Kathryn Kalinak

Academically oriented book that examines the use of music in director John Ford's western films. The soundtracks of Ford's films have always been of interest to me for their use of standards from American history - songs like Bonnie Blue Flag, My Darling Clementine, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and so many more. These were songs I grew up and hearing them in the Ford films brings back a lot of nostalgia. The book takes each of Ford's westerns, including the silents, and examines the use of music in them. I had no idea that Ford himself, personally selected the music used in the film. It was also interesting to hear how lyrics were sanitized for movie audiences from the original lyrics. The author covered the origins of the songs and in many cases, the songs themselves were written after the time period of the film. I found the book interesting but only wish it were accompanied by a cd that would have perhaps given us the John Ford version of the song vs. the original version. I know this would have increased the cost of the book but it would have been easier to hear what the author was speaking about. Overall, an interesting look at the music in the films of John Ford but more scholarly than I anticipated.… (meer)