The shoot went over schedule, and Farrow had to leave the production as he was contractually obligated to direct another movie. The final scenes featuring the Apache attack on the circled wagons of the Army and settlers were shot by John Ford, whom Wayne had asked to finish the film; Ford was uncredited for this work.[4]
Plot
Homesteader Angie Lowe and her six year-old son Johnny are doing chores when soldier Hondo Lane arrives with his dog, carrying his saddle bags and rifle. He was riding dispatch for the US Army Cavalry, had an encounter with Native Americans, and lost his horse. Hondo offers to work for awhile to earn a horse and Angie agrees. Angie repeatedly says that her husband is away herding cattle, but Hondo realizes he has been gone a long time. Hondo encourages her to pack up and return with him to the Army fort, since the treaty with the Apache was broken and they are planning a war; Angie believes her friendship with the Apache will keep her safe. That night, she remembers hearing Hondo killed three men. She threatens him with an unloaded gun; he loads it for her.
Hondo mentions that he once lived among the Apache and had an Apache wife. He then kisses a confused Angie, who reminds him of his wife, and leaves for the fort. The Apaches later come to the ranch, led by Chief Vittorio and Silva. When Vittorio touches Angie, Johnny gets her gun and shoots at Silva. Though he misses, Vittorio is impressed with his bravery and makes him a blood-brother. Vittorio insists that a brave child should have a father, and leaves.
At the fort, Hondo sees fellow scout Buffalo Baker. He reports to the major that C Troop was wiped out by Apaches and meets Ed Lowe, a settler angry that the cavalry is not better protecting the settlers. In a saloon, Hondo gets into a fight with Ed, whom he later realizes is Angie's absentee husband. Meanwhile, Vittorio, sure that Ed is dead, gives Angie an ultimatum to take an Apache husband by the rainy season.
The next morning, Ed accuses Hondo of stealing his horse, seeing the "EL" brand. His friends defend Hondo, who leaves to return the horse to the ranch. Upset about the fight and horse, Ed follows Hondo to bushwhack him. While camped, Hondo is set upon by Apache, who also attack Ed. In the confusion, Hondo saves Ed's life. Ed eventually draws on Hondo, who kills him. Ed was clutching a photograph of Johnny, which Hondo takes. The Apache capture and torture Hondo for information about the cavalry's movements. When Vittorio sees Johnny's photo, he decides to subject Hondo to a one-on-one fight to the death with Silva, whose brother Hondo killed. Hondo is victorious, but lets Silva live; the Apache drop Hondo off at the ranch, where Angie lies about him being her husband.
Hondo attempts to reveal the truth of Ed's death, but is interrupted by Vittorio's return. The chief says that the pony soldiers will come. He asks Hondo to mislead the cavalry as a test; Hondo refuses to lie, and Vittorio is satisfied. Angie admits she loves Hondo, and they kiss. The next day, the cavalry arrive and expect Angie to leave. She and Hondo refuse. While they camp, another scout wants Hondo's rifle - he says he will tell Angie what happened to Ed if Hondo refuses. Hondo punches him, but Angie overhears. The cavalry eventually leave and Hondo stays behind.
Hondo prepares to go, but first tells Angie the truth about Ed's death. He also wants to tell Johnny, but she persuades him not to, admitting that she did not love Ed any longer. She says it would be unkind to tell Johnny the truth and that the secret will not follow them to Hondo's ranch in California. Hondo responds to her plea with a Native American word that seals an Apache wife-seeking ceremony, "Varlabania", which he says means "forever".
The cavalry return to the ranch, having killed Vittorio in a battle but having their commanding officer badly wounded. While the Apache regroup, Hondo, Angie, and Johnny join the wagon train and head for the fort. The Apaches catch up and the cavalry, led by Hondo, circle the wagons and counter-attack. Hondo kills Silva (their new leader) and the Apache scatter, giving the settlers and soldiers a chance to escape. The wagon train regroups and proceeds to the fort with Hondo remaining in command.
Wayne's newly formed production company Wayne-Fellows Productions (later Batjac) purchased the rights to Louis L'Amour's short story "The Gift of Cochise" in 1952, and set Wayne's friend and frequent collaborator James Edward Grant to write the adaptation, which expanded the original story, introduced new characters, and added the cavalry subplot. L'Amour was given the rights to write the novelization of the film, which became a bestseller after the film's release. The film shoot was scheduled for the summer of 1953 in the Mexican desert state of Chihuahua in the San Francisco de Conchos region. Today, this region is known for its tourist attractions like Lago Colina and spring pools like Los Filtros. It is a green area region with plenty of fishing and agriculture growth.
