Donovan's Reef

 

          After my incredible time watching John Wayne's Hatari I decided to watch another John Wayne classic that's on Amazon Prime along with Hatari as well. Donovan’s Reef is another film like Hatari that has some fun love stories but great comedic performances by Lee Marvin. As a matter of fact, this is another round that John Wayne and Lee Marvin pick off after their duel in The Man who shot Liberty Valance. Speaking of which, Donovan's Reef is both John Wayne and legendary western Director, John Ford's last collaboration together and although it’s a sad fact but could this be in a sense of a Christmas movie to watch this Holiday season? I guess we're going to have to find out. 

          Three World War II Navy Veterans -- Donovan (John Wayne), Doc Dedham (Jack Warden) and Gilhooley (Lee Marvin) -- converge on the French Polynesian island of Haleakaloha and team up to deceive Dedham's prim daughter (Elizabeth Allen), who has just learned of her father's existence and his inherited stock from the company of which she is chairman, and hopes to find just cause to reclaim his shares. Dedham's marriage to an island woman serves further threaten his share in the company.

          I believe I watched this film a bunch of times through the month of March to the point that I almost considered this to me my monthly recommendation, although there's another film I watched where I just need to recommend but will get to that some other time. Though this movie is just a breath of fresh air from both John Wayne and Lee Marvin fighting each other as well as the comedy involved as well as some heartwarming moments that you can't help but love this movie from beginning to the final frame. John Ford explained in his own words that this film would be "a spoof picture -- a whammy crazy sort of thing. We're not going for any prizes", and I would imagine even at Ford's old age, speaking of Ford's age, during the mid-sixties he was in fact suffering from health and the duke became an assistant director on set, mostly setting up equipment and checking dallies each day. More importantly I think, Ford knew that this was going to be his last collaborations with Wayne for good reasons, Ford was going through his last and final couple of years due to health concerns and creative differences with Wayne, one of them was during this movie where the Duke felt a little uncomfortable romancing a woman twenty years between his age though again if it were me I would simply tell the Duke "have you seen Lolita?, Go watch that movie right now and tell me you feel uncomfortable romancing a woman whose 34 years of age", though with this movie they both realized it was going to be the last dance so why not make this the best movie possible. Now when it comes to a John Wayne movie, The Duke is simply the greatest, I mean the man can do both drama as well as action as well as romantic comedies but more importantly he's really funny onscreen so, look as a big fan of the Duke there's really nothing to say the man is a legend that can do anything as an actor for which is a reason why he's an Icon. Now when it comes to Lee Marvin, granted I haven't seen a whole lot of his films but I can say with this movie he's flat out funny and this was his second round with Ford, moreover told Marvin about the movie he was going to make, he told him it didn't matter what the movie was about just simply said that it's going to be a good excuse for the cast and crew to have a free holiday in Hawaii, and with Marvin he's playing the best friend to Wayne for which is weird because their last round they were against each other and now their bro's, but more importantly this movie shows that Marvin can do comedy instead of playing a great antagonist like Liberty Vallance and again both him and Wayne play off each other so well, that there were times I almost though is certain scenes with Marvin that I thought the man was drunk, and the interesting fact both him and Wayne actually went on a drinking binge out in Hawaii together. Now I don't know how that fiasco would turn out but I would imagine Ford's perspective, he'd probably have that typical phone call but instead of him picking them up he called the duke’s son Patrick Wayne to pick them up. No, they basically rescheduled until he got sober, but if I were Ford, I would just call Pat and tell him to pick up Dad and Marvin because they’re at a bar not feeling well. Elizabeth Allen I don't know a whole lot about but, she certainly steal the whole movie as the daughter and love interest to the Duke, for many reasons she starts off as a huge stickler but through the course of the movie she begins to blossom in loving the island as well as getting the chance to know her father and also falling in love with the Duke and who doesn't want to fall in love with him, hell if I were a woman I would totally audition to be the Duke's love interest. To clarify if this stands as a Christmas movie and yes, I will consider this film to be in the spirit of Christmas, and sure all of you can share a different point of view but last year in Nebraska we didn't have any snow in Christmas time we just had fog. But all jokes aside, this film does have a lot of Holiday cheer of a stranded daughter meeting her father for the first time, as well as realizing she has a young bother and sisters moreover she finds love so, if that doesn't give you Holiday cheer, I don't know what does. So, for me I'm defiantly watching this on the month of December this film provided a ton of great comedic humor from both Wayne and Marvin as well as I have a great uplifting story of a woman not knowing her father but then starting a new life with a brand new family which that's something special to see even with Ford at the helm of directing. So, last I checked the film is still on Amazon Prime and you can watch this film on YouTube for free, though I'll let you all be the judge of this film being a contender for a Christmas film but for me I would highly recommend watching this film even if you haven't seen this film as well as being a fan of The Duke's filmography.