Narrative Analysis A narrative can be considered to be the chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space (1).

In order to analyze the narrative of a film, we need to first make the distinction between the plot of the film and the story of the film. This is sometimes referred to as the discourse and story of a film (1). Narrative may also be called the story thought story mainly refers to the events that describe the narrative(2).

Plot The term plot describes all the aspects of the film that are visibly and audibly presented to the viewer (1). This description of plot includes the story events and both diegetic and nondiegetic elements of a film (1). The plot can also be described as the events that take place to work towards some sort of emotional or artistic goal relating to what the story is based on such as the characters or conflicts that occur in the story. Some stories may use something called a plot device. A plot device is something that has only one purpose and that is to advance the plot. Some call this bad writing unless the plot device has several other purposes other than just advancing the plot. In our working 2001: A Space Odyssey example, the nondiegetic intertitles are a good example of an element helping to develop the plot, but not the story of the film. When the words, Jupiter Mission: Eighteen Months Later, flash across the screen, a new element of the plot is developed because the audience is now more aware of the specific time and place of the action about to take place. Most likely, there will be no outside inferences based on this caption alone, so this is a nondiegetic plot element rather than a story element. Story The story of a film comes from a collaboration of both the information directly presented to the viewer by way of what is seen and heard in the film and the inferences made by

the audience after viewing and listening to the information that has been given (1). Although not all aspects of the story are inferred. You may use story interchangeably with narrative but the main difference is that story is the sequence of events used to describe the narrative(2). A good example of when a viewer infers a large amount of information that is not directly given to them can be found in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Numerous times in this film, the ominous monolith is seen on screen and after a character in the film touches the monolith, some new event takes place. As an audience, we infer not only that the monolith had some sort of control on the new event taking place, such as the early primates using bones as tools and weapons, but also that the monolith represents some sort of superior being (perhaps a deity or alien life form). These events that take place are what tell the story. The monolith though it is needed to advance the plot of the story is not a plot device because it symbolizes things other than just being there to advance the plot line. The events that take place afterwards tell the story in one reading of how tools in humankind's history have always been used for violence. Never in the film is the origin or meaning of the monolith directly displayed or told to audience, but the inferences made about the mysterious structure help develop the story of 2001 to each individual as they interpret it for themselves. Trying to keep story and plot exclusive would make the distinction between them quite confusing. They overlap in one respect but are different in others. The overlap comes from the plot encompassing story events. The plot of a film differs from the story in that the nondiegetic aspects of the film influence the plot. The story element of a films narrative, however, includes those inferences made by the viewer but not directly viewed in the film. So the plot of something is the way in which and through what events the narrative is being told and the story is the central theme or base of what the film is communicating. The film analysis you write is the score you give the film. The analysis should be based on several aspects, such as acting, director's work, cinematography, editing, visual effects, music and sound design. To create a successful film analysis you need to critically evaluate these

factors and make a logical conclusion based on your study of the film. It is important to make not only the personal assessment but also analytical one. Analysis of a Sequence from My Darling Clementine John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946) gives the viewer a rich connection between symbolism and theme throughout the course of the film. The film's theme can be considered the expansion of American society into the "civilized" West and what this expansion meant in terms of the evolving American identity. If one takes the events portrayed in Ford's film to represent a version of America's quest for self-identity, its emergence as a distinct, if still young, culture, the film's intricate technical capacities attain an even greater power. As Deborah Thomas remarks in her study of My Darling Clementine, the symbolism of the film is fairly self-evident, with "the violence of the murderous Clantons presented as an aspect of that Western freedom from restraint which characterizes the space beyond the frontier" and, even more logically, the association of Wyatt Earp with "the civilizing aspects associated both with the law and more broadly with the half-built church and the schoolhouse" (Thomas, 10). The symbolism of the film is built on a relatively simple series of associations, but these associations are expressed through an intricate series of cinematic techniques and narrative devices which enhance not only the perceived "realism" of the film, but its "mythical" impact as well. In order to more fully describe how the film operates at these simultaneous levels of expression, it is useful to explicate, as clearly as possible, the technical devices, narrative techniques, and symbols of a chosen sequence of the film. Because Ford succeeded in giving overall unity to this film, it is entirely possible to choose any sequence of the film in order to establish the overall necessary points regarding technique and theme. However, certain sequences, particularly the sequence chosen for the following discussion, offer a chance to not only probe the technical and thematic aspects of the film, but to do so in a way which is streamlined and simple. The sequence in question begins when Wyatt Earp and Clementine meet in the hotel lobby and concludes when they walk to the still-unfinished church together. This sequence (which will be referred to as the "Curch Sequence") reveals the fundamental techniques and themes of the film. Before beginning the explication of the sequence it is useful to remember the background behind the sequence. Of special importance is that fact that the unfinished church and school represent obvious symbols of the ambiguity of Tombstone's future, so that when the sequence in question begins, Wyatt and Clementine find themselves in a similarly ambiguous situation: not knowing how to articulate or pursue their own future. As mentioned by Thomas, various visitors to Tombstone in the film, including Wyatt Earp himself, openly question the future of the town. In fact, "Doc's suggestion to Clementine that that Tombstone is no place for 'her kind of person' provides a tension with Wyatt's insistence that all decent people are welcome in town" (Thomas, 11). The tension between the two characters, Clementine and Wyatt Earp symbolizes the tension about the future of Tombstone. The relationship between Wyatt Earp and Clementine is, symbolically, the relationship between law and order and the domestication of the western frontier. Clementine's presence in Tombstone before the church or the school have been completed seems out of place -- even dangerous -- but

to Wyatt, her presence is a sign that civility and order and domestication are beginning in the frontier. As the "Church Sequence" begins, Clementine is waiting to depart from Tombstone. The scene is somber, but obviously "civilized" as Clementine enters the scene and places her suitcases on the floor with a loud bang. The sound of her luggage hitting the floor is the only sign that something is deeply wrong with the picture and that Clementine is upset. She is also conspicuously alone and the sound of her bags hitting the floor points to a sharp contradiction with the visually "civilized" look of the interior because it points out that no-one has helped her (a lady) with her luggage. When she rings the "service" bell, the bright happy sound is an ironic contrast to her condition. The ringing of this bell is also a foreshadowing of the coming scene of the church. The sound of the bell is very important because it, just as the church-bell, symbolizes marriage -specifically the marriage between Wyatt and Clementine which, in turn symbolizes the "taming" of the American West. As Clementine rings the service bell again and again, the symbolic idea behind the scene is that no-one in Tombstone will rise to embrace the civilized future. No-one will be Clementine's "bridegroom" and complete the marriage which the unfinished church, unfinished school, and ringing bells allude to; the relationship between Clementine and Wyatt is also "unfinished" and the sense of mythic resonance is that their relationship is tied to the future of Tombstone. The unanswered service bell enhances the sense of desperation and loneliness that are the root reasons for Clementine's departure. Throughout the beginning of the scene, sunlight beams into the interior even as Clementine becomes more frustrated and dejected, giving a hopeful resonance to the visual aspect of the scene. The first cut in the sequence moves to a close-up of Clementine's dejected and somewhat frustrated face. This choice of edit is brilliant because it completes the sense of isolation and shows that Clementine has been abandoned by Tombstone. Just as she reaches for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, the sound of thudding boots comes over the scene. The sound of Wyatt's boots is a response to the service-bell. He is the answer. He is the missing bride-groom. There is a second camera-cut and this shows Clem-tine and Wyatt in profile, with Wyatt crossing at almost a right angle to where she is sitting, until his back is facing her. When he strokes his hat-brim, the viewer is suddenly aware that Clementine is also wearing a hat and the symbolism is that of royal crowns: they are destined to "rule" the American West. When the two characters begin speaking to one another, Clementine confesses that she is waiting for a stagecoach to take her back East because the people in town belive that she has over-stayed her welcome. Tombstone does not want to be civilized; it has rejected the domestication that Clementine's presence symbolizes. Wyatt's reply to her that she is "giving up too easy" (Clementine) expresses the sense of self-reliance and fortitude that will be necessary to civilize the frontier. When Clementine responds by saying that Earp does not understand a woman's pride, their conversation is abruptly interrupted by the sound of trampling feet and church-bells. When Wyatt and Clementine follow the group of women toward the sound of the church-bells, they stop short at the door and stand in the obvious position of a bride and groom. At that point, while the bells are ringing, Clementine -- speaking to a third man who is staged in the position of

