SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

WILD WEST ADVENTURE

This is one of the great John Ford’s more optimistic westerns, but it’s still one that hints at the immense trials of life on the wild frontier. John Wayne stars as Cavalry officer Nathan Brittles, a man of honour who, ahead of his retirement, is tasked with keeping the peace with the Cheyenne after Custer’s defeat. His mission is further complicated by the presence of his senior officer’s wife and niece (Joanne Dru, above, with Wayne). Women and family were a crucial part of frontier history, but men like Brittles always put duty first.