Ford at Fox – DVD Box Set from Amazon

I enjoy shining a spotlight on quality DVD box sets for our readers, and Ford at Fox – The Collection is no exception. Featuring many of the films made by legendary director John Ford while under contract with Fox from 1920 to 1952, the set includes 21 discs mixing beloved classics with lesser-known gems.

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Available from Amazon (yes, we get a small commission if you make a purchase), this 2007 release from 20th Century Fox has a total run time of 2399 minutes, which comes to a total of over 31 hours of viewing pleasure. And in addition to the films, those who purchase this John Ford box set will also receive a Ford at Fox book of photography and reproduction souvenir brochures from movies such as Four Sons and The Iron Horse.

There’s a reason why directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg, Ingmar Bergman, and Martin Scorsese all considered John Ford to be a major influence on their careers. Pick up Ford at Fox and find out why.

Movies Included in Ford at Fox – The Collection

Before you decide whether or not to put down money for this collection, you’ll no doubt want to known what you’re getting. Here’s a list of the films and shorts included in Ford at Fox – The Collection.

Just Pals (1920)- A silent film and Ford’s first for Fox Studios, Buck Jones stars as a small-town man who becomes friends with a homeless child.

The Iron Horse (1924) – Ford didn’t receive directorial credit for this silent-era film about the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, but it remains a must-see. Ford at Fox includes both the U.S. and U.K. versions of the film.

3 Bad Men (1926) – After her mother is killed, a young girl falls under the protection of three notorious Old West outlaws. Silent film.

Four Sons (1928) – The tale of four German brothers during the days of World War I. While three of the siblings enlist in the German military, the fourth heads to make a life in America. A mixture of sound and silent film.

Hangman’s House (1928) – An Irish saga starring Victor McLaglan. John Wayne has a minor role, and Ford went uncredited as director. The final silent film in this collection.

Born Reckless (1930) – Ford shared directorial responsibilities with Andrew Bennison in this tale of a gangster who’s sentenced to fight in World War I. Starring Edmund Lowe and Catherine Dale Owen.

Up The River (1930) – Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart make their big-screen debuts in this tale of escaped convicts. Features singing and dancing.

Seas Beneath (1931) – A thriller set on the high seas and starring George O’Brien and Marion Lessing.

Doctor Bull (1933) – John Ford and Will Rogers team up for the first of three collaborations. Rogers plays a small-town doctor who must deal with an outbreak of typhoid (but it’s still a comedy).

Pilgrimage (1933) – When a mother believes her son is about to marry a girl beneath him, she makes sure that he’s sent off to war. Tragedy results, and the mother’s plans quickly unravel. Starring Henrietta Crosman and Heather Angel.

Judge Priest (1934) – Will Rogers stars as country-fried judge who inspires those around him to do the right thing. Co-starring Hattie McDaniel and Stepin Fetchit.

The World Moves On (1934) – Details events in the United States from post-Civil War reconstruction to the Great Depression.

Steamboat Round The Bend (1935) – The last collaboration between John Ford and Will Rogers. The famed comic from Oklahoma plays a man whose nephew is in trouble with the law. In order to raise the money to hire an attorney, he navigates up and down the Mississippi River in a rickety steamboat and charges people to look at the bizarre wax figures he’s carrying.

The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) – Warner Baxter stars as a doctor who treats John Wilkes Booth without knowing his patient’s identity. He’s sent to prison for this act.

Wee Willie Winkie (1937) – John Ford teams up with Shirley Temple at the behest of the studio.

Four Men and a Prayer (1938) – When a British military man is labeled a coward, his sons resolve to clear his name at all costs.

Drums Along The Mohawk (1939) – Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert star in this film about life on the New York frontier during the American Revolution. The first John Ford production filmed in color.

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) – A look at the early life of Abraham Lincoln. Starring Henry Fonda. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – Ford win a Best Director Oscar for this tale of the Joads, a family who find tragedy and heartache while moving from their Dust Bowl-era farm to California. Henry Fonda stars in one of his most memorable roles.

Tobacco Road (1941) – A comedic tale of Southern cotton farmers during the Great Depression.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) – Ford won another Best Director Oscar for this tale of beautiful Welsh countryside devastated by strip-mining. Starring Maureen O’Hara and Walter Pidgeon.

My Darling Clementine (1946) – Henry Fonda stars as Old West legend Wyatt Earp in this film that includes the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Also includes Ford’s own cut of the film.

When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) – Dan Dailey stars as a young man who signs up during World War II to be a war hero, but he ends up back in his hometown training other soldiers.

What Price Glory (1952) – James Cagney stars as a Word War I soldier who renews a long-standing rivalry with a fellow Marine, this time over an innkeeper’s daughter. Comedy.

Becoming John Ford (2007) – A feature-length documentary about the genius of John Ford and his rather eccentric personality. Ford biographer Joseph McBride lends his expertise, as well as Peter Fonda and screenwriter Lem Dobbs. Includes several documentaries shot by Ford during World War II.

Click here to order Ford at Fox – The Collection from Amazon.

John Ford – The Man and the Director

In a career that spanned over 50 years, John Ford directed an endless stream of classics that captured the majesty of the American frontier and emphasized the eternal struggle between man and his surroundings. In this section, I wanted to look at some of the more interesting facts surrounding John Ford, both as a man and a director. For those of you with short attention spans, I’ve broken these up into small, easily digestible factoids.

