THE SHEPERD OF THE HILLS

1941 Directed by Henry Hathaway

John Wayne goes all James Dean - a kind of Rebel without a Six-shooter in this Ozark Mountains set melodrama of passion, hate and redemption. Directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Wayne as Matt, a moonshiner carrying a chip on his shoulder over the father he has never known and bitter over the death of his mother. His wayward father is played by Harry Carey and it is he who is the real star of the film.

Betty Field is exuberant as Sammy and steals every scene she's in - her waif of a country girl is a joy to watch and even in the action scenes it is to her that the eyes travel. But then this isn't an action film and Wayne may be slightly miscast - it's a bitter sweet story told with humour and even if the end is corny, with Matt's resentments healed all too conveniently, it is an enjoyable movie.

Some of the photography is amazing - check out the framing of the shot at counter mark 22:19 and the final frame with the rays of the sun breaking through an almost satanically red sky perfectly sums up the films message.

It's a great movie but won't appeal to fans of Wayne's more action centric films. The brooding, moody character he portrays doesn't really suit his style and he comes across as awkward at times. Though he does look magnificent and on times dominates the screen with that old Wayne magic. This type of role was more suited to the likes of Paul Newman, James Dean or even Montgomery Clift but Wayne certainly gives it a credible stab. And in no way is his performance bad...it's just that the Wayne persona hadn't fully formed yet and this kind of melodrama was not something he ever seemed comfortable in. The Quiet Man excluded, of course.

Harry Carey on the other hand is excellent and exudes an almost Christ like aura as the man trying to regain redemption for the sins of his past. Well worth watching but don't expect the standard John Wayne movie.