a minister -- remarks that the church-bells are the first she'd heard for months. She then looks wistfully at Wyatt. There is a moment of lingering motionlessness and silence with only the church-bells ringing, which highlights the sense of urgency between Wyatt and Clementine. When Wyatt and Clementine are again left alone together, the camera is to Wyatt's back, but Clementine's face is clearly visible: at once sad and hopeful. Without speaking, she dashes outside. Wyatt follows. The next camera cut, to the exterior shot of the hotel 'porch" and Tombstone, is a scene-change, but still continues the "Church Sequence." The change of vision and sound is startling. This camera cut is one of the most brilliant transitions in the film because the abruptness of the change is in keeping with the film's theme: the viewer is suddenly shifted from the calm, faintly hopeful, orderly interior of the hotel lobby to the dust-choked, vast frontier outside, where even from the vantage point of what had previously seemed like the most civilized place on earth, it is hard to see Tombstone as any kind of town at all. This sudden shift is meant to highlight the film's central conflict: that between civilization and the untamed West. The next shift in camera-angle is to a shot which highlights Clementine. She wears a spotless sundress and gloves and a flowered hat. With Earp standing beside her and the church-bells ringing she says "I love your town in the morning, Marshall, the air so clean and clear" (Clementine). This statement is a stark contrast to the previous vision of dust and stage-coaches, and as she inhales deeply, Clementine says "The scent of the desert flower," (Clementine) which is a richly poetic image of hope. When Wyatt responds, "That's me. Barber." (Clementine) the implication is tat he has embraced the civilizing influence that Clementine represents. As the sound of church-singing begins to mingle with the bells, Clementine asks Wyatt if she may go with him to the still unfinished church and it is clear that, had she not asked him to go, Wyatt would not have been attending the church services. This is another sign that Wyatt is submitting to the civilization symbolized by Clementine. His own instincts, however, are incomplete and he needs her to remind him to go to church. The church, as previously mentioned, symbolizes the union of Wyatt and Clementine which is the union of law and order with civilization. At this point, the sequence has reached a feeling of great hope and positivism which is a strong contrast to the opening scene when Clementine came, alone into the hotel lobby with her luggage. The transition for the sense of loneliness and isolation to a sense of hope and order and harmony happens simultaneously with the growing relationship of Clementine and Wyatt. The implication is that the harmony of Tombstone's future somehow depends on the harmony of their relationship. If it is understood that Wyatt symbolizes law and order and that Clementine symbolizes domesticity and family-life, then the reason the two musty be together is clear, especially in light of the previous vision of the untamed frontier and the ongoing, implied threat of the Clantons. When Clementine takes Wyatt's arm and the two begin to walk to the church, the sequence has reached its full articulation of theme. What Ford's symbolic and narrative construction communicates in the celebration of the American expansion into the West and a celebration of the attributes which he viewed had allowed this great expansion to take place. For Ford, law and

order, the family, the church, and the rule of rational society were the elements of character which allowed the American frontier to be settled and tamed. In the sequence which was discussed above, the symbolic meaning of the characters, setting, and even camera angles and sound all contribute to the articulation of this theme of positivism and hope. Because the technical and symbolic elements of the film work so well in unison, the resonance of the film's theme is made to quite strong and compelling. The feeling of unity that comes from an appreciation of the film's technique corresponds to the hopeful and optimistic theme of the film which stresses harmony, self-reliance, and the "marriuage" of ideals. The "Church Sequence" can be regarded as an abbreviated or condensed statement of the film's theme, as a whole and as such it stands out as a gem in this brilliant and important film.

References Thomas,Deborah (2001); Reading Hollywood:Spaces and Meanings in American Film. London: Wallflower Press 10 - 25

How the Narrative and Stylistic Forms Produce Suspense in John Ford's My Darling Clementine Loosely based on Stuart N. Lake's biography, Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal, John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946) tells the story of the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, between the Earps and Doc Holliday and the Clantons. Believing that speech should be secondary in film, Ford relies on other expressive devices such as lighting, setting, costume and his camera (framing) to produce audience responses of suspense, curiosity and surprise. The suspense in My Darling Clementine is created, not so much in the actual events of this period, but the contrasts between the major characters. The film's major oppositions -- the Earps (and Holliday) against the Clantons and Chihuahua against Clementine -- are clearly defined. The intention of this paper is to examine how stylistic elements create these character contrasts and how they enhance the narrative element of cause-and-effect to produce suspense. The conflict in My Darling Clementine is, as Wyatt says, "a family affair," with the Clantons and the Earps meeting in the first scene of the film to start the movement toward their inevitable showdown. The film begins with a cattle drive establishing the Earps' reason for being in Tombstone. Medium close-ups of the four Earp brothers introduce them to the audience. The camera is placed at a low angle, shooting up, and serves to emphasize the Earps' larger- than-life reputation. In contrast, medium close-ups of Old Man Clanton and his son are shot with the camera slightly above them, not to indicate their insignificance in the film, but to emphasize their smallness of character. The conflict arises when Wyatt turns down Old Man Clanton's offer to buy his cattle. Again, medium close-up of the old man and son, watching Wyatt ride back to the herd, promises future