• Born John Martin “Jack” Feeney in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on February 1st, 1894.
• One of 11 children.
• Moved to California in 1914, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Francis (himself an actor, writer, and director).
• Took the name “Jack Ford” when he began acting in his brother’s films. Later changed to John Ford when he began his career as a director.
• Played a Klansman in the 1915 D.W. Griffith classic The Birth of a Nation.
• Began directing films during the silent era. Only 15% of these John Ford silent films still exist.
• Highly prolific. Between 1917 and 1928, Ford made a total of 62 shorts and feature-length movies.
• Employed many of the same actors in his films. Informally known as the John Ford Stock Company, the list includes such well-known performers as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Will Rogers, James Stewart, Maureen O’Hara, Richard Widmark, Harry Carey Sr., Ben Johnson, Ward Bond, Harry Carey Jr., John Carradine, Mae Marsh, and Jeffrey Hunter.
• John Wayne appeared in 24 John Ford films (and three television episodes) over a 35-year period. Ford’s Stagecoach transformed Wayne into a major star.
• During World War II, Ford served in the US Navy and made documentaries. He received injuries from shrapnel while filming the Battle of Midway, and he was also present on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day. During this time, he became a valued advisor to OSS chief William Joseph Donovan.
• Plagued by health problems in his later years, partly due to years of drinking and pipe smoking. He also suffered long-term effects from the wounds sustained during the Battle of Midway.
• John Ford passed away on August 31st, 1973. He’s buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
• Famous for wearing dark glasses and a patch over his left eye. The habit of wearing sunglasses on the set was mimicked by famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, himself a devotee of Ford.
• Rarely attended movie premieres and award ceremonies.
• Holds the record for the most Best Director Oscar wins (four).
• During filming, Ford would often break for tea (Earl Grey) during the middle of the afternoon.
• Had a habit of chewing handkerchiefs during shooting. His wife would give him a dozen fresh ones each morning, and their corners would be chewed to shreds by the end of the day.
• After shooting was completed on a film, Ford would often cover himself in nothing but a sheet, lock himself in his study, and go on a drinking binge that would last for several days.
• Often had music played on the set.
• Had a strong dislike for studio executives.
• Purchased a Rolls Royce in the ‘30s, but he never rode in it became his wife wouldn’t allow him to smoke inside.
• Was known for being messy. He was once late for a meeting because a studio guard refused to believe that the man at the front gate in the car filled with papers and other clutter was John Ford.
• Owned a yacht dubbed Araner, and Ford spent much of his time there in-between filming.
• While he cultivated the image of a hard-drinking bastard, those who knew Ford well described him as sensitive and sentimental. During the Depression, he appeared to assault a former actor who begged him for $200 to pay for an operation for his wife. Ford then discreetly gave the man $1000, had a specialist flown in to perform the operation, and later bought the couple a house and cared for them for the rest of their lives.
• One of the first directors to encourage actors to develop back stories for their characters.
• Never used storyboards, preferring to compose shots in his head.
• Known for his long shots, tracking shots, and zoom-ins. Ford favored minimal movement during shots, often employing medium and long shots (especially against panoramic vistas).
• Would frequently yell at and mock actors on the set of his films. He once hit Henry Fonda and was referred to as “the only man who could make John Wayne cry.”
• His favorite location to film Westerns was in Utah’s Monument Valley.
• By the end of his career, John Ford had directed over 140 films.

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Other Films by John Ford

In addition to his years at Fox, John Ford also worked for studios such as RKO. For those of you who want to view more classic films from John Ford (which aren’t included in Ford at Fox – The Collection), be sure to visit Netflix or Amazon and pick up the following:

• The Lost Patrol (1934)
• Stagecoach (1939)
• They Were Expendable (1945)
• Fort Apache (1948)
• 3 Godfathers (1948)
• She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
• Rio Grande (1950)
• The Quiet Man (1952)
• Mogambo (1953)
• Mister Roberts (1955)
• The Searchers (1956)
• The Wings of Eagles (1957)
• The Last Hurrah (1958)
• The Horse Soldiers (1959)
• The Alamo (1960)
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
• How the West Was Won (1962)
• Donovan’s Reef (1963)

Customer Reviews for Ford at Fox

Since Amazon offers Ford at Fox – The Collection, I thought I’d take a look at the customer comments to see what previous buyers had to say about it. Here are the results:

• “If you are a fan of classic films and DVD sets and you can possibly afford it, then BUY THIS SET.”
• “I will say that the way Fox attached the discs to the packaging was idiotic, and it is difficult to remove the discs, but don’t let that stop you from the sheer enjoyment of watching the work of one of America’s greatest artists.”
• “A must have for any movie collector. The companion book has great pictures and the majority of the movies have been remastered and look great!”
• “A superb and monumental collection of the great Irish American director’s work with a single studio from silent days with the William Fox Studios to sound days with 20th Century Fox, a fruitful collaboration with Producer Darryl F. Zanuck that yielded such masterworks as The Iron Horse, Four Sons, Pilgrimage, Steamboat Around the Bend, Young Mr. Lincoln, Grapes of Wrath and My Darling Clementine.”
• “A must for John Ford fans.”
• “The Submarine Patrol (1939) and Men Without Women (1930). They are also Fox films directed by Ford. But the set does not include them. I don’t understand why. This huge set should have had all Ford-Fox films.”
• “The box Ford at Fox is much too large to handle. What counts are the films and the bonus materials!”

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