct conflict with the sacrifices and moral strength demanded of a priest during religious persecution.

Dolores del Rio is magnificent in her Mary-Magdalena characterization, as Pedro Amendariz, superb as the perennial Judas torn by love, hate, jealousy, and fear. There is very little dialogue, and unlike many of Ford's movie, very little of the usual comic relief which often balances dramatic moments. Yet, there is never a dull or unnecessary scene.

John Ford has crafted in this movie something better than a faithful rendition of "The Power and The Glory". Indeed, The Fugitive is a beautiful, heartfelt story about humanity's frailty and its struggle to find strength and redemption in times of crisis. In this sense it is after all a wonderful tribute to Graham Greene's novel.

When Herbert J. Yates of Republic Pictures made a deal with John Ford to produce The Quiet Man he first made Ford agree to do one of his cavalry epics with John Wayne because he wanted a surefire moneymaker before taking a chance on The Quiet Man. The cavalry picture was Rio Grande.

He must have been talking to the folks at RKO who lost their collective shirts when the public stayed away in droves from The Fugitive. It got great critical acclaim and no box office at all.

My guess is that The Fugitive was sold all wrong or was made a year or two too early. If it had been sold as an anti-Communist as opposed to a pro-Catholic film it might have done better in those beginning years of The Cold War.

The Fugitive is based on a Graham Greene novel The Power and the Glory and it is about a priest in an unnamed South American country who is a fugitive because of his calling. An anti-clerical government has taken control of the country and they are doing their best to drive the Catholic religion out of the country.

Henry Fonda turns in a good sincere performance as the cleric, but he's about as convincingly Latino as Toshiro Mifune. The other members of the cast are well suited for their roles.

The best performance in the film is from that chameleon like actor J. Carrol Naish who could play any kind of nationality on the planet. He's the informer who rats out Henry Fonda to the police. Very similar to what Akim Tamiroff did to Gary Cooper in For Whom The Bells Toll and Naish's own performance in another Gary Cooper film, Beau Geste.

This was the first of three films Pedro Armendariz did with John Ford in an effort to broaden his appeal beyond Mexican cinema. Dolores Del Rio as his estranged wife was already familiar to American audiences from the silent screen.

The original novel by Greene had the priest as somewhat less than true to all his vows. He's a drinker and a womanizer. Del Rio's character is also quite tawdry. And this from Greene who was a well known Catholic lay person. But this Hollywood in the firm grip of The Code so a lot of what Greene wrote had to be softened by Ford for the screen. It lessened the impact of the film.

And with the whitewashing of Fonda's character came some rather heavy handed symbolism of Fonda as a Christlike figure.

Still The Fugitive might be worth a look for Ford, Greene, and Fonda fans.

Hmmm, let's see... we've got a movie about a Catholic priest trying to exercise his ministry in a Latin American country whose government has been taken over by an anticlerical revolutionary party,... he administers the sacraments to the devoutly believing people while trying to stay one step ahead of the law, which has hunted down every other priest in the country,... what do you this movie will be like?

In the hands of the crusty but sentimental John Ford, you might expect this movie to be some kind of hagiography, showing the priest as he performs his pastoral labors with fierce courage as well as with patient devotion, and anticipates his fate with Christian resignation. (This would be particularly apt if Pat O'Brien or Spencer Tracy played the priest.) You might also expect the people he serves will be portrayed as simple God-fearing people with stout hearts and no illusions about the true intentions of their political leaders. The government and its agents will be portrayed as cruel and cynical tyrants, ever ready to beat on the simple folk in the name of the greater good.

Fortunately, this is not the movie that Ford made. The actual movie is a good deal more complicated (and much, much better) than that. This is a balanced, intelligent account of a tragic situation born of centuries of misrule and oppression by tyrannical government working, sad to say, hand in glove with the Church that is supposed to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Pedro Amendariz in particular gives a great performance as the revolutionary government official, who, whatever his opinions may be, passionately loves his country, and sincerely wants the best for his beleaguered people. Henry Fonda, as the priest, gives at one point a stunning assessment of his motives for what he does which turns any picture of a heroic shepherd on its ear.

This is one of John Ford's lesser known pictures - an unknown masterpiece.

"The Fugitive" was considered by Ford to be one of his best; most critics, including many Ford afficionados, disagree. While I wouldn't rank it up there with his best either, I think the film (like Ford's final film "Seven Women") has gotten an undeserved bad rap. Sure, the religious iconography gets way out of hand at times and the pace is a bit wobbly but there's much to offset the film's shortcomings. Most obviously - and no one will deny this - it is a beautiful film to look at. It is one of the great photographic achievements in cinema history. The moody expressionism that finally got somewhat oppressive and dull in Ford's "The Informer" is here counterbalanced by exquisite outdoor scenery of the Mexican countryside where "The Fugitive" was shot. The film also features an odd, mopey performance from Henry Fonda that works quite well within the context of the story. Although in the end it's a bit simplistic it does have an undeniable poetry in it that is in the league of the director's finest work.

