3 Godfathers - Warner Archive Collection

While I wouldn’t call myself a sentimentalist, I’m not an impenetrable hardass stoic either. If the characters (good or bad) are going to have a dramatic arc of redemption or abandonment, the story needs to serve itself so the emotional impact isn’t cheap or short-changed. If there’s one thing I hate it’s cheap schmaltz. Religious films and holiday films can precariously waver into schmaltz with stories engorged with simple sentimental sapiness. Of the numerous films John Ford made with John Wayne, 1948’s 3 Godfathers may be their most over-sentimental religiously-themed, but I hold it as one of their most redeeming and a fine Christmas film at that.

For this dusty return to the wild old west, we see John Wayne as career bandit Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower. With his two companions Pedro Roca Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) and William “The Abilene Kid” Kearney (Harry Carey Jr. in his first film), Robert aims to rob the bank of Welcome, Arizona. When the bandits make off with the loot, the town sheriff Buck “Pearly” Sweet (Ward Bond) gets a shot into their water bag driving the three men deep into the scorching desert. Caught in a cat-and-mouse game trying to find unsecured water stops, Robert, William, and Pedro happen upon a wagon with a woman about to give birth. In her dying words, the young woman names her baby boy after the three bandits entrusting his care to them. Intent on keeping their vow to the woman’s memory, the three men depart on foot into the desert towards New Jerusalem with only slim water rations and small cans of condensed milk. 

As a relatively unreligious person, films that feature heavily religious themes aren’t exactly my first picks, but I don’t avoid them altogether either. I love the Hollywood Biblical classics of old and a few modern films have piqued my interest. I just don’t glean spiritual enrichment from them. As a fan of John Ford and John Wayne and the movies they made together, 3 Godfathers was a lovely surprise. As a younger lad, I’d made an effort to pick through their films and this was the last one I gave the time to. I already loved Westerns, so I was sure I’d enjoy this one, I just didn’t expect it to become one of my favorite Christmas movies too. 

If there is one thing I’ll say about John Ford films, they never seem overly sentimental. Sure there are some high emotions and the occasional romance, but they’re never schmaltzy or overly manipulative. I’ve heard some dismiss 3 Godfathers for being just that, but I never found it that way. I loved how the film starts like any typical Western with a group of bad dudes on the run from the local sheriff but then it takes an amazing left turn at a bombed-out watering hole. I still remember the first time I saw this film thinking “What the hell is going on? There’s a baby now?” I thought I was settling in for a movie about bandits on the run trying to find water with a badass sheriff on their asses. I wasn’t ready for a nice story of honor and redemption among three lawless men. And then it turned out to be a Christmas movie!

Now if I have to give a complaint of the film, it’s the epilogue. It’s a little too clean, a little too neat. If I were to say there’s a schmaltzy part of the film, it’s how the show wraps up all tidy-like. But at the same time, I get why it goes this route. If this film had been made just 25 years later it could have enjoyed a more ambiguous ending typical for 1970s Westerns and Thillers but it also didn’t need to repeat the 1936 version either (more on that in a second). This is a Christmas movie, after all, so that circle of redemption must be completed. It’s just a very high-shine Hollywood piece without that traditional John Ford edginess. 

But this isn’t the first time John Ford made this story. In 1919 Ford remade the 1916 silent film The Three Godfathers called Marked Men (both starring Harey Carrey Sr. in the lead). Near as I’ve been able to learn about it, it’s still roughly the same story with some casting and character changes. Sadly neither the 1916 original nor the 1919 version seem to exist anymore. At least I haven’t been able to find a source that has either film in a complete form. Some photos exist for 1916’s The Three Godfathers but I’ve never seen anything except a poster image for Marked Men. 

As far as performances for 1948’s 3 Godfathers go, I was most impressed with Pedro Armendariz. He’s got big heart and gives the best most genuine laughs. Harry Carey Jr. is also very impressive for his first feature. He’s a little stiff around some of the dialog beats and doesn’t quite sell the religious-inspired determination, but you can see he’s working it through. John Wayne is John Wayne pretending to be Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower. He never much deviated from his standard persona until he started getting into the late 1950s and 1960s. If I’m going to knock The Duke it’s he’s not very good at selling natural paternal instinct. He had a better handle of that by the time he made Hondo. 

