Drums Along the Mohawk

As far as solid years go for a director, 1939 was epically successful for John Ford with three classic or near-classic films. The most well-known is Stagecoach, but Young Mr. Lincoln and Drums Along the Mohawk are two of my favorites too. John Ford doing an American Revolution story without most of the trappings and pitfalls that plague so many of his movies? Count me in, one of my childhood favorites and a movie I've seen countless times.

It's 1776 in upstate New York and newlywed couple Gil Martin (Henry Fonda) and his wife, Lana (Claudette Colbert) are moving into the wilderness, a frontier cabin in Deerfield near the colonial settlement at German Falls. The revolution has started, the colonies declaring their independence from Britain. In Deerfield and the Mohawk Valley, the war seems a long way off as Gil and Lana build up a new live for themselves, starting from the ground up. Colonists loyal to the British, Tories, have stirred up the Indian tribes though, and now the outnumbered colonists find themselves fighting in a war that looked like it passed them by. Right in the mix? Gil and Lana protecting their young family and homestead as the war rages on around them.

Movies about the American Revolution are few and far between so you've got to enjoy them as you stumble onto them. Imagine a Ford western transplanted back to the late 1770s and early 1780s with the British and Indians replacing the bandits and Plains Indians. I grew up watching this movie and have always loved it. 'Mohawk' was filmed in Utah -- not exactly a look-a-like for upstate New York -- but it is a stunningly beautiful movie, especially impressive considering the movie is over 70 years old. Throw in a Yankee Doodle themed score from Alfred Newman, and you've got all the elements for a winner.