Move over, Harrison Ford; your namesake John got here first. While comparisons with Andrew Davis' action-packed 1993 thriller are inevitable in discussing 'The Fugitive (1947),' the two films – aside from the similarity described in their shared title – are completely unrelated, and about as different as two films could possibly be. Unlike many of the Westerns that brought director John Ford his greatest fame, 'The Fugitive' is entirely unconcerned with any form of action or dialogue; Ford's film-making is so concentrated on establishing the correct emotional atmosphere for each scene that it occasionally strays into tedium. However, it was obviously a very personal project for the Ford – who once called it "perfect" – and it's difficult to criticise a film into which the director poured so much passion and resolve. The story was adapted from Graham Greene's 1940 novel, "The Power and the Glory" {a.k.a. "The Labyrinthine Ways"} and concerns the plight of a victimised Christian priest, in an unnamed Latin American country where religion has been outlawed.

Perhaps the film's greatest weakness, from my reasoning at least, is that it is so concerned with painting each character as an icon or ideal (few characters are afforded names, and are instead credited with indefinite articles; "a fugitive," "a lieutenant of police," "an Indian woman") that it's hard to sympathise with them. Fortunately, while consistently attempting to maintain each character as a "timeless" figure in the film's ageless story, Dudley Nichols's screenplay avoids the usual stereotypes to which most amateur filmmakers would inevitably resort. The Fugitive (Henry Fonda) is not a courageous, humble pillar of human decency, but a misguided clergy driven by an unconscious self-pride; his adversary, the Lieutenant of Police (Pedro Armendáriz), loves his country and its people deeply, but, guided by a fierce blind patriotism and an illogical hatred of religion, he is often misled towards acts of sheer barbarity. The Police Informer (J. Carrol Naish) is a Judas-like character, betraying The Fugitive to the authorities, and becoming inescapably repentant at the thought of his inhumanity.

Despite not being particularly religious myself, I was sufficiently moved by Christianity's noble plight for survival, though I wasn't overly fond of the film's ultimate assertion that the lieutenant's hatred of religion stems directly from his secretly believing in God but being unwilling to admit it. Nevertheless, if you're going to watch 'The Fugitive,' it will most certainly be for the photography, which is, captured by Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, indescribably breathtaking. The opening sequence, in which The Fugitive returns to his former church, the light streaking through the windows as though God himself is reaching into the forsaken depths of the building, is spellbinding in its beauty. While Armendáriz is charismatic, and even slightly sympathetic, in his role of the antagonist, Henry Fonda largely looks awkward in the lead role (though you could argue that this uneasiness is integral to his character), and most of the other players – perhaps due to a language barrier – are similarly stilted. A visual masterpiece this film may be, and certainly an overall interesting watch, but 'The Fugitive' remains inferior Ford.

john ford have said that "The Fugitive " was his only perfect film . The film was not a commercial success and the critics write bad thing about it . Never mind . This movie is a song of beauty , a study about the catholic faith that can survive against the worst conditions ( an atheist government). See you "the fugitive ", a truly great movie .

fernando alonso barahona author of "Cecil B. de Mille ", "LAs obras maestras del cine ", "Antropología del cine " ....

It's been written somewhere that the cruelest thing you can say to an artist is that his work is flawless. John Ford thought of the Fugitive as, despite not being a box-office success, a perfect film and one of his very favorites. It's perhaps more than prudent then to point out some of the criticisms one would have of the film (which, perhaps, is moot since he's been dead for decades). As a fan of the Ford work I've seen there are some times when he's touched perfection (Grapes of Wrath and the Searchers are it for me), and sometimes not so much, which goes without saying he directed many films. With the Fugitive it's recognizable to me why it's split its audience: some hail it as being totally underrated and a brilliant depiction of religious allegory and suffering, and some say that it's a total crock for being far too heavy-handed and acted over-the-top.

Both sides have their right points; it is an underrated picture, if only for its technical feats of cinematography (Gabriel Figueroa is just right for this kind of material for Ford) and Ford's usual talents as a basic storyteller with a tendency for pure cinema expression (i.e. lack of dialog is a plus with the emotion expressed through the camera and actors. But it is also not well-acted in a couple of instances, notably the beautiful but overbearing Delores Del-Rio as the woman living in the town who's baby is baptized by the Priest played by Henry Fonda. For Fonda, it should be said, he at least gives all he can for a performance that possibly other actors could have played with more magnificence. In fact it's for him that some of the picture is most watchable, as he flexes his emotional chops for a scene where it's required for complexity like when he misses the boat and is asked to bless someone dying only to realize there is no wine and must go to ask from a vulgarian for wine (which, as it turns out, is drunken with brandy and all by him).

