Donovan's Reef
John Ford's vision of America became increasingly bitter through the 60s, from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance to Seven Women. This 1963 comedy seems like a desperate bit of escapism: three old war buddies (John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Jack Warden) turn their backs on the U.S. and retire to a Pacific atoll, where they live in innocent bliss until Wayne's prim daughter (Elizabeth Allen) comes for a visit. A rowdy, cheerful film on the surface, it has a disturbingly sour undertone supplied by Ford's realization that this paradise cannot be, and never was. 109 min.
By Dave Kehr
Credits
Director:
- John Ford
Cast:
- John Wayne
- Lee Marvin
- Elizabeth Allen
- Jack Warden
- Cesar Romero
- Dorothy Lamour
- Marcel Dallio
- Mike Mazurki
- Jacqueline Malouf
- Cherylene Lee
- Tim Stafford
- Edgar Buchanan
- John Fong
- Yvonne Peattie
- Ralph Volke
Writers:
- Edmund Beloin
- James Edward Grant
- James Michener
- Frank Nugent
Producer:
- John Ford