altercations. When the older Earps leave the campsite to go to town, close-ups of James Earp and his silver cross indicate something will happen to James, so when he is found murdered, audience expectations are satisfied and curiosity aroused. James' murder also supplies the motivation behind Wyatt's decision to remain in Tombstone as marshal. The contrast between the two families (Earps and Clantons) is quite apparent. There are no disputes among the Earps to complicate the plot, family unity is based on familial affection. On the other hand, the Clanton's unity is based on fear, imposed by Old Man Clanton and his bull whip. The Clantons are bound to the night where darkness conceals their treachery; top lighting conceals their faces in shadow, intensifying their menacing demeanor. They are isolated from the Tombstone community, never taking part in social gatherings or daily life. They frequent the Mexican saloon, which emphasizes their separateness. The Earps, on the other hand, frequent the Oriental Saloon, a classier establishment, and attempt to conform to Tombstone's idea of society. The Earps are always shown in the light, no shadows, and the camera is placed low in the frame, reinforcing their importance in the film. The opening sequence has both the Earps and Clantons looking very similar: dusty, unshaven, dressed in the same types of clothing, indistinguishable from each other. With their appointment as marshal and deputies respectively, the Earps appear clean-shaven, dressed for the most part in suits. Ford always has Wyatt walk with a measured pace, and emphasizes this by holding him in sustained long shots as he walks away from the camera. One example occurs after the meeting between the Clantons and the Earps in the lobby of the Mansion House on the night of James' death. The scene ends with Wyatt, shot from behind, walking down the long porch outside the hotel into the darkness. The impression is that Wyatt knows the Clantons are guilty and wants them to know he knows. His walk, unhurried, implies that no matter how long it takes, justice will be served. Wyatt accepts the job as marshal because of the murder of his brother, an incident that, at the beginning of many Westerns, signals a narrative of revenge and personal vindication. However, instead of immediately going to "get" the murderers, Wyatt (and brothers) attempt to find evidence against them. The audience never learns if evidence was compiled against the Clantons. The main events of the narrative, from Doc's arrival in the saloon to the final meeting with the Clanton's, take less than three days. Once James is dead and Wyatt has become the marshal, the narrative centers on Doc Holliday. It is not until Chihuahua's death that the two plots (linked by their connection to Clementine) come together in the final section of the film. Doc's arrival at the Oriental Saloon brings yet more conflict. There is a sense of danger about Doc, of violence held tightly on a leash. This is partially due to his choice of clothing: he dresses in black. In most Westerns of that time only the bad guys wore black, and this leaves the audience wondering just what side Doc is on. History reports that Doc fought with the Earps at the O.K. Corral, but his clothing does not indicate a "good guy." Lighting also adds to the mood. Keeping Doc's face always in shadow accents the hollows of his cheekbones and the shadows under his eyes. This serves a number of purposes: it accentuates his illness and emphasizes the impression of danger and suspense because the audience never has a clear view of his eyes. Wyatt's face, on the other hand, is never in shadow, so the audience is never in doubt about what

he

represents.

The camera also captures the delicate balance between Wyatt and Doc. When Wyatt and Doc first meet, Wyatt, again shot from behind, slowly walks the entire length of the Oriental Saloon to reach the end of the bar where Doc is standing. Ford contains the suspense by never showing the audience Wyatt's face, and he emphasizes Wyatt's steadiness by the slow, unbroken pace of his progress. At the bar, the camera at first uses close-ups of one or the other to establish the idea of conflict, never showing the two together. Although they are close to each other, this use of the camera creates a feeling of distance. When Doc challenges Wyatt to determine who really represents the law in Tombstone, the camera moves in back of them, using a long shot to include Wyatt's brothers, Morgan and Virgil, standing behind Doc at the bar. Tension dissipates as Doc puts up his gun, and although Doc and Wyatt do not change position, the camera's placement gives the impression of the two drawing closer, almost on the same side of the bar (and of the law). Chihuahua embodies the customary traits of the Western "bad girl" -- sensuality, self-indulgence, vanity, willfulness and moodiness. She is seen in huge, softly lit Hollywood close-ups. The effect is to emphasize the narcissism that is Chihuahua's character. Her character is similar to Doc's, and her death, although sad, is not surprising. In contrast, Clementine is viewed with more reserve, being seen more often in medium or long shots. This helps to emphasize her separation from Tombstone, as she is shown waiting uncomfortably for Doc in the saloon or waiting alone in the Mansion House lobby for the east-bound stage. Clementine's arrival in Tombstone creates conflict with Doc, causing him to treat Chihuahua badly. Out of jealousy, Chihuahua incriminates Doc when Wyatt discovers her wearing James' silver cross. This admission blows Wyatt's theory that the Clantons were responsible, so he sets out in pursuit of Doc to learn the truth. During the chase sequence, Ford cuts back and forth between Doc on the stagecoach and Wyatt on horseback. The careening ride of the coach is conveyed by rapid cutting, by angled shots of the coach and horses and close-ups of the coach's wheels, as well as by medium shots of Doc frantically urging the horses to go even faster. Wyatt's pursuit is shown mainly in long shots, with a corresponding decrease in intensity. Ford uses the scene to confirm another contrast between the two men: Doc's susceptibility to impulse and emotion, and Wyatt's steadiness and control. The actual gunplay between Doc and Wyatt later in the film is filmed in one long shot, and concluded quickly with only one shot fired. Arriving back at the hotel Wyatt and Doc question Chihuahua again about who gave her the silver cross. Only when faced with the prospect of Doc being arrested for the murder of James, does she incriminate the Clantons, which causes Billy Clanton to shoot her. Doc then has to operate on her, assisted by Clementine, and Chihuahua's death ultimately leads to Doc's joining the Earps for the final gunfight. Chihuahua's death provides the motivation for Doc's decision to join the Earps -- revenge. The audience can accept this because his character has been built on melodrama. The death of his son Billy causes Old Man Clanton to finally challenge Wyatt to the showdown that has been building since the opening scene of the film. The death of Virgil at the hands of the Clantons forces Wyatt to realize there is no other recourse than to meet this challenge. Moments of great emotional force in the film -- the deaths of James, Virgil, and Doc - are all followed by silent scenes of the survivors, their faces in shadow, standing over the dead

man. Violence in the film is presented similarly: the scene in the saloon where Doc first challenges Wyatt to draw is paced quite deliberately, its suspense maintained by the threat of violence that never occurs. Even the climactic gunfight at the O.K. Corral, where the suspense is heightened by rapid cutting, is primarily concerned with the slow advance of the Earps and Holliday toward the corral and the way in which they finally position themselves. Ford again uses the sustained long shot by showing Wyatt, alone, walking down the main street toward the Clantons. Here Wyatt's lonely walk echoes the Western "show-down" and the audience is held captive waiting for the shooting to begin. Furthermore, the entire scene is without music; there is only silence, interrupted by the sounds of a passing stagecoach and the horses in the corral. The gunfight, although violent, is relatively brief, resulting in the deaths of the Clantons and Doc. Doc's death, like Chihuahua's, is sudden and violent. Normally, the death of one of the "good guys" would cause the audience to feel outrage, but because Doc was such an enigma, with one foot on either side of the fence, the audience does not feel cheated. He died the way he lived, and a long death by illness would have left the audience feeling unsatisfied. Instead, he died bravely, and with dignity. The final image of his white handkerchief fluttering in the breeze, signifies not only an end to the hostilities of Earps and Clantons, but also within himself. Interestingly, this is the only time in the film when Doc's face is completely free of shadow. At the end of the film, Morgan has already left, so when Wyatt rides away, the audience sees the last of him somewhere between Clementine and his brother. This time, Ford's camera does not follow Wyatt from behind, as it has in so many earlier moments; instead it remains with Clementine, who has already declared her allegiance to the town of Tombstone. On one level there is disappointment; the audience expects a happy ending, but there is the anticipation that Wyatt may come back. On another level, the hero riding off into the sunset satisfies the expectations of anyone raised on the Hollywood Western. My Darling Clementine is a good example of how important the combination of narrative and stylistic forms is to a film. With its thin and sometimes preposterous story of one incident in the half- fictional lives of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, the odds of this film being the success it was were not good. What matters is not the plot so much, moving as it does from incident to incident without much consistency or connection, but the manner in which Ford has created a portrait of an era and the characters who lived there. To compensate for the weaknesses in the narrative, Ford concentrates on developing the characters, using stylistic elements, to clarify and intensify the feeling of suspense evident throughout the film. My Darling Clementine, like its hero, Wyatt Earp, went up against the odds -- and won. My Darling Clementine (1946) Pages: (1) (2) (3) The Story (continued)