While it might not be the Fonda we all know and love from Grapes of Wrath or My Darling Clementine he does what he can with the part, and it's a tribute to him and Ford that they make it engrossing on a very simple level that carries some complex connotations. When focusing on the actual chase and flight from the Mexican police it works very well (particularly with a hammy but effective informer played by J. Carrol Nash). It's just when Ford over-indulges in the spiritual aspect of the picture, which is only made clearer towards the end, that it loses its footing. Indeed the start of the picture kind of threw me off for a little bit as Fonda comes in with the Christ-like symbolism highlighted on the wall, and the townspeople come in with tears in their eyes and a somber song to sing and Fonda blesses and baptizes others. I wondered: is this a little TOO much in the way of what Ford does best, which is telling the story? He can be brilliant in throwing in his deep-rooted Catholic ideas as pure visions on the screen, and once or twice in the Fugitive he does... and then other times it falls flat or goes too high where it starts to become a full-blown religious picture as opposed to a societal thriller.

Should Ford fans see it? Of course; even a lessor Ford picture will have something interesting. Will everyone like it? Surely not. Yet it is usually fine, traditional work and shouldn't be completely dismissed.

I saw this film theatrically in an archival print in California....what a treat! The image of Dolores Del Rio framed in the church door has never left me...this film was shot by Gabriel Figueroa, Bunuel's cinematographer on many films and one of the great masters...it is, along with Peter Fonda's The Hired Hand and Terence Malick's Days of Heaven, the most exquisitely shot movie I have ever seen in what I would call the "intimate" style, for lack of a better term...as opposed to such a film as "Lawrence of Arabia", which otherwise would have to be considered in that list. An great example of stylistic departure as a supremely successful one shot gesture; Hitchcock achieved something of the same success several times,with "The Wrong Man" and "The Trouble With Harry", although in the latter case Hitch had done comedy before...."The Wrong Man" and "The Fugitive" stand out for me as the greatest stylistic anomalies achieved by major auteurs.

The Fugitive is directed by John Ford and adapted to screenplay by Dudley Nichols from the Graham Greene novel The Labyrinthine Ways. It stars Henry Fonda, Dolores del Rio, Pedro Armendáriz, J. Carrol Naish, Leo Carrillo and Ward Bond. Music is by Richard Hageman and cinematography by Gabriel Figueropa.

Latin America and anti-cleric policies render the last remaining priest in this particular state a fugitive...

Depending on which side of the fence you sit, this is either a turgid bore or one of John Ford's masterpieces. Ford himself claimed it to be one of his favourites of his own movies, but that may well just have been him standing tall in the face of criticism. Undeniably it's a visual treat as the great director blends his landscape skills with expressionistic stylings, but the religio allegory of the narrative is quite frankly dull and often too oblique for its own good. It doesn't help that Fonda is miscast either, the great director unable to steer Fonda to a performance to off set the staid screenplay he's forced to work with. While the other characters just come off as artificial.

Interesting to look at and with some commentary (biblical/repression) in the mix, but it's an experiment from one of America's greatest directors that doesn't work. It's not hard to see why it was a box office stiff. 5/10

With the important Mexican team that did the most famous films of director Emilio Fernandez ("Flores Silvestres", "Maria Candelaria", "Las Abandonadas" ...): Dolores del Rio, Pedro Armendariz and cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, based on work Graham Greene's "The Power and the Glory" outstanding writer and an actor of the caliber of Henry Fonda for the leading role, everything seemed to assume that it would result in another great drama like that in the 30s and early 40s we had given the remarkable director John Ford.

The story begins with a perfect plane: after wandering a good trip, Henry Fonda comes to the doors of a church in a altosano. When you open the doors, we see from the inside and then pushes the wings leaving a cone of light entering from outside. He stops for a moment with arms outstretched and thus draws a significant cross that serves as a signal to understand that we are facing another martyr. Then his personality is revealed and we know that is a priest, a fugitive from an authoritarian system that pursues anti-clerical.

And then guess the first flaw of the script by Dudley Nichols: Spend a long time before we see a significant gesture that motivates us affection and empathy with the priest or to explain that it is unjust persecution that is being targeted. In addition, certain to appease the church, the writer removes all characters in the work of Greene, recreating the priest as an earthly man, and prefers to characterize it as a man who does not break an egg and is left to manipulate the whole who wants to do. ¡Pure fiction!