Wayne and his producing partner Robert Fellows wanted to shoot the film in the trend-setting 3D format. Warner Brothers supplied the production with the newly developed "All Media Camera," which could shoot in any format, including 3-D, using twin lenses placed slightly apart to produce the stereoscopic effect necessary for it. Despite that they were smaller than the twin camera process used previously for 3D, the All-Media Cameras were still bulky and made the film shoot difficult, causing delays when transported to remote desert locations. Further, the director John Farrow and director of photography Robert Burks were unfamiliar with the new technology and had trouble adjusting to using it, while the cameras were frequently broken due to wind blowing sand into the mechanism or from other inclement weather conditions. Farrow used the technology to produce fewer gimmicks than other 3D films did at the time, with only a few scenes showing people or objects coming at the camera, such as gunfire or knives. Instead he preferred to use it to increase the depth of the expansive wide shots of the Mexican desert, or when showing figures against a landscape.
The casting of Geraldine Page as the female lead was considered quite puzzling to many in Hollywood at the time. Though Hondo was not her first film, she had been known primarily as a Broadway stage actress and employed the Method acting style deemed by some to be too introspective for film, and especially for Westerns. However, she delivered a powerfully nuanced and original-feeling performance utterly appropriate to her character which later garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, the first of only two acting nominations ever for a film shot or presented in 3D. (The award went to Donna Reed for From Here to Eternity.) Page, one of the cinema's most acclaimed actresses, would receive seven Academy Award nominations during her four-decade career before winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1986 for The Trip to Bountiful.
San Francisco de Conchos, The exterior of the Church of San Francisco de Asís in the village was used for the army camp scenes.[5]John Ford shot the final scenes of the wagon train attack as a favor for Wayne when Farrow had to leave the film before its completion due to a conflicting contractual obligation to begin another film. Ford accepted no credit for directing the last sequence of the film.
John Wayne later said John Farrow "didn't really have a great deal to do with" the film. "Everything was set up before he came on it...It was written and I went out and looked for locations and picked the locations where each scene would be shot. I went back and brought the cameraman, and they said there's no color here. I said wait until I show you, and within seventeen miles of town I had white molten rock, blue pools of water, black buttes, big chalk-white buttes. We were using 3-D. We made it in 3-D but then it was never released in that, because Warner Brothers decided to give up and use the Fox system."[6]
Theatrical release
Even with the production troubles that came with the location shooting in 3D, the studio thought it was a worthwhile venture since 3D pictures were at the height of popularity at the time of the film's development.[7][8] However, by the time the film was completed, public interest in 3D had started to wane.[9] The distributing studio Warner Brothers did everything it could to promote its new 3D camera process and how it went beyond the typical gimmicks used by other popular 3D films at the time such as House of Wax, producing a richer sense of perspective.[citation needed]
Hondo was released on November 27, 1953, and was presented in the 3D format in only extremely few if any theaters at the time; theaters were unable to show the film in the stereoscopic format because the Polaroid 3D projection system required a brighter and more light-reflective screen, referred to as a "silver screen," which was an added cost theater owners were reluctant to pay.[9][10]
The film has an intermission, which comes right after Hondo is captured by the Apaches. This is included on the DVD version.
The film ended up becoming quite popular with audiences, eventually grossing $4.1 million at the box office and placing it in the top 20 money-makers for that year.[11]
Restoration and home media
An initial restoration of Hondo was overseen by Wayne's son Michael, head of Batjac Productions, in the late 1980s culminating in a syndicated broadcast of the film in June 1991 on American over-the-air stations in anaglyph 3D. 3D glasses were sold to viewers, with proceeds going to charity.
A frame-by-frame digital restoration by Prasad Corporation of the film was later completed, and the DVD of it was released on October 11, 2005.[12]
The 3D version of Hondo has yet to be released on either DVD or Blu-Ray.
A restored 3D theatrical version was exhibited for a week in 2015 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and projected the following year at New York's Film Forum, introduced at both venues by Michael Wayne's wife Gretchen Wayne.
References in popular culture
Part of a 1988 episode of Married... with Children, titled "All In The Family", has Al Bundy readying himself to watch Hondo in peace during a three-day weekend, but Peggy's family comes to visit, and their ensuing problems prevent him from seeing the film, just as their antics prevented him from seeing Shane the previous year.[13] A later 1994 episode of Married... with Children, titled "Assault And Batteries", has a subplot in which Al is desperate not to miss another television airing of Hondo because, as he explains, it is the best John Wayne movie and it only airs "once every 17 years". Al does miss this airing at the end of the episode and will have to wait until February 18, 2011 to see it again.[14] Al holds the film in very high esteem, once telling Peggy's family members "Your lives are meaningless compared to Hondo!"
Two later John Wayne Westerns contain subtle references to "Hondo." In Rio Lobo (1970), a wanted poster for Hondo Lane can be seen on a wall in the sheriff's office. In the 1973 film The Train Robbers, the chief male and female characters (played by Wayne and Ann-Margret) are Lane and Mrs. Lowe, the same names as in "Hondo".
In Men in Black 3 (2012), Agent K refers to Agent J as "Hondo" when J stares at him as he drives: "You lose something over here, Hondo?"
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