In the classic confrontational scene, Holliday realizes that Earp will stay in town awhile after the murder of his brother to restore morality and law and order as Marshal in Tombstone - ultimately usurping his power. Earp reminds Holliday that he is the Marshal and has the sole authority to run the "tin-horn out of town." Tension rises between the two - the balance of power unevenly tips back and forth between them until they reach a respectful, friendly standoff. After their showdown at the bar, Doc assents to being outnumbered by the Earps in town: Holliday: Until you catch the rustlers that killed your brother? Wyatt: That's the general idea. Holliday: What's the specific idea? Wyatt: I don't follow you quite. Holliday: You haven't taken it into your head to deliver us from all evil? Wyatt: I hadn't thought of it quite like that, but ain't a bad idea. It's what I'm gettin' paid fer. Holliday: Let's get down to cases, Marshal. I, for instance. How would you handle me if I took a notion to break the law? Wyatt: You already have. Holliday: For example. Wyatt: Runnin' that tin-horn out of town. That's none of your business. Holliday: I see we're in opposite camps, Marshal. Draw! (Holliday pulls and cocks his gun on Earp.) Wyatt: Can't. (He opens up his vest to reveal he doesn't wear a gun.) Holliday: We can take care of that easily enough. Mac! (Holliday shouts to the bartender for a gun. Before Mac can do anything, Wyatt's brother - standing behind Holliday - slides a gun down the bar to Wyatt to balance up the sides.) Wyatt: (Wyatt examines the gun and then slides it back on the bar to his brother.) Brother Morg's gun. (Holliday uncocks his gun and returns it to his holster.) The big one - that's Morg. The other one, that good-lookin' fella, that's my brother Virg. This is Doc Holliday, fellas. Morg: Hi ya, Doc. Virg: Howdy. Holliday: Howdy. Have a drink. Morg: Don't mind if I do, Doc. Holliday changes his mind about calling Wyatt out, after seeing Morgan and Virgil silently backing up their unarmed brother Wyatt in the background. The Earp brothers order whiskey shots and join Holliday. The saloon's atmosphere relaxes one more time, as Wyatt and Doc reach an accord of mutual respect. Doc toasts: "To health," but painfully coughs. A Shakespearean actor named Granville Thorndyke (Alan Mowbray) who is scheduled to perform in the evening's show in the local theater (The Birdcage) arrives in the bar, causing Holliday to remark: "Shakespeare in Tombstone. Been a long time since I heard Shakespeare." [The coming of Shakespeare into a Western setting symbolizes the advent of culture into the

wilderness.] The one-night show is advertised as: "The Convict's Oath, A Blood Chilling Drama." After an initial testing period, Holliday and Earp show a mutual regard for each other and make plans to attend the performance together. There, Earp realizes Chihuahua is Holliday's Mexican mistress, and much to her chagrin, she realizes that they have become friends - she dislikes Wyatt on sight. Earp explains to Doc how they first met: "We found ourselves together in a eight-handed poker game." The performance is delayed due to the disappearance of Thorndyke. When his absence is announced, a mad riot breaks out, and the Marshal learns this is the fourth time this has occurred in the town in the same year. The patrons wish to ride the tardy actor out of town on a rail, but before they do, the Marshal promises to find Thorndyke and in fifteen minutes bring him back to the stage. In one of the strangest scenes ever filmed in a Western, he and Holliday find that the pathetic, half-drunk actor has been kidnapped by the Clantons, taken to another small saloon, and humiliated by being forced to recite the famous soliloquy from Hamlet atop a saloon table. Doc tells Wyatt he is interesting in listening: "Wait, I want to hear this." Holliday is drawn closer and closer to the actor, and he and Wyatt watch from inside the saloon as the uncultured clan bullies and torments the cultured performer. As a pianist accompanies the performance, Thorndyke melodically delivers his lines: To be or not to be That is the question Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing End them? To die To sleep No more; And, by a sleep to say we end the heart-aches And the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to 'Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: Ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil? Ike Clanton interrupts his poetic lines, silencing and mocking the actor: That's enough, that's enough. You don't know nothin' but them poems. You can't sing. Maybe you can dance.

As Wyatt looks on, Holliday orders a halt to the humiliation. Clearly identifying with the fears expressed in the speech, Doc asks for the actor to continue: "Leave him alone. Please go on Mr. Thorndyke." Must give us pause There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, ...the law's delay The insolence of office And the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy take When he himself Might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear To grunt and sweat under a weary life ...life...Please help me sir! When the actor is too drunk and frightened to continue or remember the rest of the soliloquy, Holliday finishes up the lines and impresses Earp with his knowledge and educated sophistication: But that the dread of something after death... The undiscovered country From whose bourn no traveller returns, Puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all... [The message of Hamlet is to "bear those ills we have," but Doc has turned cowardly and found it difficult to come to terms with his own life. He has forsaken his East Coast profession and come West to drink himself into oblivion.] Holliday breaks into a tubucular coughing fit, cannot finish the lines, and leaves the saloon. Earp escorts Thorndyke from the scene, as the actor tells him: "Shakespeare was not meant for taverns nor for tavern louts." One of the Clantons is insulted and grabs for Thorndyke. In a brief skirmish, Earp shoots one of the clan brothers and holds off the others. Old Man Clanton enters and apologizes for the behavior of his drunken sons, to which Earp replies: "Sure, I figured they was just havin' themselves some fun." After Earp has left with Thorndyke, the Old Man brutally bullwhips his sons, bullying them like bestial animals: "When you pull a gun, kill a man." The next morning brings the Tucson stagecoach to town, stopping at the Mansion Hotel for a breakfast layover. Earp creates a memorable image, reclining on the two legs of his four-legged chair on the porch, balancing his feet on the post of the porch outside the hotel. [An outsider to