Credits, to emphasize the universality of history are made in the manner of Chaplin: Henry Fonda... a fugitive, Dolores del Rio... an Indian woman, Pedro Armendáriz... a lieutenant… And soon we realize: It is neither more nor less than the story of Jesus, moved to the 40s of the twentieth century, which is telling us. Of course! María Dolores is none other than Mary Magdalene and the bounty is the same Judas. The triangle of Nazareth to the mero mero.

Unless the pertinent images Figueroa, nothing relevant that this film offers us nothing in surface waters and quite sugary.

RKO RADIO Pictures presents An ARGOSY PICTURES/PRODUCTA MEX DESCONCIDA Production, THE FUGITIVE, Directed by John Ford, Written by Dudley Nichols, Based on the Novel "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene. Produced by John Ford, Merrion C. Cooper & Emilio Fernandez. Starring Henry Fonda, Dolores Del Rio and Pedro Armendariz. With: J. Carroll Nash, Leo Carillo, Ward Bond, Robert Armstrong, John Qualen, Fortunio Bonanova, Chris-Pin Martin, Miguel Indclan, Fernando Fernandez, Rodolfo Acosta, Mel Ferrer, Jack Pennick, Jose Torvay.

It's always a great experience to "find" a hereto for unknown film, that is a title that we know very little about, if even of it's existence. Somehow or other we had never come across it, then suddenly, SHAZAM!, it's there! Such a film is this John Ford production of THE FUGITIVE.

It happened about a year or two ago. There was a full blown outbreak of Insomnia in our household. This had to be on the overnight time between Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun. During those two late night periods, our ABC TV Affiliate shows old movies under the banner of Late Night Movie and Insomniac Theatre. The vast majority of films have been in their library since about ca. 1958.

The bulk are from 1930's to the early 1950's RKO RADIO Pictures output. They had been released to the Television market as a huge package deal. And they were assembled under the umbrella title of "Movietime USA". (A lot of stations must still be exhibiting these films, which usually have "Movietime USA Presents" title cards replacing the RKO Radio Pictures traditional opening with the Trade Mark broadcasting Radio Tower.)

Well, this movie came on and made us glad that we couldn't sleep. From its very beginning, the beautiful B&W Cinematography of some of the most beautiful locations, just grabs you in keeps you interest, piquing it all the while that its story is unfolded. And the scenario is not an original, made for screen play, being an adaptation of the Graham Greene novel, "The Power and the Glory".

In the novel, the locale is described as a mythical Latin American country. But, Mr. Greene, without being explicit, leaves no doubt that the real location is in Mexico. And the screen version follows the lead, and makes it everything that is Mexican, but without a name.

The tense, ever tense story starts out with a unit of Mounted Police, entering a village of mostly peasants, in search of an outlawed Catholic Priest, believed to be in the area. This is set in a time when the Church was designated as an illegal, outlawed organization and was persecuted mercilessly. The commanding Police Lieutennant(Pedro Armendariz), seems particularly driven, even to the point of being fanatically determined to capture and see each and every Priest in his State* executed by the firing squad.

The story, as one may expect, portrays the degradation and hardships that the unnamed Padre (Mr. Fonda) endures in order to evade capture, imprisonment and a certain terminal rendezvous with the firing squad. And everywhere, complications enter the picture; a treacherous stool pigeon (J. Carroll Nash), a desperate, but beautiful Indian Lady (Dolores Del Rio), a Yankee Desperado/un Ladrone Yanquis(Ward Bond) all get wrapped up in complicating the safety of the Priest.

But, danger is part of the job, reasons the Priest, who returns to the scene of his "Crimes", in order to serve his congregation. The story begs the question to the Priest and, indeed to all of us; would we do the "right thing", if we were put into such a position.

Truly, THE FUGITIVE presents us with a John Ford Film of the greatest magnitude. It has none of the humor of the human race as portrayed in THE QUIET MAN, RIO GRANDE, THE LAST HURRAH or even THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE. But it does give us a full view of Humanity from a most serious perspective, much in the manner of his 1935 Oscar winning THE INFORMER.

It indeed is a one of a kind movie. We can not think of any movie to which this could be categorized or classified. The power of the scenes, the rapidity of scene shifting and the power of the acting all keep our interest beginning to end. As a matter of fact, the great scenes are so animated and unsubtly done, with such greater than life, even operatic style as to render it a candidate for a silent version. Just watch it and see super-animated scene after scene.

And much like Mr. Charles Chaplin, Pappy Ford renders his tale even more universal by designated titles, rather than names. Other than James Calvert, aka 'el Gringo'(Ward Bond) and Father Sierra (Jose Ferrer), there are no names. And this, Schultz, qualifies this as being described as being "Chaplinesque."

