Movie Reviews for The Fighting Kentuckian

The Fighting Kentuckian

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Movie Reviews of The Fighting Kentuckian

Movie Review: A Romantic "Eastern", not Western
Summary: 4 Stars

John Wayne is well known for his westerns. The setting of this 1949 flick is Alabama, involving men who came from Kentucky. So this is technically an "eastern". The scenes are apt for the early 1800's: Soldiers are still using flintlocks, Alabama is about to be admitted to the Union as a state, and there is a large group of French citizens exiled after Napoleon's ignominious defeats.

John Breen (John Wayne) falls in love with a French woman. Trouble is, she is already earmarked for an arranged marriage to another man. A love triangle develops. Breen is determined to marry her. But he adds to the problems by pretending that he is a surveyor. He also finds out that there is a scheme afoot to defraud the French of some of their property by moving the posts that define the boundaries of the property.

This flick is more than a love story. It pushes the American way over the then-European way. The American way is progressive and the European way is traditional. In the American way, women marry whomever they love and whomever they choose to marry. In the then-European way, women married according to arranged marriages. These were usually based on social class, the wealth of the suitor, and the professional connections of the suitor with the father of the bride. The bride's wishes counted for little.

Movie Review: Mainly Nostalgia
Summary: 3 Stars

I give this movie 3 stars mainly out of nostalgia. I doubt that contemporary veiwers will get much out of this unless they are cinamatography buffs that enjoy films from this era.

Movie Review: The Fighting Kentuckian
Summary: 3 Stars

This is not one of the Duke's best films but it is entertaining, which, I presume should be a measuring stick for anything titled "entertainment". This isn't a western but should be listed as a pre-western (does this make it an "eastern"?), along with the likes of "Drums Along the Mohawk" or "Unconquered". The casting of Oliver Hardy in one sense is a stretch but it's also brilliant. Vera Ralston is badly miscast. It's this casting of Ralston that led to some compromising of other roles. Her accent is NOT French so the other roles were cast with this in mind. It should be stated that the casting of Vera Ralston was forced upon Wayne by the studio. For the price this isn't a bad deal; I found the quality of the disc to be good. So, enjoy the Duke in a not-so-typical role.

Movie Review: Great Movie, Poor Quality
Summary: 3 Stars

This is most likely the best all-around John Wayne movie for any fan of classic movies. While it has that western style that John Wayne is known for, it also is the funniest John Wayne movie I have ever seen as Oliver Hardy is hysterical. The movie is a classic and I am surprised that this is the only copy available on DVD, other than the Two-Movie disc on Amazon. The quality is poor however, as this DVD is not digitally remastered as most Classics have been. Its better than the VHS version but shows the wear and tear of movies that are over 50+ years old. Nevertheless, It is the best version available and a must have for any John Wayne fan.