She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

The film John Wayne claimed was his favorite ever made, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, is a towering John Ford adventure, a vivid postcard to the United States Calvary of the Old West. Wayne plays retiring Captain Nathan Cutting, who has been given a last assignment to subdue a pack of rebellious Cheyenne and to deliver the wife and niece of his commanding officer to a nearby stage coach depot before a full-scale Indian war breaks out. As the commander's beautiful niece is courted by fellow officers, Cutting attempts a peaceful solution with Cheyenne leader Chief Pony That Walks. When negotiations fail, Cutting comes up with a daring plan to save lives on both sides of the conflict. Considered one of the most beautiful westerns ever filmed, with the peaks of Monument Valley serving as a backdrop, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon won the 1950 Academy Award for Cinematography.