The film ends up by, at first, seemingly in tragedy; but there is a sudden about face with a hopeful (if not exactly totally happy) ending.

This is a great example of Film being made with love, care, purpose and a Spiritual Wish for a brighter future for all.

NOTE * The term of State is used here as in our United States of America; for in our own Western Hemisphere, we have 2 other countries' that use this "State" as we do. In South America we have The United States of Brazil and just below our Southern Border, we have The United States of Mexico. Honestly!

I would consider this among the poorest of John Ford's films. This is odd, as before I saw it again recently, I remembered it as being a pretty decent film.

The movie is an obvious message about the dangers of communism. While this word is not used and the film is wrapped more in the guise of a Central American revolution, it's obvious that the film was intended by the studio to be an indictment against the godless communists. Because of this, it was very timely for the 1940s but today it comes off more as dated and as propaganda.

Apart from the poor story (it's just way too obvious) the film is a melange of mediocrity. While there are some accomplished Mexican actors in the movie, there also are some Americans who put on thick fake accents and some who just sound like Americans--making the viewing experience strange to say the least. It's also a rather slow and heavy-handed picture--one that is easy to skip. The only real plus is the great camera-work and inventive camera angels and lighting--that DID make the picture at least look really nice.

This excellent and dramatic movie , a co-production US-Mexico , is based on Graham Greene novel and written by Dudley Nichols . It starts when a priest (Henry Fonda) attempting to flee from a Centroamerican country , because Christianity being pursued by a totalitarian govern . He encounters help by an Indian woman (Dolores Del Rio) with a baby . She gives him direction to port where he could embark towards freedom . Meanwhile , he finds a mean countryman (J Carrol Naish) craving reward and is pursued by an authoritarian officer (Pedro Armendariz). Furthermore , his existence runs parallel a bank robber , The Gringo (War Bond) also relentlessly pursued .

Magnificent movie featuring awesome performances by complete casting . The film develops some John Ford's usual themes , as the sentimental nostalgia , sense of camaraderie , religion , and abound touching scenes . Henry Fonda in a larger-than-life role as a good priest is top-notch , Pedro Armendariz as a nasty general is perfect and War Bond as outlaw wanted by totalitarian police is cool . Fonda (Grapes of wrath , Drums along the Mohawk , Young Mr. Lincoln) and Pedro Armendariz (3 Godfathers , Fort Apache) played several films for John Ford . Besides , there appears Ford's habitual friends , someone uncredited , such as Jack Pennick , Rodolfo Acosta , John Qualen , Fortunio Bonanova , J Carrol Naish, Mel Ferrer's first film and the opening narration is by Ward Bond , who also plays an important role in the film . Luxurious cinematography in lights and darks by Gabriel Figueroa (usual of director Emilio Fernandez , here also producer) . Enjoyable musical score by Richard Hageman , adding Mexican songs with emotive dance included in charge of Dolores Del Rio . The picture shot in Mexico , was produced by Ford's Argosy Production Company , RKO pictures and Merian C. Cooper . Rating : Better than average , well worth seeing for John Ford enthusiasts .

You know Henry Fonda was a good actor when he can play a priest, and actually look pious. It was an odd sight to see him in this role, the patriarch of one of Hollywood's most liberal families giving the sign of the cross and other such playing-against-type Fonda gestures. It must have pained him to play this role and, with his reputation, made his character in here - watching this film for the first time in the 1990s - have no credibility. In 1947, before his kids became famous Left Wingers, Henry's role in here was more believable to audiences.

Nonetheless, the main problem with this movie isn't Fonda - it's the script. This is a boring film. It's too slow-moving. The only worthwhile aspect is seeing John Ford's direction and the cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa. It was filmed in Mexico and there are some nice photographic touches in here.

Maybe I am just not a fan of Graham Greene's overly melodramatic writing but not many other people liked this depressing tale, either. This bombed at the box office, and it's easy to see why. It's just too depressing

It's easy to see why THE FUGITIVE was a critical and commercial box-office failure. For some reason, none of Graham Greene's novels transfer well to the screen. The somber stories are all too melodramatic and heavy-handed, and this is no exception. Furthermore, in the role of the fugitive priest south of the border, HENRY FONDA looks decidedly uncomfortable throughout.

This time John Ford struck out. The story is drab, downbeat and depressing--and both HENRY FONDA and DOLORES del RIO seem to be acting for the camera in a style that approaches silent screen acting in the worst possible way--especially during the opening scene. Del Rio is so artificial, she seems to be posing dramatically for every close-up.

Even PEDRO ARMENDARIZ overdoes the villainous swagger and sneer and J. CARROL NAISH overacts in the role of an informant. Between acting styles and the extravagant use of symbolism, this is a film of many flaws, most of them in the direction and heavy-handed script.

