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There is no doubt that this adaptation of the Wyatt Earp tale is better than all the others, the only interesting question concerns the level of excellence that Ford achieves with this film. On the surface, the plot seems too trivial to deal with moral questions raised in the movie. With such clear-cut issues and black-and-white characters. "My Darling Clementine" finds nuance to be an unreachable plateau. "My Darling Clementine" is about good vs. evil and the triumph of the American way of life. Tombstone is a town where the law rules thanks to the strong hand...
When Wyatt discovers Doc Holiday's girlfriend, Chihuahuas (Linda Darnell), with his dead brother's necklace, he wrongly assumes that Doc must be the one that killed his brother. In one of the most magnificent chase scenes of all Ford Westerns, Wyatt sets out to capture Holliday, who has left for Mexico. Ford quickly intercuts between Wyatt on a lone horse and Doc Holiday on a stagecoach urging the horses to run faster. Eventually Wyatt catches up and subdues him When Doc Holliday is returned to Tombstone, it is clear that, representing the law, Wyatt Earp can't be outrun...
...minutes, this film is a model of efficiency and a textbook for narrative film-making. There are no unnecessary scenes or storylines and the plot progresses quickly and confidently. Ford set out to portray simple characters in simple situations, and in "My Darling Clementine" he accomplishes this...
...Ford and his cinematographer, Joseph P. McDonald, were able to portray Wyatt Earp as the contemplative loner using many wonderful, contrasty long shots. Many of the scenes in this film are memorable not only because of Fonda and Mature, but also because of the many shadows they were forced to walk...
Crystal-clear photography is a trademark of John Ford films, and "My Darling Clementine" is no exception. The images are so vivid and fantastically composed that one can only come away from this film with the feeling that one has spent as hour and a half in the Wild West. Considering the dearth of meaty Westerns lately, "My Darling Clementine" is the perfect film to renew of begin a love affair with this sometimes undervalued genre...