
Introduction
When it has been supposed one nation with its artificial cultural boundaries create or birth, their making history should be lightening (President Wilson).so Hollywood helps making history when movies have taught everybody else history. For good or ill, movies have played an enormous part in giving us a sense of our history. (American Heritage Magazine)
The present paper is an effort to review the John Fords first film in Technicolor (1939) “Drums along the Mohawk” that is based on a best-seller novel by Walter D. Edmonds of the same name and a huge commercial hit, mainly because of its two stars, Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert and maybe because of Ford’s previous overlooked films like “Young Mr. Lincoln” and especially “Stagecoach”.
Cast & Genre
This film which represents the time of the American Revolutionary War stars Henry Fonda as Gilbert Martin, Claudette Colbert as Lana, Edna May Oliver as Mrs. Mcklennar, Eddie Collins as Christian Reall, John Carradine as Cladwell, Dorris Bowdon as Mary Reall, Arthur Shield as Rev. Rosenkrantz and ….
The movie fits into some genres at the same time; it has simultaneously been an instance of Western, Custom adventure and war. (imdb.com)
Plot
Newly-wed farmer Gill tries to explain bad life situation in the Mohawk Valley to his bride Lana who has been raised in much more genteel surroundings in their cabin. In a twist of fate, when Lana eventually adjusts to the work at hand and able to help her husband in the fields, warlike Indians- who were allies of the British military in order to wage war against colonies - end up burning down their home and they become refugees. At last they had to inhabit as servant and janitor in the feisty Widow Edna May Oliver as McKlennar house.
Mean time, because of raising Indian and Redcoats assault, all mature men including Gill join the army against them. And after featuring savage wars between them (the longest& the most boring sequence of movie) it finishes by a triumph ceremony and raising up the American flag (with thirteen stars) upon the church tower and accompanied by the end tunes of “Star Spangled Banner” that says, “Home of the free, Land of the brave”.
Implications
The interesting point of film is shifting from men’s power of construction towards women. In other words, not only the film represents the concerns of American frontier man about their community but also concentrates on the intrepidity and bravery of frontier women in defending their society. As we can observe in the movie, transformation of Lana from a naïve rich girl with bonnet and huge dresses to an independent frontier woman with rural farmer clothes and in the end revolutionary army coat; (Jeremiah Kipp) or in other place resistance of the crusty old widow with brutal behavior of Indians who wanted to burn her bed that was a symbol of her shared life with her husband is another instance referring to the women’s attendance and instance of presenting Indian-Americans as barbarian.
The other point in representing American frontier’s life is the attention paid to the importance of church by featuring it repeatedly during the film and the impact of Christianity in changing characteristics of an Indian who assists Gill’s group against other Indians.
Overall, there are two opinions about this movie; one is that it is Ford’s weakest effort in comparison with his other movies like “The Searcher”. The other opinion, on the other hand, is that the movie is his upper project in his work history. (Review 270, piddleville.com)
As a matter of fact, “Drums along the Mohawk” is a good film especially technical speaking regarding the previous year’s poor condition. Despite of this good aspect of movie, in my opinion the context of film has been formed by Indian American stereotype as brutal or stupid persons who can be used as instruments by the whites; the film has been an effort to include some aspects of “White Supremacy” theory and even covertly Christian supremacy. It is necessary to add this point as well that White Supremacy is a racist ideology which holds the belief that white people are superior to other races. White Supremacy often refers to anti-Black racism but it has also been used to justify prejudice and discrimination against other non-white groups, such as American Indians. (wikipedia)What is meant by White Supremacy in this case is that whites are not only superior to others, but they want to rule over inferior non-white peoples as we see the hegemony of whites upon Indian warriors.
Conclusion
According to critics especially Indians themselves John Ford who produced many racist anti-Indian films ever made in Hollywood, “The Searchers” (1956), ( Ward Churchill) some sequence of “Drums along the Mohawk” in despising the position of Indians has been expected. It can be concluded that such failure stems from the Hollywood’s role in making history, especially in early twentieth century.
References
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031252/
Drums Along the Mohawk, http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews5/drumsalongthemohawk.htm
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800060028/info
Drums Along the Mohawk, Mark Deming, http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:14871
Drums Along the Mohawk, Frank S. Nugent, http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=14871
Drums Along the Mohawk, http://www.piddleville.com/DigitalMovies/Review270_DrumsAlongMohawk.htm
White supremacy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_supremacy
Drums Along the Mohawk, http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews5/drumsalongthemohawk.htm