A critical failure at the time, it is in no way the masterpiece some are calling it among the user comments here.

No Ford film would be complete without WARD BOND turning up as "El Gringo". At least he gives the film a touch of grim realism. The busy background score by Richard Hageman is no help at all and seems more appropriate for the score of a silent film.

This is an interesting film because the original story/novel its based on, "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene (considered one of the best novels of the 20th century), tells a very similar story but completely diferent. The novel takes place in Mexico during the 'War of the Cristeros' where after the Mexican Revolution the goverments of certain states in Mexico (Chiapas in the book) decide to rid themselves of bad priests (priests who drank, extortioned, and had several families of their own), which happened to be almost every priest. The novel and the John Ford movie tell almost the same story, but with the huge difference that the priest character (Henry Fonda) is not an alcoholic, has not fathered a son with the peasant woman, and instead of cowardly he is somewhat of a martyr. On the other hand the lieutenant of police, played very well by Pedro Armendariz, although still ruthless is now seen as being 'bad' because he is hunting down a priest.

Overall the movie has great acting (particularly Armendariz), great direction, and is beautifully photographed by Mexican great Gabriel Figueroa. Its a shame that the producers decided to compromise Graham Greenes original story.

Ford shoots for the stars in this uneven parable, but mostly fails.

You know you're in for some heavy-handedness when, near the beginning, Henry Fonda's priest (none of the characters are named, as in a fable) opens the doors to an abandoned church and the camera lovingly lingers on his shadow, which forms a crucifix in the dusty doorway.

It doesn't get better from there. Soon the viewer is introduced to the pious Dolores del Rio, a Madonna/Whore bathed in glowing nimbus and Pedro Armendariz, a Pilate-like jack-booted thug with the attire of Himmler but the philosophy of Lenin.

J. Carrol Naish's informant/Judas character is the principle racial stereotype, though such stereotypes abound with an abundance of serape and sombrero clad extras mugging the camera throughout. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, obviously influenced by this film, recreates the dusty revolutionary Mexican village with more authority and authenticity.

Perhaps expected to be a spiritual successor of Tom Joad, Fonda is badly miscast; his dour, pseudo-Hispanic performance is greatly reminiscent of the later The Wrong Man. It isn't until the end of the film that he's able to give a speech worthy of his natural humanity, but it comes too little, too late.

John Ford, working at the top of his technical game, supplies beautiful compositions and Gabriel Figueroa's lush lensing is the highlight of the film, and for that reason alone it is recommended.

John Ford's adaptation of Graham Greene's "The Power And The Glory" captures perfectly the potential for the seven deadly sins in all of us. It is an incredibly and understatedly raw and emotional and downright earthy movie. The entire supporting cast is brilliant, and Fonda, of course, is excellent, if not precisely ideal. This is in all senses, a quintessential study in soul-searching.

For 5 years beginning in 1926, the Republic of Mexico waged all out war against Catholic armies in several states in Mexico until 1931. The movie made by John Ford, follows the massive effect this Catholic repression had on Mexicans and their society over this time period. The baptisms, the hostage taking, the executions, the effect this repression had on all classes of Mexican society, were part of this understated but brilliant depiction of Mexico during the Cristero Rebellion.

The fact that John Ford used the creme of the creme of Mexican films; Emiliano "El Indio" Fernandez, an iconic figure in Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema, as an associate producer, Fernando Fernandez, an accomplished singer in Mexican cinema, Miguel Inclan (the hostage), who would go on to achieve fame as the blind man in Bunuel's "Los Olvidados", Gabriel Figueroa, by far the most accomplished Mexican cinematographer of all time, Delores Del Rio and Pedro Armendariz, two of the top stars of Mexican films, to support one of America's finest movie stars Henry Fonda, speaks volumes on John Ford's efforts to craft a movie for the ages.

This film has the angst found in German films, the methodical cadence characterizing films from Great Britian, the lights and shadows of Mexico, with a good helping of an American western, thanks to another great tough guy performance by Ward Bond. The lighting, camera angles, scenic shots; Gabriel used Mexico's two most important and sacred mountains in his scenery, Popocatepetl, and Iztaccihuatl.

In closing, for all you film buffs, there is a triangle relationship between this film and one of the greatest films (if not the greatest) of all times, Citizen Kane. Everyone knows that Delores Del Rio was having a relationship with Orsen Wells, during the filming of Citizen Kane. The cinematographer of Citizen Kane, Gregg Toland, was a mentor for Gabriel Figueroa in Hollywood during the 1930's!

