A Review on John Ford's

“Drums along the Mohawk”











General Characteristics


Genre: Adventure, Western, historical
Director: John Ford
Novel by: Walter D. Edmonds
Screen writer: Sonya Levien, Lamar Trotti
Music: Alfred Newman
Main actors: Claudette Colbert, Henry Fonda, Edna May Oliver, Eddie Collins,
John Carradine, Dorris Bowdon, Jessie Ralph, Arthur Shields,
Robert Lowery, Roger Imhof, Francis Ford, Ward Bond, Kay
Linaker, Russell Simpson, Spencer Charters
Country: U.S.A
Year of Production :1939
















Plot (Summary)

Historical background

As settlers, Indians came to new Continent some centuries before Christopher Columbus was born. According to some documents and ideas that seem correct, Indians came from eastern Asia and as Columbus arrived at new world, they were at paramount of their civilization. While Spanish fleet reached central and northern coasts of new world, British reached to eastern coast of today’s U.S. and began search of gold. But at first decade of their arriving, the life was so hard there and if there were no Indian, all white immigrants had starved. By planting maize they had learnt Indians, they could survive. After arriving black slaves from Africa, white settlers cultivated lands and planted tobacco as they developed their lands into the south and west by fighting Indians. As they grew more tobacco, their benefits and exports increased as well, so they were being encouraged to remove Indians from their lands. Indians did not cede their lands to whites easily, thus, sometimes bloody skirmishes happened. These tensions continued till end of westward movement. This movie, “Drums along the Mohawk” tells a part of that, war between settlers and six Nation of the Iroquois allied with the British, as it also tells the story of American Revolution.

Story
The place is upstate New York, where Gil and Lana are, just married, couple who want to live in Mohawk valley to seek their destiny. In Gil’s homestead, Lana screams at viewing an old Indian man and says to Gil that does not like to live there. Settlers welcome them .As frontiers working in the woods, a redcoat man with patch eye, a British colonel, steals a look at them. Then, by his order, some of his Indian companions attack on settlers and burn out Gil’s home and farm. The settlers, as going back and shooting Indians, defend themselves. Gil and Lana, with their homestead burned and destroyed, are taken by a widow, Mrs. McKennar in her house as hired-hands. A patriot parson invokes settlers to take the arm and fight Indians. Gil joins the militia to fight Indians. Whites win the battle but with many wounded and injured as well as their leader, General Nicolas Herkimer, who dies. Lana finds Gil wounded as he is telling the event of battle. Lana bears a child and all celebrate. As Gil working in the farm, Indians attack Mrs. Mc kennar’s house and burn it as she does not accept to go out of her house, even two Indians take her bed and drag it out. Praying in the church, Reverend Rosenkrantz, village parson, calls people to defend and fight Indians, as so-called Devils.
All are ready, men behind the fort wall and women in the church to defend themselves. The redcoats, British soldiers, help Indians fighting settlers. Mrs. kennar is killed and one of settlers is taken by Indians as a hostage. Going out of fort to call for help, Gil is followed by three Indians. The rest of Indians, finally, go through the fort. Fighting continues inside the fort between Indians and settlers, even women. The helping troops come on the scene and battle comes to an end. As troops’ leader seeks for colonel, redcoat man with patch eye, who lives among settlers, shows himself as colonel for fun.
The leader of the troops introduces new nation’s flag, with thirteen strips as well as stars, while old Indian man salutes it.

Analysis

The film is produced in 1939,when world war II started in Europe, when Americans passed through hard times of depression, when Americans gradually forgot their patriotic sense of eighteen and nineteen centuries and went into capitalism modern sense of individualism.
John Ford wants to narrate the sense patriotism through a narrowed focus on small part of American Revolution against British Kingdom. According its level, film could show appropriately the hard times of American revolutionary war as well as the problems of settlers as frontiers. Ford shows through how hard events Americans could build their nation, but this is an American point of view and it is unilateral as well. It seems they have forgotten that they occupied Indians’ land, so it’s Indians’ right to defend themselves against aggressors. If Ford wanted to have fair look at the case, he should portray some scenes among Indians and inquired why they were so aggressive toward settlers, although he shows that redcoats had provoked Indians.
Gil and Lana represent young nation to seek stability in new world. Lana, like most of women among frontier families, according to history book such as the American promise, does not like to live such horrible place at first, because she has not seen yet such an incident, as she is from urban society, but in last scene you see her as a soldier, even kills an Indian came into church.
The final scene includes some meanings; first, as messenger says General Washington has won the war against British and invocates settlers to consider the new flag. Second, as old Indian salutes the flag, we can find that Indians in eastern and north eastern coasts of U.S have lost their lands and defeated. From now on, Indians look and live as marginalized groups, of course in eastern coast. Third, as new government is established by General Washington, as president and his successors, they triggered for the westward movement.
Although, I’m not expert in technical aspects of cinematography, but I should assert technical privileges given to this film, in terms of color and special effects that I think, according to that time, are masterpiece. Use of color and light as well as sound effect according to plot is excellent. Using Technicolor in this film is new for movies in 1939.In this year some blockbusters were produced such as “Gone with the wind”. There is no any flash back just old Mrs. Mc Kennar remembers her husband when he went to fight “those men”, British or Indians she does not mention.
Henry Fonda presents his role very good, as young man who is earnest and energetic about his aim that is to live and cultivate in frontier lands. His figure matches his role. Claudette Colbert, as Lana, plays good as a frontier woman who is very sentimental at first but events make her resistant.

