John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searchers Ultimate Edition / Stagecoach Two-Disc Special Edition / Fort Apache / Etc.) 
Plot Summaries

    *
      The Searchers
          o Stars John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: March 13, 1956
          o Genres: Western, Drama
          o Synopsis When Ethan decide to go find the Indians who killed his family, he is joined by his nephew, Martin Pawley. The problem is that Pawley is half-Indian, and there's nothing in the world tha Edwards hate more than Indians. The journey to find the Indians and Edwards niece (and Pawley half-sister) last for years.
    *
      Stagecoach
          o Stars Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: March 2, 1939
          o Rating Unrated
          o Genres: Action, Western, Drama, Romance
          o Synopsis A simple stagecoach trip is complicated by the fact that Geronimo is on the warpath in the area. The passengers on the coach include a a drunken doctor, a pregnant woman, a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money, and the famous Ringo Kid, among others.
    *
      The Wings of Eagles
          o Stars John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond, Ken Curtis
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: February 22, 1957
          o Rating Approved
          o Genres: Drama
          o Plot Outline A biography of Navy flier-turned-screenwriter Frank W. "Spig" Wead.
    *
      Fort Apache
          o Stars John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendáriz, Ward Bond
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 1948
          o Genres: Western
          o Synopsis In John Ford's sombre exploration mythologising of American heroes, he slowly reveals the character of Owen Thursday, who sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, Thursday attempts to destroy the Apache chief Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico, against the advice of his subordinates.
    *
      She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
          o Stars John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr.
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: October 22, 1949
          o Rating Unrated
          o Genres: Western, Romance
          o Synopsis Captain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.
    *
      The Long Voyage Home
          o Stars John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: November 11, 1940
          o Rating Approved
          o Genres: Drama, War
          o Synopsis Aboard the freighter Glencairn, the lives of the crew are lived out in fear, loneliness, suspicion and cameraderie. The men smuggle drink and women aboard, fight with each other, spy on each other, comfort each other as death approaches, and rescue each other from danger.
    *
      They Were Expendable
          o Stars Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: December 20, 1945
          o Rating Approved
          o Genres: Drama, War
          o Synopsis Shortly after Pearl Harbor, a squadron of PT-boat crews in the Philipines must battle the Navy brass between skirmishes with the Japanese. The title says it all about the Navy's attitude towards the PT-boats and their crews.
    *
      3 Godfathers
          o Stars John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Mae Marsh
          o Directors: John Ford
          o Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 1948
          o Genres: Drama, Western
          o Synopsis Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert, even at the risk of their own lives.
    *
      A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and the Searchers
          o Directors: Nick Redman
          o Genres: Documentary, Short
          o Plot Outline Documentary on the making of The Searchers, starring

Product Details

    * Format: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
    * Language: English
    * Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
    * Number of discs: 10
    * Rating UNRATED
    * Studio: Warner Home Video
    * DVD Release Date: June 6, 2006
 
    * DVD Features:
          o Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
          o Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)

          o 10-disc set includes:

          o The Searchers (Ultimate Collector's Edition) (1956)
          o 1.75 anamorphic widescreen, English 2.0 Stereo, French Mono
          o Color, 119 min.
          o Disc One:
          o Newly remastered and restored from original VistaVision film elements
          o Introduction by Patrick Wayne
          o Commentary by Director Peter Bogdanovich
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o Disc Two:
          o "The Searchers: An Appreciation"
          o "A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne, and The Searchers"
          o Behind the Cameras: Meet Jeffrey Hunter, Monument Valley, Meet Natalie Wood, and Setting Up Production
          o Reproduction of 1956 Dell comic book
          o Reproduction of original 1956 Warner Bros. press book
          o Reproductions of filmmaker memos and correspondence
          o 10 postcards with behind-the-scenes photos
          o Movie poster offer

          o Stagecoach - Two Disc Special Edition (1939)
          o Newly remastered from best available film elements
          o New feature-length American Masters profile: John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend
          o New documentary "Stagecoach: A Story of Redemption"
          o Commentary by Scott Eyman, author of "Print the Legend: The Life & Times of John Ford"
          o Audio-only bonus: radio adaptation with Claire Trevor and Randolph Scott
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o 1.33, English Mono
          o B&W, 96 min.

          o Fort Apache (1948)
          o Digitally remastered and restored from original nitrate elements
          o New featurette Monument Valley: John Ford Country
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o 1.33, English Mono
          o B&W, 128 min.

          o The Long Voyage Home (1940)
          o New featurette "Serenity at Sea: John Ford and the Araner"
          o 1.33, English Mono
          o B&W, 105 min.

          o The Wings of Eagles (1957)
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o Anamorphic widescreen, English Mono

          o 3 Godfathers (1948)
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o 1.33, English Mono, French Mono
          o B&W, 105 min.

          o She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
          o John Ford home movies
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o 1.33, English Mono, French Mono
          o Color, 103 min.

          o They Were Expendable (1945)
          o Theatrical Trailer
          o 1.33, English Mono
          o B&W, 135 min.

Product Description

John Ford was easily one of the greatest, most prolific and versatile directors Hollywood ever produced. Combined with a star of the caliber and magnetism of John Wayne, what emerges is pure cinematic magic. WHV now introduces a ten-disc set featuring eight of the team's finest collaborations: The Searchers: Ultimate Collector's Edition (1956) Stagecoach: Special Edition (1939) Fort Apache (1948) The Long Voyage Home (1940) Wings of Eagles (1957) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1948) They Were Expendable (1945) 3 Godfathers (1948)

Meredy's Review

BUY THIS SET NOW!

FIRST, THE FILMS
Stagecoach and The Searchers, two of the all-time greatest movies ever made.
Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, perhaps only a notch below.
The other films are wonderfully enjoyable.
The transfers are typically excellent of WB. The cover art is the original one-sheet. Great stuff. The Searchers edition included is the ULTIMATE edition with tons of extra paper goodies!

SECOND,THE EXTRAS
Stagecoach, the American Masters documentary airing this month on the tube on Ford/Wayne is a nice bonus. The NEW 30 minute documentary on the actual making of Stagecoach is REALLY GREAT, and I noticed it's done by SPARKHILL, who did The Wizard of Oz and some of the other great WB re-issues. Their bonus featurettes on Fort Apache (Monument Valley) and the Searchers are also wonderful. Truly there are hours of extras included in this package that will let the viewer learn much about both John Wayne, who people think they know, but perhaps don't, and John Ford, who just might be the greatest director of all-time.

CHEERS to WB for releasing these films in lovingly done transfers and packing them with new and vintage featurettes to make them truly worth owning. And the overall package and price is, well, terrific!

A collection of movies from arguably the greatest film director and starring arguably the greatest film star in history. Stop reading and BUY!