Three Wisemen: Western Style

Though it is obviously a western, the film 3 Godfathers is much more than that. It is a feel good move, a drama, and a comedy all in a western package. The film is set around Christmas time, but you wouldn't know it because of the dessert scenery. Then again, though it doesn't fit our stereotypical idea of a white Christmas, it fits in well with the desert scene from the first Christmas and the biblical allusions throughout the film are quiet obvious. It mixes elements of tragedy and hope in a way that embodies the Christmas spirit and the idea of doing the right thing, even after getting yourself into the wrong situation.

Three bank robbers, Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro Rocafuerte (Pedro Armendáriz), and William Kearney (Harry Carey Jr.), come to the town of Welcome, Arizona and first thing they do is meet Sheriff Perley Buck Sweet (Ward Bond) and his wife (Mae Marsh). The second thing they do is rob the local bank, sending Sheriff Sweet and a posse after them across the Arizona dessert. Sweet cuts off all their water supplies and the threesome find themselves backtracking, where they run into a woman in a covered wagon (Mildred Natwick). Her husband has destroyed the water supply, lost his cattle, died, and left her for dead. Worst of all, she is about to deliver a baby. The three robbers help bring the baby into the world and vow to raise it for her when she dies. The robbers turned godfathers find themselves trying to trek to the town of New Jerusalem to bring the baby to safety before Christmas Day, disregarding their own well-being and facing many obstacles in the way.

Done by John Ford, this one is a remake of the 1916 silent film The Three Godfathers. The star of the original film was a long time friend of Ford's, Harry Carey. After Carrey's death, Ford remade the film in Technicolor and cast Carey's son in one of the lead roles. The film also features legendary cowboy ballad "Streets of Laredo", also known as the "Cowboy's Lament" as a lullaby sung to the baby. You can access screenshots of the film, thanks to The Art of Memory blog, and you can find a messageboard about the film, thanks to filmspotting.com.

Though I really like this film, the reviews on it are mixed and there are many places you can look for another opinion. This review is offered by cinema100.com. The Diary of a Mad Movie Fanatic blog has a review, which you can read here. Frank's Movie Blog has a review of the film as does Monstersandcritics.com, which can be read here. As an early Christmas present, here is a trailer for the film.