Michael's Christmas Movie Guide: 3 Godfathers (1948)

 

An offbeat, but incredibly charming Christmas movie. 

When one thinks of Christmas movies, the names John Wayne and John Ford do not immediately jump to mind. Yet together, the infamous director and star duo, made a true Christmas classic. This film is essentially an old west retelling of the biblical tale of the wise men. Not that it is a straight retelling of the biblical story, but it is obviously inspired by it. Our three main characters (John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey, Jr.) begin the story as old west outlaws, simply wanting to rob banks. As the film begins, you begin to wonder if you are actually watching a Christmas movie or just a really good western. However, this all changes. The outlaws find a covered wagon in the middle of the desert and meet a woman about to give birth. They help her deliver the baby, but when the mother dies, they agree to bring the baby to safety. They take the baby to the town of New Jerusalem using a star to guide their way (now you see how this is clearly a Christmas movie).

Though this may not be a traditional Christmas movie, it captures the true spirit and meaning of Christmas more than many much more traditional Christmas films. This is especially true of the first scene in New Jerusalem. Though that scene is very brief, it perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas. Not only is the place decorated for Christmas and there is a beautiful (again if brief) piano version of Silent Night (the piano player on screen is none other than the film's composer, Richard Hageman), but it also shows beautifully the themes of redemption and putting others above yourself, two themes that have become synonymous with Christmas movies and Christmas itself. This is also when the biblical allegory reaches its climax, and the result is something truly beautiful. This scene always brings a little tear to my eye (especially as a Christian myself). Speaking of the biblical allegory, it works near perfectly in this film. It may not be subtle but it is incredibly effective. This is especially true because of how our main characters have to rely strictly on faith. There is no proof that they will end up in New Jerusalem and if they do end up there, they don't know what will happen next. This actually causes one to look at the story of the Magi in a way that they wouldn't before. Knowing what happens next in the Bible, we forget that the Wise Men acted on faith and not their own knowledge. This allegory makes what would have been a really good western into a truly great one. 

This is not to say that this film relies only on its biblical allegory. The movie has a lot more going for it. One thing is the incredible cast. I feel this one of the most underrated performances in John Wayne's career. His character undergoes a major arc and this is shown wonderfully throughout John Wayne's performance as we can feel the change in the character. This is why I can never buy it when anyone calls John Wayne a one-note actor or says he could only play himself. Harry Carey Jr. is also truly wonderful in one of his earliest film roles, showing an incredible depth in his scenes with the baby. Pedro Armendariz is not outshined by these two and offers both some really funny and moving moments. Ward Bond is a delight as the Marshall, never becoming the simple antagonist he could have been in lesser hands. Jane Darwell (who had been in John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940)) is a scene stealer and brings some good old-fashioned comedy to this story. It is a delight to see the wonderful character actor, Guy Kibbee in his last film role (he plays the judge). John Ford's direction here is as wonderful as always and he proves why he is one of the greatest movie directors to ever live. He balances perfectly the darker aspects of this movie with scenes of pure joy (as well as some really good comedic scenes). Yet he does this in a way that makes you not take notice of the filmmaker behind the scenes. Also typical of John Ford movies, this film uses music to its best advantage. I can't imagine this movie without the aforementioned silent night or having Ward Bond's character sing the old cowboy song, Streets of Laredo to the baby and the hymn Shall We Gather at the River as they bury the mother of the child. These little musical moments add so much to the emotion of the story. Much attention also needs to be called to Winton Hoch's beautiful color cinematography. It truly looks beautiful and adds so much to the movie. Winton Hoch would return to work with John Ford and John Wayne for the brilliant, The Searchers (1956). 

This movie was based off a 1913 story by Peter B. Kyne. This story had been made into four other movies before this one. One of these films was Marked Men (1919). That movie was directed by John Ford and stared Harry Carey Sr., whose son played a major role in this film. Ford considered this the best of his silent films, but unfortunately the movie is considered lost. The opening credits for 3 Godfathers sate, "to the Memory of Harry Carey, Bright star of the early western sky." This is not long before the credit "Introducing Harry Carey Jr." Despite the connection between Harry Carey Jr. and Ford, Ford did not make this an easy shot for his friend. Ford is known for having been rough with actors on the set, and he didn't let himself show favoritism or go easy on someone due to a friendship. Shooting one scene* in this film is what the young actor would later refer to as "the toughest day of my motion picture life." Yet there is no denying that Carey not only pulled through this but came out with an incredible performance. 

This movie is often overlooked when it comes to the collaborations between John Ford and John Wayne. This may be because it came between Fort Apache (1948) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), which are both considered classics. However this film is simply wonderful on its own terms. 

This may not be one of the first Christmas movies, one thinks of, but in my opinion it is a true holiday classic. 

Resources Used

Christmas in the Movies by Jeremy Arnold 


*Spoilers: referring to the scene where his character dies.