As Good As It Gets

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An Argosy Picture, dedicated to Harry Carey, "the bright star of the early Western sky." Copyright 17 November 1948 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release. New York opening at the Capitol: 3 March 1949. U.S. release: 14 January 1949. U.K. release: 2 May 1949. Australian release: 22 September 1949. 9,551 feet. 106 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Three badmen make their getaway in a hail of bullets after robbing the bank in the frontier town of Welcome, Arizona. Heading into the desert, the fugitives make for Terrapin Wells. En route, they come upon a surprising sight: a covered wagon stalled in the wilderness. Inside the wagon, they find a newborn baby. NOTES: Previously filmed as Three Godfathers (1916) starring Harry Carey, directed by Edward J. LeSaint; Marked Men (1919) again with Harry Carey, this time directed by John Ford; Hell's Heroes (1930) with Charles Bickford, directed by William Wyler; and Three Godfathers (1936) with Chester Morris, directed by Richard Boleslawski... Location scenes filmed in Death Valley, California.COMMENT: Not one of my favorite Fords; but I don't want to fill IMDb just with my favorites. And this edition of Three Godfathers certainly has its admirers, not least of all Bosley Crowther of The New York Times who commends the film in his supplementary list of the Best Films of 1949. (Incidentally, in his actual review, Crowther correctly points out that the script is based not so much on Kyne's novelette as on Bret Harte's extremely similar short story, "The Luck of Roaring Camp", with all its Biblical parallels). Frankly, I thought it a banal allegory of the Nativity in which the Three Wise Men are turned into three foolish but well-meaning bandits. The trite lines which Wayne, Armendariz and the junior Carey are called upon to deliver are only rivalled by the plot's unconvincing situations and gross sentimentality. Not even the Ford Stock Company of seasoned players like John Wayne, Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Hank Worden, Jack Pennick, Jane Darwell, Ben Johnson and Francis Ford can wholly save this one, though it must be admitted the picture is not half bad when it gets away from its fatuous Biblical transformations and its rustic antics of what-to-do-with-the-baby.And of course there is always the beautifully-hued color photography of Winton C. Hoch and Charles Boyle.OTHER VIEWS: The film was finely shot with some remarkable scenes set in the Mojave Desert, but the script's sentimentality and rather clumsy Biblical parallels made the picture's total impression lifeless and disappointing. (Lindsay Anderson).

I've just watched this film, and want to write a review, but don't know what to say, yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!John Ford and John Wayne, a recipe for success, and was it ?, yes it was.Read no further if you don't want to know more details about this film.With around 15 to 20 minutes of this film until the end, if you aren't on the edge of your seat, and crying your heart out, you ain't human.John Wayne is left in charge of a baby, he stumbles and falls after a trek through the desert with his bank robber friends, who die from thirst on the way with him, he reads from a bible then throws it away. Wayne should have got an Oscar for these scenes.As John Wayne stumbles, her carries the little baby in his arms because he made a promise to the baby's dying mother.Then John Wayne comes to a town, places the baby wrapped in clothing on the bar.Its a great and very human film people, watch it, and be prepared to cryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Again,master director John Ford never fails to disappoint,here's a another solid classic from Argosy Productions,it's a tale of life and how beautiful it is,and it's a tale of death,and of how harrowing and destroying it can be.The 3 godfathers is a flawless masterpiece and it's right up there with John Fords other classics like THE SEARCHERS,CHEYENNE AUTUMN,SERGEANT RUTLEDGE,RIO GRANDE and THE HORSE SOLDIERS.The main part of the plot involves a baby and it's birth,(representing life),the scene in which the baby is born and it's mother dies is one of the most exquisite,beautiful and tear jerking scenes in classic cinema and you will be in tears as you watch it.The rest of the story involves three men doing what any decent human being would do,fulfilling a mothers dying wish and taking care of her defenceless baby,this is extremely plausible,in the end it's sad to see the baby being taken into care and you get the feeling that the three men have failed,but they haven't.The men take the baby through dry,blisteringly hot deserts and mountains and still manage to take excellent care of the child,but in the process,two of the men,William and Pedro,die when they cannot go on any longer,the latter committing suicide,these scenes are also very sad and quite harrowing to watch and although the characters are outlaws,you come to like them and that thought will nearly bring tears to your eyes.The death of William and Pedro represent death,Robert meanwhile goes on with the child and finally reaches a nearby town,but gives himself up and is arrested.The storyline is excellent and perfect,we see a transformation in the three outlaws as they change from dangerous criminals to loving fathers and their mission is to no longer escape the sheriff but to take care of the baby.The characters are brilliantly put together and there's something lovable about them,John Wayne,Pedro Amadariz and Harry Carey Jr. are all brilliant as the three lawless men who have a job to do.Ward Bond is great as the relentless Buck Purely Sweet and he's probably one of the most lovable lawmen to be seen in a western.Some say this is a Christmas movie,it's not really,apart from a few Christmas references and a tree up in a saloon,this is just a normal western drama and can be enjoyed at any time of the year.Thers's a lot of funny lines from the main characters,and to find out that Robert's middle name is Marmaduke really made me laugh,Purely is also a cracker of a name.The scenery,as usual in a John Ford western,is absolutely stunning and the theme music is wonderful,the film is dedicated to veteran American actor Harry Carey(father of the man who plays William in the movie,Harry Carey Jr.) This isn't one for the action fans(you'll have to settle for a few gunshots and a horse chase),this is an excellent film,in the tradition of other cinematic classics like HOW THE WEST WAS WON,THE LONGEST DAY,THE ALAMO,CAST A GIANT SHADOW,SABATA,LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and THE GOOD,THE BAD AND THE UGLY,SEE IT,RELISH IT,REMEMBER IT,one of the greatest motion pictures ever made,highly recommended to anybody.A legend of a movie and a must see before you die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Having already made a version of the story in 1919 as Marked Men with Harry Carey, John Ford clearly had a kink for this delightful redemption parable. Opening with a touching tribute to his friend and mentor Carey, who had sadly passed away the previous year (and who also starred in the 1916 version of The Three Godfathers), it was also the first out and out Ford Western to be made in colour.The story tells of three outlaws - Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro "Pete" Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) and The Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Junior) - who after robbing a bank in the town of Welcome, are on the run from the law led posse. After hitting problems in a desert sandstorm, the men struggle on to Terrapin Tanks, where they happen across a woman in labour. Giving birth to her child, but sadly on her death bed, the woman begs the men to take care of her baby. They agree and embark on a perilous journey to get the child safely to "New Jerusalem"...It's an odd sort of Western, but in a good way. Backed up by the usual high standard of location work from Ford and the irrepressible Winton Hoch. And with customary staunch support work from Ward Bond as the Sheriff, 3 Godfathers is a must see in relation to the careers of John Ford and John Wayne. It has a mixed reputation from fans of the two Johns, which is understandable given the flighty nature of the picture, but one thing that is true about the piece is that once viewed, it's unlikely to be forgotten. 7/10