Finding simple words for this portrayal of humanity and its many frailities, would say little of the creatures of love and suffering so lovingly brought into focus by John Ford's willingness to emphasise the faults and weaknesses of the anti-hero priest, as well as to spotlight the strengths of the judas informer and his awakening to the light of understanding in his clear awareness that he is responsible for the death of a fine man, who also happens to be a priest. That film noire camera/lighting techniques feature prominently also serves the surrealistic atmosphere that envelopes this wonderful work of art dedicated to the best and worst in all of us.

Fugitive, The (1947)

*** (out of 4)

Henry Fonda plays a priest in Central America who finds himself on the run after the government bans all religion. Fonda manages to go from town to town with religious folks willing to protect him but soon he runs into a crooked police informer (J. Carrol Naish) who might be giving information to the Lieutenant (Pedro Armendariz) who will stop at nothing to clear the streets of the evil religious figures. This film was a notorious flop when it was released and I'm fairly positive it would flap in any year in any decade. That's not because it's a bad film because it isn't but the film is so depressing that you can't help but feel most people wouldn't want to sit through it. The film contains some absolutely breath-taking cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa, which ranks as some of the best I've seen from this era. If you think the noir genre was good at using shadows and darkness then you haven't seen anything yet. As I said, this movie is 100% depression and what really fits the mood is the cinematography because it paints the perfect atmosphere. There are countless memorable scenes including the final shot with a cross as well as an earlier one where Fonda is hiding in a church and many parents from the village come in to get their children baptized while they have the chance. Another major plus working for the film is Ford's direction, which is top-notch as usual. I'm really not sure why this film would appeal to him but it's always amazing to go through Ford's career and see how many times he would direct something outside his range and pull it off. Ford does a terrific job building up this sad atmosphere and I really enjoyed the fact that he didn't pull any punches by adding fake comedy or just trying to lighten up the mood. Then, of course, there's Fonda who once again delivers the goods. The way Fonda walks here makes it seem as if he's a feather blowing in the wind because he's obviously a weak man who is struggling with being hunted. I thought the actor did a tremendous job showing the frailty of the character and the inner struggles he's having with the religion. Naish made a career out of playing snakes and once again he delivers an excellent performance and I'm sure by the end you'll be wanting to kill this guy yourself. Dolores del Rio plays a disgraced woman who is befriended by the priest and is excellent as well. Leo Carrillo, Ward Bond and Robert Armstrong add nice support as well. It's Armendariz who steals the show however as the truly tortured soul who is fighting to keep the religion out of his streets but is doing so due to some secret issues. THE FUGITIVE has all the right elements but it's still lacking something. Perhaps the film is just too laid-back for its own good but it never really crosses the greatness mark.

One thing you got in post-war Hollywood, as the studios began to lose their grip, was frontline directors setting forth with their own independent production companies. John Ford turned down a juicy deal from Twentieth Century Fox and, with his old pal producer and sometimes director Merian C. Cooper, formed Argosy Pictures. The Fugitive, a kind of Catholic adventure flick, was their first picture.

This is the sort of thing John Ford really believed in. It probably wasn't pictures like this that he had the most fun with, but you can tell the amount of reverence he had for the subject matter. The Fugitive has a similar look to the Informer, a tale of honour, betrayal and drunkenness set during the Irish Civil War, the cause of Irish freedom probably being the only thing Ford held in higher esteem than the Catholic Church. Like the Informer (an excellent picture by the way), the Fugitive has a kind of stark simplicity to its images, giving the characters and locations an iconic look. There are long wordless sequences, as if to give the events a sense of quiet dignity.

While not really a Western (some call this sub-genre a Zapata Western), Ford uses some of the tricks from his horse operas to ratchet up the tension and sense of danger. He keeps interiors very Spartan and small, yet with the outside world visible through doors and windows, making them look like fragile places of sanctuary. Exteriors on the other hand are vast and open, leaving our hero vulnerable to attack. A crafty moment is when Henry Fonda first gets followed by J. Carrol Naish. The wilderness is framed in a series of ruined arches, which gradually peter out, as if to say, "You are now leaving civilization – you're on your own now buddy." This isn't just symbolism by the way, there is a real psychological impact on the audience, because once we know the set-up we will be wondering if the hero is safe, and where his enemies might be lurking, and the way locations are presented to us enhances this sense of danger.

For all this effort to make us believe in the cause and fear for the hero, there is however a dreadful feeling of insincerity. Henry Fonda, who was a brilliant Tom Joad in 1940, is rather ho-hum here. The trouble is in the character. Whereas Tom Joad would stand up and punch a man if the need arose, this priest is an all-out goody-two-shoes Christian. This is odd because in the Grahame Greene novel on which this is based the priest is an alcoholic womaniser, and besides screenwriter Dudley Nichols should have known better than to create a character without flaws. I guess the real culprit is the production code, which was still very much in force, but still the character has no bite. And neither does Fonda's performance. It wouldn't have been against the code to give the priest a bit of fire and passion, but instead all we get is cheek-turning meekness.

