Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford Paperback – March 31, 2015

as we are going to get to the seminal biography of the great John Ford. All of Ford's biographers describe him as secretive, purposely misleading, obstreperous and ornery. To get an accurate picture of the grandfather of modern film must be difficult with such a subject. Eyman manages to give us the facts of Ford's life to the best extent they can be found in a non-judgmentnal way, such that his art and craftsmanship shine, despite the fact that Ford was an obnoxious person.The reality of Ford's heinous personality and the beautiful Ford vision of the history of America is startling. How could such a gross character give us our most compelling views of ourselves from the Revolutionary war through the Korean conflict? Eyman explains that Ford was just a mass of contradictions, scarred by his Irish immigrant roots, when the Irish in New England were looked down upon. For a bright, ambitious boy to overcome such prejudice, he had to develop some coping strategies. These strategies became more pronounced and vicious as Ford aged, and became prominent, wanting to keep his place in the film industry. His family suffers as well. The two family members he really gets on with are both able to stand up to him, which is apparently what it took to get along with Ford.Eyman provides satisfying and surprising detail for Ford's masterpieces and failures alike, particularly "Stagecoach." He explores Ford's relationships with his muses who are men, not women; Henry Fonda and John Wayne. Hank and Duke appear in some of his very best films ("The Grapes of Wrath," "Stagecoach," "Fort Apache," "The Searchers"). But Ford can make masterpieces without them too ("How Green Was My Valley,"). He can also turn a Shirley Temple vehicle (no slight to Shirley, I am a fan of hers) into a wonderful "picture" as he called his work ("Wee Willie Winkie").Eyman is a truthful biographer who does not engage in character assassination. I bought this book because I liked his biography of Louis B Mayer so much. My only quibble with his book is that he explores Ford's anti-semitism, and concludes that Ford never committed an anti-semitic thought to paper, even though Eyman includes a letter Ford wrote to a military friend, calling Hollywood "mockieland." I believe that is a Jewish derrogation. He also discusses Ford's sympathy with and for American Indians (who loved him back), and African Americans. Although there is little doubt he respected his black actors, and black people as a whole, he does throw the N word around a lot. So maybe these derrogations are just a product of his time and not indicative of hatred for any particular group. Whether you are a Ford fan or not, this is a great study of the history of American cinema, and is well worth reading for any film fan.

Eyman is one of my favorite film historians, and he is ìn top form here, giving readers a thoroughly researched, totally engrossing and beautifully written biography of a complex gifted film maker. Ford could be difficult and even downright abusive, but Eyman takes us past the rough exterior and into the life and mind of a man responsible for so many great Hollywood classics. As always this author's prose is informative and a constant pleasure to read. To anyone interested in Ford or his films, this book is a must read.

Enjoyable read. Thoroughly researched and referenced, you get to know the man as well as the director of so many great films. Enjoyed the many quotes from the great actors of his day. Eyman brings out the inner sentiments of John Ford, a man that many knew only as harsh and ridged. The book reveals that Henry Fonda once called him a "mean SOB", yet Fonda respected the work Ford brought to the screen. You get to know everything about the man, how he approached each film, and the people he loved, liked and hated. The book goes into great detail regarding all of Ford's most successful pictures, and covers the many films that did not fair well. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is because I thought Eyman went into too much detail at times, and I also got the sense that Eyman "cleaned up" Ford's character somewhat for the audience. For anyone who has an interest in this iconic film director, or who just wants to know more about how films were produced in the "old days" of Hollywood, this is a must read.

If you are a John Ford, John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara fan, this is a must read book. Ford is a very complex man who wished he was born in Ireland. Lots of photos, covers his childhood to his later years. I love Ireland because of Ford and O'Hara's movies.