the town, Earp's balancing - bouncing act with one foot on the post symbolizes his precarious, tentative position in the community and society at large.] Earp commands one of the passengers, "Mr. Gambler" to be sure to be on the stage when it leaves town. When another one of the passengers, a pretty graceful lady, disembarks off the coach into the dusty, deserted street to the sound of "Oh My Darling Clementine," Wyatt politely but awkwardly rises from his chair and adjusts his hat as she avoids his stare. Three Indians quietly ride by on ponies in the background. Gazing at her for a few moments, looking selfconscious even though his back is to the frame, he then asks if she needs assistance with her duffel bags on top of the stage. He helps her into the hotel, just as his brother Morgan is ordering a man's breakfast: Just give me a stack of buckwheat cakes, plenty of molasses and a steak blood rare, a couple hunks of bacon if you got some, and a big pot of coffee. Suddenly Morg turns and notices the lady, a symbol of civilization, who has come to Tombstone. At the desk, Clementine Carter (unknown actress Cathy Downs) asks for "Dr. John Holliday." She learns that he won't be returning to town until later. Earp immediately takes an interest in her, escorting her along the upstairs hotel corridor to her rented room - her room is across the hall from Doc's room. Betraying her love for Holliday as his former fiancee and the Eastern girl he left behind, she first enters Holliday's room lined with his doctor's diplomas and bookcases and lovingly touches his things while describing his personality: Clementine: (Looking at a photograph) Oh, that's John with a mustache. (Touching his doctor's bag.) He is a good surgeon, isn't he? (She also touches her own picture on his dresser.) Wyatt: That's a nice picture of you. That day, the Shakespearean actor Thorndyke gathers a following as he leaves town following his one-night performance, signing autographs, and bidding goodbye to one of the aging town drunks with the words: Great souls by instinct to each other turn, demand allegiance and in friendship burn. Good night, sweet prince. That evening, Clementine enters the noisy saloon to look for Holliday, noticing the simple guitar strumming of Chihuahua, and then finding him eating dinner in the back of the saloon with Wyatt. Holliday is startled to see her, while Chihuahua jealously resents her appearance. A former love from Boston where he practiced surgical medicine, Clementine has sought him all over the West. She finally traced him to Tombstone and wants to find out why he left - and possibly bring him home. Holliday spurns her, claiming that both he and the life he leads are not for her. She assumes that he left because of his health. Holliday's body is wracked with tubucular coughing and he is dying from consumption and alcoholism. However, he claims there are other deeper torments from his past ['slings and arrows of outrageous fortune'] that keep him in a diseased state. He threatens to move further West if she will not leave:

Clementine: It is wonderful to see you again, John. You are pleased that I came...? (Pause) My coming has made you unhappy. Holliday: It was ill advised. Clementine: Was it ill advised the way you left Boston? Holliday: How'd you know I was here? Clementine: I didn't. Finding you hasn't been easy. Cow camp to cow camp, from one mining town to another. I should think that if nothing more, you'd be at least flattered to have a girl chase you? Holliday: Look Clem, you've got to get out of here... Clementine: But I'm not! Holliday: This is no place for your kind of person. Clementine: What kind of a person am I, John? Holliday: Please go back home Clem, back where you belong. Forget that you... (Holliday experiences a severe coughing fit and goes outdoors. They speak to each other in the dark shadows.) Clementine: You're ill, John. So that's the reason you left. Holliday: That has nothing to do with it. Clementine: Foolish, foolish John, as if that would have mattered. Holliday: I'll tell you, Clem, the condition of my health has nothing to do with it. Clementine: I don't believe you, John. Holliday: Then I'll give you the truth. The man you once knew is no more, there's not a vestige of him left. Nothing! Come, I'll take you back to the hotel. Clementine: Please, John. You can't send me away like this. You can't run away from me any more than you can run away from yourself. Now I know why you don't care whether you live or die, why you tried to get yourself killed. Well, I've heard all about you John and you're wrong, so wrong. You have no right to destroy yourself. You have a world of friends back home who love you John, and I love you. Holliday: There's a stage leaving in the morning for the East. Take it. If you don't, I'm moving on. Clementine: Very well, John, I'll go. [Doc is tragically unable to find his place in either the civilized world of a medical practice in Boston or in the primitive west of Tombstone where he now gambles for a living. He also vacillates between two kinds of women - the Eastern, fair and respectable Clementine, and the wild, dark, prostitute "Apache" Chihuahua. Seeking death as the only way to relieve his present torment, Holliday's instinct suicidally turns to alcohol.]

My Darling Clementine (1946) Pages: (1) (2) (3) The Story (continued)

His life slowly fading away, Holliday returns alone to his rented room and stands and gazes at his diplomas - he is a black silhouette in front of his hotel window. Then, he reaches for a whiskey bottle sitting below them and pours himself a drink. In a powerful visual image, his alcoholic, anguished face is reflected in the glass covering his doctor's diploma/license. After he sarcastically spits out the words: "Dr. John Holliday," he smashes his whiskey shot glass into the frame, shattering the glass and the reminder of what he was. Then, he returns to the bar and chastises Earp for not telling him about Clementine's arrival: Holliday: From where I'm standing Earp, that tin badge you're wearing doesn't give you the right to stick your nose in my personal affairs. Wyatt: What's eatin' ya, Doc? Holliday: Why didn't you tell me Miss Carter's here? Wyatt: She told you why. She wanted to surprise ya. Doc recklessly drinks more whiskey, as Mac (J. Farrell MacDonald) the bartender cautions him not to drink: "That stuff will kill ya." Wearing a broad sombrero, Chihuahua attempts to cheer him up with a song, but he is despondent: Oh the first kiss is always the sweetest From under a broad sombrero The first kiss is always the sweetest From under a broad sombrero After a kiss, he snarls at her: "Why don't you go away? Squall your stupid little songs and leave me alone." Dejected, Chihuahua loosens her sombrero, walks away, and tosses a glass at him. Earp joins Doc at the bar and forcefully refuses a drink offer. Then, he intervenes to help his friend Clementine: Look, Doc, I ain't tryin' to poke my nose into your personal affairs, but from where I stand, a man would have to go a long ways before he finds a finer girl than that Miss Carter, or a prettier one for that matter. Thinkin' a man west of the Mississippi wouldn't give his shirt to... But Holliday bitterly resists any assistance, thinking Earp has said enough about his affairs and his drinking. (Doc also notices the inordinate amount of interest displayed by Wyatt toward Miss Carter.) Half-drunk and reaching for his gun, Holliday thinks it's "time I tempted fate," but Earp believes he's only playing a "sucker game": There's probably fifty fellas around town just waitin' to see you get liquored up so they can fill you full of holes. Build themselves up a great reputation. The man that killed Doc Holliday. When Holliday shoots wildly into the saloon, Earp punches him unconscious and drags him out of the saloon to his room. The next morning, as the town comes together for a social gathering to celebrate and dedicate the construction of Tombstone's first church, the Marshal has just finished being freshly barbered

