Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103613 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.com
This installment in A&E's Biography series follows the life of John Wayne from his troubled childhood to his peak as America's biggest box-office draw to his later years as a controversial conservative icon. Examined closely, Wayne's life is a startling series of contradictions. He was a member of his high school's Shakespeare club who began his career by acting in scores of B-grade Westerns, and though he avoided military service, he was considered an American hero. Filled with well-chosen archival stills, as well as seldom-seen early clips, this video also features interviews with fellow actors Charlton Heston and Ron Howard, as well as writer and scholar Garry Wills (author of a brilliant intellectual study of Wayne's work and life, John Wayne's America). Taking a generally chronological approach, this video presents an insightful look at the progression of Wayne's acting career (the discussion includes clips from such milestone films as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Quiet Man). But the production also seeks to explain the contradictions and upheavals of Wayne's private life. John Wayne, as a man, an actor, and a symbol, gets a thoughtful and balanced examination in this video. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Enlightening!
I saw this when it aired on A&E, and though I have always been a huge fan of John Wayne, there were a great many things that I did not know. I found out about parts of his life and career, some I was disappointed with, but mostly it opened my eyes. I appreciate John Wayne more now than ever, as a man, an actor, and a human. I highly recommend this video.

Great Biography!
I have watched numerous A&E Biographies, and this has to be one of the best ever. Anyone who is a fan of John Wayne or old Westerns should definitely own this tape; you will not be disappointed!

A good, but not great, look at the Duke's life
I believe there have been few Americans in the last 50 years who do not recognize John Wayne, and even fewer who have never seen him. The Duke has become a great American legend. But despite all his fame, most people know relatively little about his life. Wayne became so famous that the name "John Wayne" became associated more with a mythical figure than with a real man. This biography attempts to go behind the manly, tough-as-nails American hero and tries to discover the real John Wayne.

For only being 100 minutes long, the documentary is surprisingly good. It is not easy to chronicle the career of a man who made over 150 films in less than two hours. Despite this, however, I felt that this film overlooked some important elements in Wayne's career, including many of his best-loved films like the Cowboys and El Dorado. Also, the film gives the Duke's film total at 169, while I have seen several other (good) sources which seem to agree on the neighborhood of 153. This is a minor detail, of course, but worth mentioning.

Despite its shortcomings, this was an enjoyable documentary, certainly worth the time it took to watch it. Any fan of the Duke will enjoy this film, even if for no other reason than a visual chronology of (most of) the highlights of John Wayne's extremely illustrious career.