Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Drums Along the Mohawk Blu-ray Movie Review

The wild, wild East.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 12, 2013

It’s hard to escape the shadow of a film as iconic as John Ford’s 1939 masterpiece Stagecoach, which may be one reason why Ford’s other 1939 western, Drums Along the Mohawk, is not nearly so well remembered today, despite the fact that it was Ford's first color film and was quite successful in its day. Based on a historical novel by Walter D. Edmonds, the film depicts the adventures of a newly married couple around the time of the Revolutionary War in the wild American West—meaning in this case, the not very far west Mohawk Valley in New York. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert portray newlyweds Gilbert and Lana Martin, who leave Lana’s pretty tony digs in upstate New York to try their hand at farming in what was then the undeveloped expanse of central New York where the Mohawk tribe still reigned supreme. The film telescopes a number of huge historical events, having them play out against a series of anecdotal vignettes, many of them actually titled by little “samplers” giving brief descriptions of what is transpiring. This is a different kind of “epic” than what Ford achieved with Stagecoach. The focus is somewhat more limited, remaining anchored on the Martins while also featuring Ford’s typically large and colorful supporting cast (including a number of regulars from the Ford repertory company). But the visual scope of this film is quite appealing and decidedly different than the American Southwest regions with which Ford became so deeply associated throughout the bulk of his career.

The first part of the story deals with Lana’s attempts to adjust to a new hardscrabble life, while she and Gil settle down into their new location. They soon meet a kaleidoscope of supporting characters, ultimately including local doyenne Mrs. McKlennar (Edna May Oliver, who received one of the film’s two Academy Award nominations for her role). The incipient discontent with British rule soon spills over into actual revolution, and suddenly Gil and Lana find themselves in the midst of a Tory attack (led by an unexpectedly vicious John Carradine as Caldwell), working in concert with the local Indians (as of course they’re called in these pre-PC days). The Martins house is burned to the ground and with no hope of rebuilding before winter, they become stewards of Mrs. McKlennar’s large (and previously unmanageable) estate.

Drums Along the Mohawk cartwheels through a variety of episodes, including the typical Ford mix of comedy and pathos. The Martins experience both joy and tragedy as their young married life continues, and the settlers in the Mohawk Valley also have their fair share of triumphs and disappointments. The film’s most enduring sequence is the huge set piece capping the film, where repeated Indian and Tory attacks isolate the settlers and Gil must set off on foot (followed by a gaggle of Indians) in order to make it to the nearest American fort to attempt to get help. This breathtaking sequence plays out with nary a word and follows Gil traipsing through an astonishing variety of landscapes, all the while attempting to elude his rapidly encroaching predators.

Fonda and Colbert make a very believable couple here, especially once the hardships accrue and the two are forced to band together even more tightly to ensure their survival. Fonda’s innate all American “man of the people” quality comes through quite strongly here, and Colbert’s equally innate patrician aspect is also beautifully modulated, especially once the somewhat spoiled Lana realizes that “real life” isn’t going to cater to her every whim. Ford has his requisite wonderful supporting cast here, and while Oliver deserves the lion’s share of the credit for her typically fussy portrayal, a gaggle of other Ford regulars, including Ward Bond and Ford’s brother Francis, also contribute great character bits.

Drums Along the Mohawk may not have exactly the same kind of narrative through line that Stagecoach (or even Ford’s other other 1939 “western” Young Mr. Lincoln, also starring Henry Fonda) had, but the film offers rather brisk pacing and an aggregation of interesting characters which easily sustain interest and ultimately achieve a nice degree of emotional impact. Ford’s nicely detailed intimate portraits playing out against epochal historical events presages the same sort of approach David Lean would take decades later in such iconic films as Lawrence of Arabia. Drums Along the Mohawk is obviously more varied in its combination of humor and drama than the starkly dramatic Lean offerings, but Ford’s brilliantly controlled direction points the way to what would become known as the “intimate epic” in years to come.

Drums Along the Mohawk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Drums Along the Mohawk is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This is sadly yet another older Technicolor film which has fallen subject to the so-called "Fox curse" of original Technicolor elements having been tossed in the garbage in the 1970s. Evidently Fox made safety intermediates in Eastmancolor and the difference is more than noticeable as even a cursory glance at these screenshots will show. Flesh tones edge toward the peach side of things, the overall look of the film is decidedly on the brown side, and those lustrous Technicolor blues and reds simply don't pop with the vividness lovers of the original process will expect (take a look at the blue of Colbert's costume in the first screenshot and the red robe in screenshot 4 for good examples). The entire look of this presentation is on the "dupey" side, with middling contrast and pretty iffy shadow detail. This is not the fault of the transfer per se, since Fox evidently harvested whatever elements they could for a significant digital upgrade and that information is presented here, but this is simply a kind of sad version of Technicolor rather than the "real thing". Otherwise, though, the elements were either in very good shape or have been extremely well restored. Damage is at a minimum, and while a telecine colorist has obviously attempted to work whatever magic he or she could here, there aren't any other signs of aggressive digital tinkering. This film should be one of the chief exhibits in why film preservation is so important. Without original elements, only so much can be done, but at least something has been done with what Fox had to work with.

Drums Along the Mohawk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Drums Along the Mohawk features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which sounds surprisingly spry for its age. While there is the requisite boxiness at times (especially noticeable in some of Alfred Newman's more grandiloquent orchestral cues), overall things sound remarkably full bodied and damage free. The mix is extremely well prioritized, with dialogue, score and the frequent effects in action sequences expertly blended so that everything is audible without any "crowding" issues.

Drums Along the Mohawk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Film Historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. This is a wonderfully entertaining and informative commentary. Redman tends to ask the questions and Kirgo waxes on quite enthusiastically about Ford, the cast and the shoot.


• Becoming John Ford (480i; 1:33:19). The content of this often interesting documentary is absolutely first rate, but its self-conscious and overly arty style may wear on some viewers. There are a number of great talking heads segments and little snippets from Ford's films, and director Walter Hill voices Ford in a number of first person narrative elements. (Ron Shelton voices Daryl F. Zanuck.) The actual biographical and anecdotal data here is fantastic, but the documentary utilizes too many bells and whistles for its own good, including some really odd moments like the camera wafting right past the talking heads as they speak.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (480i; 2:17) is in black and white.

Drums Along the Mohawk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Drums Along the Mohawk is an often bracing and very exciting experience, and it offers John Ford's typically assured mastery of both character and locale. Up close and personal moments are perfectly blended with bigger set pieces, and the film's climax is rightly remembered as one Ford's most singular achievements. This Blu-ray presentation isn't able to completely overcome the lack of original elements. Valiant restorative efforts appear to have been made, but this simply does not have the beautiful Technicolor patina that it should. With an understanding of what can reasonably be done under such circumstances, Drums Along the Mohawk comes Recommended.