and perfumed by the barber. [Tombstone is in the process of becoming civilized - a barber's business and the laying of the foundations for a new church are evidence that the town is becoming a place where James Earp could have grown up - if his future hadn't been cut short.] The Marshal vainly stares at himself in a large mirror in the shop, and as he steps out to his favorite perch on the porch, is sprayed with "sweet smelling stuff." [After the appearance of Clementine from the East, Wyatt insists on all the barber's services and becomes a man of the East - he is prettified with a stylish haircut and then sprayed with perfume.] On the porch, he admires the reflection of himself in the shop window. Earp's brother Virg comments on the smell - the scent of "honeysuckle blossoms." Chihuahua storms up onto the porch and is angered at Earp: "When Doc finds out you butted him last night, he'll twist that tin badge around your heart!" Relaxed but watchful while ignoring her threats, he yawns while balancing and shifting from one foot to the other on the railing post (like a slow bicycle pedaling motion), while tilted back on the two legs of his chair. She goes to Clementine's room in the hotel, throws open the door, and tells her to get out of town: I'm Chihuahua. I'm Doc Holliday's girl. Just wanted to make sure you were packing. With Holliday in his room across the hallway, Chihuahua is happy that her feminine rival Clementine is packing to leave town. [Doc's women represent two very different sides - one civilized and fair-skinned, the other primitive and dark-skinned.] Chihuahua shows her love for Doc by bringing him whiskey. Out of character, Doc promises to take Chihuahua with him into Mexico for a week or ten days and proposes marriage to her: "Why not? Tell Francois to fix a bridal breakfast. Flowers, champagne. You get into your prettiest dress. Tell him the Queen is dead. Long live the Queen." At the beginning of a memorable sequence of scenes, Earp is surprised to find a rejected Clementine packed and waiting in the hotel for the stage to take her back East: Wyatt: It's a mighty short visit. Clementine: Some people think I've overstayed my visit already. Wyatt: I don't know ma'am. If you ask me, I think you're givin' up too easy. Clementine: Marshal, if you ask me, I, I don't think you know too much about a woman's pride. Wyatt: No ma'am, maybe I don't. Church bells at the unfinished church toll as the two walk out onto the porch. Services are being held to commemorate the laying of the foundation of the town's new church. Wyatt uses the opportunity to shyly pursue the attractive lady: Clementine: I love your town in the morning, Marshal. The air is so clean and clear. The scent of the desert flowers. Wyatt: That's me. (He nods toward the Bon Ton shop.) Barber. Clementine: Marshal? May I go with you? (Along with the church bells tolling, the churchgoers are singing the hymn: Shall We Gather at the River?) You are going to the services, aren't you? Wyatt: Yes ma'am. I'd be admired to take you.

Majestically arm in arm, he slowly escorts her down the covered porch and past the barber who salutes them as they pass. They round the corner as he squires her out to the edge of the town's main street. It is an enchanted walk sequence toward the tolling bell of the unfinished church. Emotion builds as they approach closer to the ritualistic celebration. Deacon John Simpson (Russell Simpson), one of the devout churchmen with a fiddle tucked under his arm, announces that the people will not have to listen to the words of a preacher. An open-air dance will be held at the skeletal church building instead: I hereby declare the first church of Tombstone, which ain't got no name yet, or no preacher either, officially dedicated. Now, I don't pretend to be no preacher, but I've read the Good Book from cover to cover and back again, and I never found one word ag'in' dancin'. So we'll commence by havin' a dad-blasted good dance! In a magnificent scene, Tombstone celebrates its first half-erected, embryonic church by holding a delightful open-air dance. Clapping in rhythm to the fiddle music, the dancers take to the floor. After watching for a while, Earp tentatively and stiffly removes his hat, and then asks Clementine: "Oblige me ma'am?" She accepts and as they make their way up to the raised dance floor, everyone is told to part deferentially around them and make way: Sashay back and make room for our new Marshal and his lady-fair. [The scene symbolizes Earp's gradual acceptance into organized society and the community. Both characters are symbols of the new West - the hero and the Eastern girl. At first awkward with her, he soon is civilized and made comfortable with her as his dancing partner.] Wyatt gracefully whirls her around in a rigid mechanical waltz step, as everyone claps from an outer circle. Wyatt's two brothers ride up in a buckboard on their way out to visit James' grave, amazed to see their brother dancing with Clementine: "Well, by golly." After the celebration at the church, everyone returns for Sunday dinner in the hotel. Holliday, increasingly hostile to Wyatt for taking an interest in his former girl, discovers Clementine at Wyatt's dinner table and denounces her for not leaving town as he requested. Wyatt defends her presence: Holliday: Look, Clem, I told you last night to leave Tombstone and go back East. I also told you if you didn't leave, I would. Wyatt: Hey, Doc. Just a minute, Doc. That's the second time in three days you've been tryin' to run somebody out of town. That's my business. That's what I'm gettin' paid for. Miss Carter or any other decent citizen can stay here just as long as they want to. Holliday: We're through talking, Marshal. My advice to you is start carrying your gun. Wyatt: That's good advice. On the porch near the street, Chihuahua sees Holliday riding out of town as shotgun on the stagecoach, leaving her behind and throwing her a canvas pouch of money stamped with the words: "Cattlemen's Savings Bank, Tucson, Ariz." She is heartbroken that he is irresponsibly running out on her, without understanding that it is his inner tormented nature that is the cause

for his sudden departure. In a jealous rage, she blames Clementine for ruining her own romantic future with Doc. She runs to Clem's room, telling her: "Doc's gone. He's left town. He was going to Mexico and take me with him. He was going to marry me. Well, you're leavin' too." When Earp arrives as she hysterically rants and raves at Clementine, he notices his younger brother's silver cross/medal around Chihuahua's neck. She claims that Doc gave it to her. [Later, it is learned that she is lying to cover up her indiscretions with Billy, one of the Clanton boys.] Although Wyatt suspects the Clantons of killing James and rustling their cattle, he immediately suspects that Doc had something to do with James' death. He learns from Mac the bartender that Holliday "got his saddlebags and a sack of gold out of the safe and left in a hurry." He "left on the bullion stage riding shotgun...for Tucson." On horseback, Wyatt races and pursues after Holliday's speedy stagecoach to bring him back to Tombstone. Doc refuses to be brought back to town. The two face each other, drawing their guns and shooting. Wyatt shoots the gun out of Doc's hand and prevents Doc from running away from Tombstone (and himself). The scene immediately cuts to a view of Chihuahua's room, where she pulls her blouse up. The Marshal and Doc rap loudly on Chihuahua's door while she delays them and urges Billy Clanton (John Ireland) to leave through the window door. When the two are finally allowed to enter, Doc asks why she lied to Wyatt about the locket: Holliday: Chihuahua. Why did you tell the Marshal I gave you this jewelry? Chihuahua: Well, you did, Doc. You gave it to me. Holliday: I never saw this piece of junk before in my life. Who gave it to you? Chihuahua: Well, you can't remember everything you give me, Doc. Sure you did. Don't you remember? Holliday: When? Chihuahua: Two or three days ago. I don't know. What difference does it make? Wyatt: That bein' the case, Doc, I charge you with the murder of my brother James Earp. Realizing that she has implicated Doc in a murder, she is reluctant to be a "squealer" and admit that one of the Clanton boys gave her the medal. She explains how her hurt and jilted feelings led her to make the false accusation against Doc: Well, you told me to go away and squall my silly little songs somewhere else. So I came up here and had a good cry. There was a knock at the door and I thought it was you. I opened the door and it was Billy Clanton. Outside the window, Billy has overheard their conversation - he fires shots just at the moment of her confession and badly wounds her. Clanton runs along the rooftop and escapes out of town toward the Clanton ranch on horseback. After taking some shots at Clanton himself (and fatally wounding him), Wyatt sends Virgil to ride after him. Wyatt believes in Holliday's ability to revive his Eastern surgeon's skills, calls for nurse Clementine, and asks for poker tables in the saloon to be set up as an improvised operating table. Before being operated on without a sedative, Chihuahua asks:

Chihuahua: Sorry, Doc. It's too bad? Doc: No, honey. Look, I haven't got anything to put you to sleep. So this is going to hurt like blazes. Yell, scream, holler, anything you like. Tell me when you're ready. (She nods her readiness.) Meanwhile, Virgil continues to pursue the mortally wounded Billy to the Clanton ranch. There, he finds Old Man Clanton commiserating in a stony pose over the dead body of his son laid out on a bed: "My boy Billy. Shot down on the streets of Tombstone. Murdered." When Virgil leaves the dark-shadowed room, Old Man Clanton blasts him in the back with his shotgun, killing him in revenge. He orders his three sons to prepare to leave for town for a showdown. In a long-held closeup, Chihuahua lies on the operating table and speaks a few final words to Doc, believing that he loves her: Chihuahua: Hi, Doc. Holliday: You're all right. You've been a brave girl. Kate (Jane Darwell), the jovial town madam, offers to care for her as she recuperates: "I'm going to take her to my house and take good care of her. (To Wyatt) Can't I do that, Marshal?" Wyatt proposes to victoriously toast the elated Doc after performing the seemingly-successful operation: "Doctor Holliday." At the saloon door (in the background) as Holliday proudly leaves carrying his doctor's bag after regaining some of his confidence and life-affirming values, Clementine tries to congratulate him: Clementine: I'm awfully proud of you, John. Holliday: Thanks, Clem. She was a brave girl. In the foreground at the bar, Wyatt asks Mac a memorable question: Wyatt: Mac, you ever been in love? Mac: No, I've been a bartender all my life. As Wyatt leaves the saloon, the Clantons ride through town with their guns blazing. Old Man Clanton dumps Virgil's body into the street, shouting at Earp: We'll be waitin' for you Marshal - at the O.K. Corral. The mayor and deacon offer to help fight the Clantons who have barricaded themselves at the O.K. Corral, but Earp declines them as volunteers. He wishes to settle his personal score with the Clantons alone. The Earp's strong family ties justify the killing of the Clantons: "...this is strictly a family affair." At the Corral, Ike asks his father if Earp is "too yella" to fight, but Clanton assures him: "He'll come." Disheartened by the death of Chihuahua and bitter at the loss of his renewed hope, Holliday decides to face what is left of his life. In the Marshal's office, Doc joins the Earp brothers who wait for dawn to accept the Clanton's challenge. Doc contemptuously mocks his own title:

"Doctor John Holliday." He grabs a rifle in Earp's office, cocks it and is allowed to join them: "When do we start?" Earp responds: "Sunup." After a quiet, but tense night, the sun rises, the Mayor hands warrants for the Clantons' arrest to Earp, and final preparations are made. The climax of the film is a version of the shootout at the O.K. Corral against the Clantons. The confrontation pits the efficient and calculated Earps (representing civilization) against the ragged Clantons (representing primitive natures). The five men leave the office and slowly start marching down the main street of town (in a long-shot) toward the O.K. Corral. - Wyatt, Morgan, Doc, the Mayor, and the Deacon. As they approach closer, the Mayor and Deacon fall back, Doc and Morg circle to the side through a back alley and behind fences, and Wyatt is left alone in the street. Then he too circles to the other side in a semi-military maneuver. [The O.K. Corral gunfight is not fought as a face-to-face confrontation in the middle of the main street.] Before any shooting commences, Earp explains how he has warrants charging Old Man Clanton and his sons for the murder of James and Virgil Earp - including a charge of cattle rustling: Wyatt: I'm givin' you a chance to submit to proper authorities. Old Man Clanton: Well, you come on right in here Marshal and serve your warrant. Wyatt: Which one of ya killed James? Old Man Clanton: I did, and the other one too. Ike: I'm gonna kill ya. The town stagecoach riding between Earp and Ike billows up clouds of dust as the oldest Clanton son kicks open the corral gate and walks toward Earp. Using the dust as camouflage, Earp moves closer and fires a shot at Ike, killing him. Morgan kills a second Clanton. Next to him, Doc suffers a coughing fit and is shot by one of the Clantons. [Doc's physical infirmity causes him to become vulnerable during the gunfire - his disease tragically afflicts him.] Using horses in the corral as cover, Earp gets closer and kills another Clanton in front of a horse trough. Just before he collapses, Doc kills the fourth Clanton son. Old Man Clanton surrenders to Earp and is banished from town: Old Man Clanton: My boys, Ike, Sam, Phin. Billy. Wyatt: They're dead. I ain't gonna kill you. I hope you live a hundred years, feel just a little what my Pa's gonna feel. Now get out of town. Start wanderin'. Old Man Clanton is allowed to ride out of the O.K. Corral - his punishment is to live and feel what Earp's father will soon feel. Suicidally avenging the deaths of his sons, he turns with gun in hand to shoot Wyatt. To defend his brother, Morgan (from the hip) shoots Clanton from his saddle. Morgan informs Wyatt that Doc has been killed in the gun battle. At the film's conclusion, the opposing forces have been obliterated by a showdown between the law and anarchy. Marshal Earp's job is completed and he leaves town on horseback (with his brother Morgan in a small buckboard) headed for California. They are taking their brothers' bodies home to their Pa. Wyatt stops at the crest of the hill at the outskirts of Tombstone - in front of him, the road stretches endlessly into the distance, as Clementine, the new schoolmarm [another symbol of the civilizing of the West] waits for him within the town's fence. They speak

together for the last time. Wyatt tells her that he and the other surviving Earp son have chosen to leave to tell their Pa 'what happened' rather than stay around to finish civilizing Tombstone: Clementine: There's so many things I wanted to say and now nothing seems appropriate. Wyatt: Yes, ma'am, uh, yeah I know. The mayor says you might be stayin' here a while, maybe helpin' get a school started. Clementine: Yes, I'm the new schoolmarm. Wyatt: That's mighty nice, ma'am. Me and Morg are goin' out to see Pa, tell him what happened. I might come East again, get some cattle, maybe stop by here again. Clementine: Stop by the schoolhouse? Wyatt: Yes, ma'am. I sure will. (Wyatt kisses her affectionately on the cheek.) Goodbye, ma'am. (Wyatt extends his hand for a handshake.) Clementine: Goodbye. After he fulfilled his part of the commitment to tame the land, Wyatt, the classic mythic hero returns to the wilderness, prefering to live apart. After vaguely half-promising to return to the community, Wyatt turns and mounts his horse. Before riding off, he delivers the film's final line while saluting her with his hat: Ma'am, I sure like that name - Clementine. As he rides away, Clementine waves and then stands in the road to watch his figure shrink smaller and smaller as it moves on a long, vertical road toward a distant monument and the horizon. A harmonica plays the tune of western folk ballad 'Oh My Darling Clementine' again as the film fades with the cowboy chorus singing: I'll be loving you forever, Oh My Darling Clementine. My Darling Clementine (1946) Pages: (1) (2) (3)

Differences Between the Film and Actual History:

Tombstone in the film is surrounded by beautiful Monument Valley, located in the N. Arizona/Utah area. Tombstone is actually in the southern part of Arizona a flat and uninteresting area. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, the town boomed after the discovery of silver in a strike in 1877. After a peak population of about 7,000 people, most moved away within a few years when profits dried up. Wyatt Earp was a figure in history, both a lawman and a gambler. He was known for keeping company with the saloon crowd in the frontier cattle and mining towns, for gambling, for being a confidence man, and for associating with prostitutes and pimps. Compared to other lawmen of the time, he was probably no

worse than most of them. There is no solid historical evidence to indicate that he was involved in many deadly gunfights and face-offs. During his years as a Dodge City lawman, he is thought to have killed only one man. After moving to Tombstone, the Earps developed a more 'respectable' reputation, aligning themselves with the Establishment - Republican businessmen. This put them at odds with local cowboys - which included the Clantons.

