Please don't spend money on this.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK is a full-colour, full-blooded settler western made by the iconic John Ford. It's one of the favourites movies I've seen from him. The story sees a youthful and handsome Henry Fonda playing a settler who must protect his family against various frontier challenges, from political revolt and turmoil to attacks by local Native Americans. DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK is a well-paced production with superlative production values and real depth to the story. Fonda is excellent as the protagonist driven to the edge while the likes of John Carradine prove up to the challenge in support. For a film made in 1939, this one feels surprisingly modern, with a tough edge that really pays off.

An early novel called " Drums Along the Mohawk " written by Walter D. Edmonds is the foundation for this motion picture of the same name. It relates the story of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Martin (Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert) a young, married America couple moving from New York city to the early frontier to begin a new life. The time coincides with events from 1776 thru the end of the Revolutionary War. As most Americans have learned from our history, life was incredibly harsh. Indeed, when not working on the toils of the farm, early colonists were often at war with the Native American tribes who had sided with the British army. After their farm is burned and losing their first child, their lives are constantly threatened, they move in with Mrs. McKlennar (Edna May Oliver) a wealthy widow woman to supplement their meager existence. Most of the film is dedicated to the hardship of early frontier life and includes the destruction of their farms and their valiant defense inside the nearby fort. John Carradine, plays the heavy named Caldwell with Arthur Shields playing Rev. Rosenkrantz. For many reasons John Ford creates a formula for the movie establishing himself as a superb director. This early Color picture is fabulous in many ways, not the least is the excellent cast and exciting drama. It's little wonder it has become an excellent Classic. Recommended for all audiences. ****

This film may be about settlers coming into conflict with the local Indian tribe but it isn't a western; it is set in the Mohawk Valley in what was then the Colony of New York during the time of the war of independence. The story follows a young couple Gilbert and Lana Martin who move into a cabin with the intention of farming and raising a family. Everything goes well at first but one day their property is attacked and burnt by the Mohawks who are fighting on the British side in the war. They may have lost everything but they don't give up hope; instead of returning to Albany they start working on the farm of a local widow. It isn't long before the war comes to their part the country and all the men are conscripted into the militia; we don't see what happens while they are gone but when Gilbert returns he is clearly haunted by what he did and saw. Once again the settle into a normal way of life and once again the Indians return, this time in force burning all the houses as the settlers seek shelter in the fort; the battle that ensues is fairly vicious and if nobody can get out and get help everything will be lost.Given the age of this film I was surprised that not only was it in colour but the colours are so vibrant. Of course what really matter is the quality of the story and how good the acting is; thankfully the story is interesting and well told; we are introduced to the characters and get to know them before the action starts and when it does it is quite thrilling. The acting is good too with Claudette Coleman and Henry Fonda making fine leads. There are a few strangely comic moments in the film such as when the elderly widow remonstrates with the two 'savage' Indians who are setting fire to her house and rather than harm her they carry her downstairs in her bed! The final confrontation was pretty thrilling and a bit more violent than I expected, one man was hit by a flaming arrow! While this isn't a western I'm sure fans of that genre will enjoy it as will people interested in films set in this period of which there are surprisingly few.

Drum along the Mohawk was John Fords first film that he used Technicolor in. The scenery and the colors in the film were great to see. The emotions on Lana and Gilbert Martins face were good. Especially in the scene where the Indians burn their house down. As they are getting ready to leave the camera focuses back on the house being burnt and then right to their faces and you can tell that they knew they lost everything. The sounds of the gun shots and canon being let off during the fight between the town and the Indians was a great scene to see and hear. You could tell the Indians were coming cause they would chant or you would see smoke from them burning houses down. In the end the town won by the help that Gil went to get.