It doesn't get much better when you look at the supporting cast. Fonda's countrymen are a clichéd bunch of humble, hat-holding peons (© every Mexican-set Hollywood movie until about 1963), and Naish's informant is just a dull ham act. Ward Bond, on the other hand, does the only bit of good acting in the whole thing (in fact it's some of the best acting of Bond's whole career), and I love his "El Gringo" character, but I can't help feeling he's in the wrong film. Meanwhile, the police lieutenant, in spite of an attempt by Nichols to make him human and multi-faceted, as portrayed by Pedro Armendariz is little more than a pathetic pantomime villain. I keep expecting him to start rounding up priests in a caravan that turns into a cage on wheels. And then Dick van Dyke would turn up in a flying car. Or something.

John Ford was certainly a great director – one of the best. But he had a stampede of Achilles heels. One of these weaknesses was the seriousness with which he sometimes took the material, which blinded him to how corny and pompous the whole thing looked. It's a flaw he shared with Cecil B. DeMille. Ford's confidence in having established his own studio probably didn't help. The Fugitive is all po-faced symbolism and Sunday school sermonising. With a little dash of humour and humanising (ironically things that Ford usually spent a lot of time on) he could have really made the story connect to the audience. As it was the public of the time stayed away, and I'd recommend the public of today do the same.

This is a strange one: a John Ford film that looks more like some failed experiment by Orson Welles (something he toyed with before growing bored) with a turgid, meandering plot that, for the most part, stubbornly refuses to engage, and a leading man who looks as uncomfortable as he does ridiculous.

Henry Fonda plays the fugitive of the title – a catholic priest in a Latin American police state determined to eliminate all traces of religion – with all the enthusiasm of a seven-year-old forced to attend Sunday school. Perhaps it's the fact that all the characteristics that drove the priest in Grahame Greene's source novel (i.e. drinking, womanising, doubting of God's love) have been ruthlessly whitewashed from the screen version leaving us with a blank canvas that still somehow contrives to be pious in the extreme. Fonda doesn't know what to do with the part, and Ford's heavy-handed, over-sentimentalised treatment doesn't help him one bit. Ford ladles it on – especially early on when we get a crippled child hobbling into church on his crutches, and subjects us to a number of intimate lingering shots of Dolores Del Rio's Mary Magdalene figure who blinks so rarely that I at first thought she was supposed to be blind. She really becomes quite frightening after a while, and I found my attention to what plot there is evaporating as I entered into some perverse kind of staring competition with her each time she appeared on screen.

The film looks great, thanks to Gabriel Figueroa's cinematography and the location shooting, but the film goes nowhere as it hammers home its message: a soul lacking religion will quickly become corrupt and debauched, and trying to deny your faith to yourself will lead only to frustration and self-loathing. Pedro Armendariz as the tortured police captain and Ward Bond as a criminal fugitive bag the best roles, although Bond's is somewhat underdeveloped, meaning his protection of the fugitive priest in the corn field appears a little puzzling. Presumably he identifies with the priest's plight, but we are told too little about him to understand why.

Bottom line: this is one of Ford's misfires, and not very interesting at that.

As usual, John Ford is able to provide an appropriately dark vision for the material here, with careful use of shadow work and lighting. The film is a grim and harrowing tale, but this is the type that Ford handles well - there are reminders of his earlier bleak masterpieces, 'The Lost Patrol', 'The Informer' and 'The Grapes of Wrath'. The politics are not too well explained, it has some overbearing religious imagery, and the whole religious side of the film is not too well executed, but otherwise it is very well done. The film has interesting ideas about doing one's duties, and the effects of extreme loyalty to one's cause. Panning cinematography is well used throughout, and the music choices are excellent. The film is often maligned for the religious side that it pushes, but Fonda's character can represent any type of man who feels obligations and therefore makes sacrifices. It does not have to be tied in with Christ symbolism.

This film started very slowly and is one of the worst melodramatic films I have ever seen. I continued watching it, as more and more very well known actors started showing up, so I thought surely it would get better, however, they all seem to be overacting, contorting their faces like they are in an old fashioned melodrama. "You must pay the rent". "I can't pay the rent" .

The music is definitely the largest contributing factor in the "hammy" feeling of the film. It is overly dramatic like something from an old silent film, and gives that feel to the movie .

The Graham Green novel has morals that are eternal, but this film, unlike many of the older films does not hold up well because of the over dramatizing. If you can stick with it long enough the moral of the story finally does comes through. The only saving grace were the scenes with the exquisitely beautiful face and more subtle acting of Delores Del Rio.