There were five Earp brothers - the fifth one not in the film was Warren. James was not the youngest - he was actually older than Wyatt. James Earp was not murdered by the Clantons, but lived long after the events depicted in the film. For an upcoming political contest (for Sheriff of Cochise County) in which Wyatt was rumored to be planning to run against incumbent Sheriff John Behan, Holliday (and possibly the Earps themselves) were accused by the Behan/Clanton/"cowboys" of being involved in the March 1881 robbery of a stagecoach. Refusing to be embarrassed by the charges, Earp counter-accused Behan of protecting the Clantons and other cowboys responsible for the stage robberies. The charges against Doc were eventually dismissed. The political struggle escalated and became heated when Behan's beautiful mistress, Josephine Marcus, left him and became the 'common-law' wife of Wyatt for the remainder of his life. The feuding sides opposed each other at the O.K. Corral over disagreements and accusations involving stage robbery and other simmering hatreds - the gunfight was not the direct result of retribution for the deaths of James and Virgil Earp and Billy Clanton. The feud between the Clantons and the Earps was not only a few days in length, but lasted over a long period of time. It had nothing to do with stealing cattle, and more to do with the long-standing conflict in SE Arizona between the Republican business community (to which the Earps were aligned) and the Democratic ranchers/cowboys of the countryside (to which the Clantons were aligned). In the film, the year is 1882. The actual gunfight was on October 26, 1881. On that day, Virgil Earp was Marshal in Tombstone and Wyatt was only a deputy. Old Man (Newman) Clanton wasn't at the O.K. Corral. He was killed before the gunfight occurred, in a retaliatory action in Guadalupe Canyon, Mexico by Mexican soldiers against the cattle-rustling thief (August, 1881). Virgil Earp was not killed before the fight, but was wounded in it. Billy Clanton was not killed prior to the O.K. Corral shootout either. Doc Holliday (formerly a dentist, not a doctor) was not killed in the O.K. Corral gunfight, but died of tuberculosis about six years later. (He was born in Griffin, GA, Aug. 14, 1851, and died in a hotel in Glenwood Springs, CO, Nov. 8, 1887.) Originally, he had come West to relieve his tubercular condition. He visited a sanitarium for its "healing" springs.

Who actually was killed or wounded in the gunfight? - Ike Clanton ran and escaped injury. Billy Clanton was killed along with other Clanton supporters (Tom and Frank McLaury not in the film). Virgil and Morgan Earp were wounded. Doc Holliday was slightly wounded. The undertaker displayed the bodies in his window. After the confrontation, Holliday and Wyatt were arrested. In an inquest, Republican justice of the peace Wells Spicer refused to indict them, judging that they had been acting in their proper roles as lawmen. They walked from the charges - and the feud continued. Within a few weeks after the inquest, Virgil was gunned down and badly wounded. Morgan was killed by unknown assailants. Wyatt became a deputy US Marshal, and with Holliday and others, led a retaliatory rampage against their cowboy enemies. Then, they fled Tombstone. The historic O.K. Corral incident was over in a few seconds. Eyewitnesses couldn't agree what happened when it was all over. It will never be clear who drew and fired first.

Also Worth Considering: My Darling Clementine (1946)

My Darling Clementine: Synopsis Overview Synopsis Cast & Crew Critics' Reviews User Reviews Similar Movies Awards &Nominations

My Darling Clementine NR,1hr 37min Genres: Western,Drama Released: January 1, 1946 Director: John Ford Distributor: 20th Century Fox Starring: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature ... More Synopsis One of the greatest movie Westerns, John Ford's My Darling Clementine is hardly the most accurate film version of the Wyatt Earp legend, but it is still one of the most entertaining. Henry Fonda stars as former lawman Wyatt Earp, who, after cleaning up Dodge City, arrives in the outskirts of Tombstone with his brothers Morgan (Ward Bond), Virgil (Tim Holt), and James (Don Garner), planning to sell their cattle and settle down as gentlemen farmers. Yet Wyatt, disgusted by crime and cattle rustling, eventually agrees to take the marshalling job until he can gather enough evidence to bring to justice the scurrilous Clanton clan, headed by smooth-talking but shifty-eyed Old Man Clanton (Walter Brennan). Almost immediately, Wyatt runs afoul of consumptive, self-hating gambling boss Doc Holliday (Victor Mature, in perhaps his best

performance). When Doc's erstwhile sweetheart, Clementine (Cathy Downs) comes to town, Earp is immediately smitten. However, Doc himself is now involved with saloon gal Chihauhua (Linda Darnell). The tensions among Wyatt, Doc, Clementine, and Chihauhua wax and wane throughout most of the film, leading to the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral, with Wyatt and Doc fighting side-by-side against the despicable Clantons. Its powerful storyline and fullblooded characterizations aside, My Darling Clementine is most entertaining during those little "humanizing" moments common to Ford's films, notably Wyatt's impromptu "balancing act" while seated on the porch of the Tombstone hotel, and Wyatt's and Clementine's dance on the occasion of the town's church-raising. Based on Stuart N. Lake's novel Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshall (previously filmed twice by Fox), the screenplay is full of wonderful dialogue, the best of which is the brief, philosophical exchange about women between Earp and Mac the bartender (J. Farrell MacDonald). The movie also features crisp, evocative black-and-white photography by Joseph MacDonald. Producer (Daryl F. Zanuck) was displeased with Ford's original cut and the film went through several re-shoots and re-edits before its general release in November of 1946. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

AMG Review Lucia Bozzola Considered one of the greatest classical Westerns, John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946) turns an idealized version of the Earp/Clanton shootout at the OK Corral into a story of how the West was won for the good of civilization. Shot on location in Monument Valley in crisp, deepfocus black-and-white, the film opens as Henry Fonda's upstanding yet slightly (and humorously) awkward Wyatt Earp arrives in Tombstone to settle a family score with the murderous Clantons, staying long enough to make the untamed town safe for the new church and schoolmarm-to-be Clementine and enable corrupt, tubercular Easterner Doc Holliday to find a bit of redemption. Yet even as Ford celebrates the possibilities of the new West, he also engages the post-war tendency for Westerns to examine their own myths: for instance, in the expressionistic photography and in Earp's contradictory place between civilization and the

wilderness. He knows the way Tombstone ought to be, but he can't settle there himself; the final shootout begins as an orderly ritual but becomes a chaotic montage of death. The "director's cut" discovered in 1994 contains several minutes of excised footage; the ending was reportedly changed due to the reaction of a 1946 preview audience. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi