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"He graced the whole world the image of what an American should be", Elizabeth Taylor said of him. John Wayne is nothing short of a legend. He embodies those certain American qualities so exceptionally well that one's response to his persona is, sadly, political. His critics once said that he portrayed a smug, pigheaded, bully-esque, bigot. Yet, he was without a doubt the exact opposite. People just forgot how consciously. Wayne addressed the contradiction in his roles. Anywhere from his breakthrough performance in "Stagecoach" (1939), to his tamer 1976 's "The Shootist", Wayne portrayed the charisma of a true American Hero. Anyone who watches "Red River" (1948), or " The Searchers" (1956), can identify that Wayne knew the pitfalls of power and obsession in his roles, and his filmography is "studded with as much bitterness." But, he was real, and for a time, "The True American Cowboy", along with the hero bit of course. His accomplishments in films such as "They Were Expendable" (1945), "Rio Bravo" (1959), reveals that to idolize or demonize this man is to cheat him out of the real complexity of his karma. Yet, worse than that, to miss his movies is to only cheat yourself. (CD) |
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MORE ABOUT THE DUKE - * John Wayne represented was the true red-blooded American was supposed to be like, whether he was making the west safe for civilization or pulling out grenade pins with his teeth. * John Wayne was in 64 films in eleven years before he became an overnight star with the western 'Stage Coach ' in 1939. * In 'The Longest Day', Wayne has a role as a tough American Major. In this movie, he drops out of a plane and breaks his ankle. But, since this is D-Day and there is some Nazis to kill, he tells the medic, in a terse voice, 'just put the boot back on and fasten it tight!!!' Wayne's movies and characters may not be politically correct, but his attitude is one of nobility and toughness. |
John in "The Quiet Man" |
