The Auteur's Selection In the Shadow of The Plough and the Stars: C...

Dir: John Ford

"Cheyenne Harry", owner of the biggest cattle ranch in his corner of the West, is having trouble with John Merritt, a land-grabbing Chicago meat-packer. By some artifice of shrewd legal aid, Merritt manages to seize Harry's ranch under a bogus writ of foreclosure. Failing to get justice by his many letters to Merritt, "Cheyenne Harry" goes East and calls at the millionaire's mansion. At first, Merritt refuses to see him. Then, to cause amusement for his daughter Helen and her guests, he invites the "uncouth" Westerner into his dining hall. He is sure that he will make some grave error in table deportment and afford them all a laugh. To the amazement of Merrit and the guests Harry's table manners are faultless. Then, to trick him into an embarrassing position, Merritt eats with his knife. Harry, realizing that it is proper for the guest to follow the example of the host, does likewise. He leaves the house chagrined but more determined than ever to get justice from Merritt.

Dir: John Ford

A cowboy must save his girlfriend from captivity and then cross the desert on foot with a single waterhole on the way.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Hell Bent perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: John Ford

Convict Cheyenne Harry escapes from prison in a garbage truck and boards a train, where he eludes capture with the help of passenger Henry Beaufort.

Dir: John Ford

Harry's bride is murdered at their wedding along with Harry's mother and father, and the good-hearted outlaw turns grimly malevolent.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Secret Man perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: John Ford

An Arizona cattleman defeats the rustlers and the sheriff who is in league with them.

Dir: John Ford

A man declined admission to fight in the American Civil War joins a gang of marauders and winds up as a fugitive.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Riders of Vengeance perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: John Ford

Cheyenne Harry and his pals, bent on helping their friend Rawhide Jack, attend a rodeo with the intent to win the prize and to hand the winnings over to Jack. Harry is the successful winner and after the rodeo the boys get drunk and fall asleep.

Dir: John Ford

Cheyenne Harry tries to help his outlaw friend Padden evade arrest after Padden has drunkenly shot another man. In the end, the two mismatched friends fight it out, leaving Padden dead.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Ace of the Saddle perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: John Ford

Cowboy Lin McLean's restlessness takes him to Denver, where he becomes enamored of a waitress named Katie.

Dir: John Ford

The marshal of a wild Kansas border town is killed in a gunfight in a saloon. His son, Cheyenne Harry, shoots dead two of the killers. Not wanting to lose both her son and her husband to gun violence, Harry's mother gets him to agree never to carry a gun again. However, Harry's rival for the beautiful Conchita, Boone Travis, commits a murder and frames Harry for it. Complications ensue.