Pappy: The Life of John Ford

by Dan Ford

Book Overview

Although he is best remembered for his classic westerns like Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Irish-American director John Ford (1895-1973) made 136 diverse films during his 51-year career, winning Oscars for The Informer, The Grapes of Wrath, The Battle of Midway, and The Quiet Man . A master of psychological manipulation, Ford had a knack for goading brilliant performances out of his actors, albeit often through...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306808757
• ISBN13: 9780306808753
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An intimate portrait of the fimmaker by his grandson

John Ford is THE greatest film director of American Cinema, and perhaps one of the greatest artist of the 20th century. Yet his figure remains enigmatic, part of the reason is because this man never wanted to talk about himslef. This biography is a well-researched piece written by Ford's own grand son, who is also a film producer. As the director's relatibe, he had access to most of his personal papers, as well as interviews with Ford's many collaborators, which includes John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara and many others. It is a very good introduction about the man. I do not share the author's view about Ford's later works, and I have found some contradicting facts about the making of Cheyenne Autumn when I researched the atchive papers of Waraner Brothers, but these are details. This book is a bit sentimental, but so are many of the movies directed by the author's grandfather, so I think that's okay.