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Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Joanne Dru, Alan Mowbray ... see more see more... , Charles Kemper , Jane Darwell , Russell Simpson , Ruth Clifford , Kathleen O'Malley , Francis Ford , Don Summers , Cliff Lyons , Fred Libby , Mickey Simpson , Hank Worden , James Arness , Maria [Movita] Castaneda , Chuck Hayward , Jim Thorpe

Wagon Master, splendidly directed by John Ford, is a superlative western. The film is the outwardly simple tale of a Mormon wagon train headed for Utah. Along the way, the group, led by Elder Wiggs (W... read more read more...ard Bond) hook up with two horse traders Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy Owens (Harry Carey Jr), the members of a traveling medicine show and a tribe of Navajo Indians. The group is threatened by a gang, known as the Clegg family, who have robbed an express office and murdered the clerk. This wonderful film emphasizes the virtues of solidarity, sacrifice and tolerance, and shows John Ford at his most masterful, in total control of the production from the casting to the bit players to the grandeur and scope of the visual compositions. The film, with its breathtaking scenery, brilliant performances by a cast of character actors, and an engaging sense of humor, is a superlative example of the American western. Wagonmaster inspired the television series Wagon Train and was also shown in a computer-colorized version ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

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71% liked it

410 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

7 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: John Ford

Release Date: April 19, 1950

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DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009

Stats: 47 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (47)

  • kenstachnik
    July 16, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Simple, elegant and controlled.
  • fb68600877
    January 6, 2012
    fb68600877
    Thoroughly enjoyable Western where two horse traders join up with a band of Mormons and end up with more than they bargained for. Lots of interesting character development here for a pretty big cast.
  • jam233
    January 9, 2010
    jam233
    A pleasant cast, not quite what I would expect from director John Ford. It's a fine film, very simple. Having a cast with no big star names in it is a plus. The art direction was a bit crude, but it's a fine film.
  • rosscompose
    February 12, 2009
    rosscompose
    One of the lesser-known John Fords. Beautifully photographed in BxW and very moving. Great score, almost a musical.

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Critic Reviews

February 23, 2012
Variety

Wagon Master is a good outdoor action film, done in the best John Ford manner. That means careful character development and movement, spiced with high spots of action, good drama and leavening comedy ... Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
April 3, 2012
Jonathan Rosenbaum, DVD Beaver

This may be the closest Ford ever got to making a musical. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 3, 2012
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Ford considered it among his personal favorites, and a handful of Ford's biggest admirers consider it a neglected masterpiece. (I do too.) Full Review

Sean Axmaker
September 21, 2009
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

It's as gentle and warm a film as [John Ford] ever made and it follows a classic Ford theme: the creation of a community in the west... Full Review

John J. Puccio
September 20, 2009
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...a simple, straightforward film telling a simple, straightforward story, artistic in its design and execution and poetic in its telling. Full Review

Paul Brenner
July 13, 2009
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com

one of Ford's masterworks, a sublime, crisp, unpretentious western that doesn't wear its mythos on its sleeve Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
June 5, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's one of the most likable of all the Westerns directed by John Ford. Full Review

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Wagon Master Trivia

  • Which actor had been the former wagon master of the Donner Party in the movie: Wagons East?  Answer »
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