MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 1,584 this week

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Unrated  |   |  Drama, Romance, Western  |  22 October 1949 (USA)
7.4
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.4/10 from 11,190 users  
Reviews: 89 user | 47 critic

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.

Director:

Writers:

(story), (screenplay) (as Frank Nugent) , 2 more credits »
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

Watch Now

From $2.99 on Amazon Video

ON DISC

The 25 Most Immersive Worlds in Cinema

Highly immersive cinematic worlds can carry a movie, and we've rounded up the best of the best.

See the full list

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 45 titles
created 29 Dec 2011
 
a list of 46 titles
created 11 Jan 2012
 
a list of 37 titles
created 01 Feb 2013
 
a list of 40 titles
created 28 Sep 2013
 
a list of 34 titles
created 28 Jan 2014
 

Related Items

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) on IMDb 7.4/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

User Polls

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Fort Apache (1948)
Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

At Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe.

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple
Rio Grande (1950)
Romance | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Rio Grande takes place after the Civil War when the Union turned their attention towards the Apaches. Union officer Kirby Yorke is in charge of an outpost on the Rio Grande in which he is ... See full summary »

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson
Adventure | War | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail/supply center. Along with them is sent a doctor who causes instant antipathy between him and the ... See full summary »

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers
3 Godfathers (1948)
Certificate: Passed Drama | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

When 3 outlaws on the run find a dying woman and her newborn baby in the desert they vow to save the child.

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr.
Red River (1948)
Action | Adventure | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son.

Directors: Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson
Stars: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru
Stagecoach (1939)
Adventure | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine
The Searchers (1956)
Adventure | Drama | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A Civil War veteran embarks on a journey to rescue his niece from an Indian tribe.

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles
Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Ranch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother.

Director: Henry Hathaway
Stars: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer
Rio Bravo (1959)
Drama | Romance | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a cripple, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

Director: Howard Hawks
Stars: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson
The Quiet Man (1952)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A retired American boxer returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love.

Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald
Drama | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A Western retelling the tale of the Shoot-out at the OK Corral.

Director: John Ford
Stars: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature
Action | Western | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Texas Ranger Jake Cutter arrests gambler Paul Regret, but soon finds himself teamed with his prisoner in an undercover effort to defeat a band of renegade arms merchants and thieves known as Comancheros.

Directors: Michael Curtiz, John Wayne
Stars: John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
...
Lt. Flint Cohill
...
...
Second Lt. Ross Pennell
...
Top Sgt. Quincannon
...
Abby Allshard
...
Major Mac Allshard
Arthur Shields ...
Dr. O'Laughlin
Michael Dugan ...
Sgt. Hochbauer
...
Fred Graham ...
Sgt. Hench
Chief Sky Eagle ...
Chief Sky Eagle
...
Cpl. Mike Quayne
Noble Johnson ...
Chief Red Shirt
Edit

Storyline

After Custer and the 7th Cavalry are wiped out by Indians, everyone expects the worst. Capt. Nathan Brittles is ordered out on patrol but he's also required to take along Abby Allshard, wife of the Fort's commanding officer, and her niece, the pretty Olivia Dandridge, who are being evacuated for their own safety. Brittles is only a few days away from retirement and Olivia has caught the eye of two of the young officers in the Company, Lt. Flint Cohill and 2nd Lt. Ross Pennell. She's taken to wearing a yellow ribbon in her hair, a sign that she has a beau in the Cavalry, but refuses to say for whom she is wearing it. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Wayne's greatest role as an Indian fighting Captain ! See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

Certificate:

Unrated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 October 1949 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Der Teufelshauptmann  »

Box Office

Budget:

$1,600,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the graveyard, one of the crosses carries the name "DeVoto", this is likely an homage to Bernard DeVoto, a prominent historian of the American West. See more »

Goofs

Prior to leaving Fort Stock on his last patrol, Captain Brittles writes an objection to having to take a wagon on the mission. He hands the written complaint to Major Allshard, who in turn hands it to Sgt. Hochbauer, who then reads the report up side down. See more »

Quotes

Captain Nathan Brittles: Where are you going, Mr. Penell?
2nd Lt. Ross Penell: Picnic-ing, sir.
Captain Nathan Brittles: Picnic-ing?
[to Olivia Dandridge]
Captain Nathan Brittles: Picnic-ing, Miss Dandridge? Where, in St Louis?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Mouth 2 (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

Garryowen
(uncredited)
Traditional Irish tune
In score
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Tie a yellow ribbon
4 July 2005 | by (New York) – See all my reviews

John Ford, perhaps the greatest film director of the last century, was in love with the pioneering men and women that settled the west. Mr. Ford had an amazing eye for the beauty of the land. This is a film where he pays tribute and his undying admiration to the spirit of adventure of those who dared and had a vision of the majesty of what awaited them as the traveled west.

"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", is a beautiful film to look at. The glorious Technicolor utilized for the movie stands on its own as the legacy of the director and his cinematographer Winton Hoch whose photography of Monument Valley will remain the yard stick for which other films will be judged. The atmospheric music of Richard Hagerman adds another layer to the texture of this film.

John Wayne, an actor bigger than life, is at the center of the story. He embodies all that meant justice and fairness when things weren't so orderly in the country. Victor McLaglen makes an excellent appearance as Sgt. Quincannon. John Agar and Ben Johnson did good work as the two cavalry officers in love with the same woman. Mildred Natwick was good as Abby Alshard, a no nonsense woman who has seen a lot. Ultimately, Joanne Dru projects such a beautiful image as the young Olivia Dandridge, the woman who wore the yellow ribbon in her hair and conquered the hearts of the men around her.

This is a classic film that serves to remind us about those people that came before us, and, in the case of Nathan Brittles, Mr. Ford gives us a decent man who wanted peace above all with the Indians that the white man was displacing from their natural habitat.


19 of 31 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Ben Johnson paulmoran99
Historical Screw Up lexnlido2
stupid indians? hepe-1
What happened to Caot. Brittles Family? reelsmalloy
Is it me or is 'SWAYR' a western art-house film chubbs1469
A trivia challenge! pyenme
Discuss She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?