The Long Voyage Home

The Long Voyage Home (John Ford, 1940)

Of the many John Ford films reviewed here, The Long Voyage Home is probably the most underrated so far. This masterpiece from Ford's most prolific period (The Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach, Young Mr. Lincoln, Drums Along the Mohawk, How Green Was My Valley) diserves a better place in his career as in film History.

During the Second World War, the American navy was often represented in the films of John Ford. This is the kind of subject he loved to work with: His archetypal ensemble character plot could fit perfectly in the micro society of ship's crew. This ensemble cast will represent a social group that must work as a united team or a family where everyone as to behave and work hard with their strength to reach greater will. The crew of the ship illustrate this concept.

The visual side of the film was assured by the mastery camera work of cinematographer Gregg Toland, who is notorious for his work on Citizen Kane. His vision made The Long Voyage Home very unique in its visual beauty. The uses of low camera angles, dark lighting, and inventive framing that all characterized Citizen Kane and even the famous sealings are present inside of the boat. I'm not trying to say that Citizen Kane wasn't as inventive as a André Bazin could have wrote but Orson Welles himself always said that you're never the first to do something... Here Gregg Toland may or may not be the first to use all these new techniques but he sure was one of the few who mastered them that well. Clearly, Toland weas probably influenced by the films of the German expressionists like Murnau's silent films. Toland's work may have influenced the way film noirs were shot in the 1940's and in the 1950's. Many film historians will brag that Citizen Kane was probably the first film noir if not the major influence with all its particular style.

However, let's get back to The Long Voyage Home, of the more than a hundred feature films John Ford directed many are considered as untouchable masterpieces, The Searchers, Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, Rio Grande, etc. But you don't often see The Long Voyage Home on his best films list. This is a little known film that diserves its place amongst the best of his greater films. A gem amongst one of the greatest careers of this Hollywood director.

Coming soon my personal Top 10 of John Ford's films!

Until then please read my other Ford's films reviews:

How Green Was My Valley (1941) *in french only*
They Were Expendable (1945)
Fort Apache (1948)
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

The Thief of Bagdad

TSPDT Greatest Films #335 The Thief of Bagdad (Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan, 1940)


This Technicolor entertainment of 1940 has everything to satisify viewers of any generation. I think Disney understood that when they made Aladdin. The plot is pretty much the same and the action is set in the same times. The main differences are that made in 1940 with real actors it took lots of creativity to adapt this story.

Well, even if it was not the first time it was made for the big screen the version Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan executed is by many opinion the best adaptation. Raoul Walsh's silent version of 1924 with Douglas Fairbanks is now on my wanted list.

The Thief of Bagdad is well made and its "mise-en-scène" is phenomenal! Sadly I don't own the Criterion release of that picture. Just to have the chance to see its new transfer to appreciate the colors and the textures of this wonderful film I hope to put my hands on Criterion's release. A must see!


A review by Michaël Parent

Fantasia un film de Ben Sharpsteen - Retrospective

TSPDT Greatest Films #264 Fantasia (Ben Sharpsteen, 1940)


Considered by many as the greatest animated film of all time Walt Disney's Fantasia is more than a regular cartoon picture. First of all, I think it's not an animated film especially for children not because of inappropriate material but because a child needs more of a story to hold up to and maybe more action to it. The many parts with juxtaposition of music and animated images is sublime and I must say as a Disney aficianado; I really liked it! Especially, for all the work behind the film of the many many artists shadowed by the prestance of Walt Disney. The film did not do good at its release and it's long time after it got the recognition it deserved.

With the exception of the narration of Deems Taylor there ain't no links between the musical parts. I easily understand why the public didn't rushed into the theaters when it was released. Disney wanted to show to the moviegoers an other side of classic music. But, the classic music fan base wasn't the same crown that got to the Cinema. Without interest in the music the images may be as beautiful as they are they could not hold the audience as he did with Snow White.

Many songs used in Fantasia are common classic songs we often hear in Cinema. Having a different vision of them is refereshing and also sometimes it's not the image we have in mind that is on the screen so it changes the meaning of the song. I compare the entertainment value of Fantasia to a great fireworks show. The music fits the image and they compement each other. But, would you sit through two hours of a fireworks show? I would answer yes! If you ask yourself to watch it or not you can ask yourself this question. I can say to you that this fireworks show is pretty damn good!