Of all their films, it’s difficult to scale which John Wayne/John Ford film is their best work but I wouldn’t put 3 Godfathers at the top. It’s a film that was made at least three times before so it’s not exactly new or original. That said I wouldn't put it at the bottom either. I know some out there who really don’t like this film, but I find it earnest and welcoming. The nice thing about this Blu-ray release is it comes with the 1936 version Three Godfathers starring Chester Morris, Walter Brennan, and Lewis Stone, and directed by Richard Boleslawski. I’d never seen it before so watching them back to back was quite the treat. 

While the story is roughly the same, they’re difficult to compare because the productions are so very different. This version is much grittier and harder-edged. The biblical themes are less overt with Chester Morris turning in a more cowardly and evil version of the lead thus giving him a more meaningful arc to redemption. In comparison, Wayne was always a good man at heart so his commitment to the infant is less surprising. Cast and plot changes aside, I love a great black-and-white Western, but there’s something about the Technicolor beauty of Ford’s version that hits home for this particular story. I guess this chalks up to another case of two great and very different versions of the same story. Whichever tickles your fancy you can choose which one you want to watch with this Blu-ray.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
3 Godfathers travels the desert road to Blu-ray salvation thanks to Warner Archive Collection. Pressed on a Region Free BD-50 disc, the disc is housed in a standard case with artwork presenting the 1948 version. The disc loads to a static image main menu with standard navigation options.

Presented in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio fully restored, 3 Godfathers is an often stunning testament to Technicolor. From the first frames to the last the colors are rich and vibrant with beautiful primaries. The open desert scenery never looked so lovely. The last time I saw this film was several years ago on TCM, I've never owned a copy, and this was an often jaw-dropping transfer. If nailing the Technicolor wasn’t enough, details are impeccably rendered with a naturally cinematic film grain veneer. Facial features, textures in the clothing, and the small bits of grit and sand, all are on display. Some of the optical effects and transitions show their process but nothing distracting or out of the ordinary. 5.5

As for 1936 version, I’m quite pleased to see this film looking so good. I was worried it was going to be little better than an SD upscale, but it’s in amazing shape with nice details and natural-looking film grain. There's a little more age-relatered wear and tear but nothing severe. Some shots do appear a bit soft or a little grittier than others, making me wonder about the source elements if this was sourced from a negative or archive prints. I haven’t been able to find any info on that. For a film closing in on 90 years old though, it does look quite good on Blu-ray! 4/5

Both versions of 3 Godfathers are presented with DTS-HS MA 2.0 mono audio tracks. First - the 1948 one. The film’s dialog is clean and clear with excellent sound effects and music accompaniment. The soundscape is nice and large letting those wide desert vistas come to life. The big opening gunfight and chase sequence is a sonic delight. Elements sound clean without any hiss or distracting pops or dropouts. 4/5

As for the 1936 version, it too is in great shape for a film of its age but if you were to square overall quality, I’d say it’s a step back. From the jump, there’s quite a bit more hiss present. Not a distracting amount, but it comes in a bit thicker during some scenes over others. Dialog is clean but some exchanges and music cues have a bit of a thin tinny quality. Again not terrible or overly distracting, but still noticeable the same. 3.5/5

As far as dedicated bonus features go, there really isn’t any for this release. Outside of a trailer, there isn’t any kind of commentary track or documentary or retrospective feature committed to the 1948 film. However, Warner Archive saw fit to include the 1936 version and that’s the one main extra and to be fair it’s a whopper. It’s not often you get two versions of the same story to enjoy and compare so kudos to WAC for including it here rather than giving it a separate release down the line. 

• 3 Godfathers (1936) (HD 1:21:00)
• 3 Godfathers (1936) Trailer (HD 1:59)
• 3 Godfathers (1948) Trailer (HD 3:20)

John Ford and John Wayne made a lot of films together; most of them Westerns. While 1948’s 3 Godfathers isn’t the greatest of their collaborations, it’s still a nice meaningful film. It’s no Stagecoach, The Searchers, or any of the three Calvary films, but then it never tried to be those films. It might be more sentimental than most would expect but it’s a lovely story, with beautiful Technicolor photography. Thanks to Warner Archive Collection fans can devour this visual feast with an exceptional restoration transfer and a great audio mix. To add to the excellence of this release, it also includes the 1936 version with a very impressive remastered A/V presentation of its own. In short, this is a knockout release from Warner Archive - Highly Recommended 

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