Individualism in the Wilderness


As a sign of individualism, this era of American history is the rush time of individuals to live in frontier lands. The seventeenth and eighteenth century in Europe is the start of ideas about human's right that, finally, led to main revolutions in America and France. The idea of liberalism came in parallel with individualism. The idea that caused later, many debates about individuals and states' rights and freedom among American revolutionary leaders.
Many Europeans fled from persecution of religious officials and feudalism came in America for better and convenient life, without knowledge about what happening there between pioneers and Indians. Thus, the conflict was inevitable with natives who were removed from their ancestral lands. Many emigrants experiencing individualism by bearing hard condition, they could construct a very and the only liberal society in world.
Individualism as an experience learnt them that they could not be triumphant without being together, so they gathered under one flag, flag of the United States.


Conclusion

Technically, the film is well-made and one of excellent movies that I have ever watched from past, although I think we, student of American studies, only can watch these type of movies ,with this kind of quality and censorship, in this unique Institute.
Historically, it is about the formation of American united nation, a nation which started individually and, even though, it led to unity but Individualism continued through nineteenth and twentieth century toward Modernism and kept its impacts by some social outcomes such as nuclear families, as some anthropologists like Susan Rogers believe. (Ulin, Understanding Culture, chapter nine)
According to Americans' view of Indians, the movie had been successful to transmit the sense of fear and hate to Indians as well as British, as main enemies of American progress.

Irish-American tendency toward Democrats

Irish Americans have shown themselves as pro-Democrats through 150 years living, formally as an American ethnic group, in U.S. You can find it out by focusing on results of Americans' presidential elections along one and half century ago.
In retrospect to twentieth century,the trend had been more shining ,for they even developed their political participation to high status such as presidential candidacy in 1920s and 1960s.Two politicians with Irish ancestry imposed themselves as democratic candidates and participated in elections of 1928 and 1961.In 1928 the Irish Al Smith was defeated by Herbert Hoover, but the latter, John F. Kennedy, could defeat his rival, Richard M. Nixon, in 1960 and exposed himself as the first Irish catholic president. He could take the views by his reformist plans and ideas. The views which doubted his deserve for presidency for his being youth, naïve and Catholic.
Voting for presidents, they have attempted to send a Democratic president to White House rather than a Republican. Since 1830s to 1960s, Irish Catholics voted for democrats up to 80-95%. As getting more far than 1960s, approaching now, this trend gets more moderate. Based on census in 2004, in presidential election held this year Irish Catholics kept the middle and ran for 50-50 %.
Among Irish Catholic politicians, also, there are more toward Democrats, even though some are of republican leaders. Some American presidents have claimed to have Irish ancestry such as Ronald Reagan (president of U.S from 1980-88).Nowadays, the pro-life silent majority in Democratic Party are Irish Catholics. According to recent census,"8 out of 28 American presidents have had Irish ancestry."

Why?
Maybe it can be considered that Liberalism and Democrats' supports on emigrants and ethnic groups' rights have been the main influencing factors on Irish Catholics trend in not so far era. The factors which most ethic groups in America have same focus on them.
A

The South Asian American Vote 2004

This is a report on south Asian Americans vote in 2004 presidential election. The objective of this research is to show how south Asians in America voted, in what condition and with what perspective. The report was accomplished by two institutions, The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and National Election Pool (NEP).The comparisons variables and results were as follow:
1- Profile of respondents (Asian Indian52%, Bangladeshi 18%, Pakistani 15%, Indo-Caribbean 14%, others south Asian 1%)
2- ¾ south Asian Americans were registered in Democratic Party. 16% Independents,9% Republicans.
3- Economy and job had more impact on south Asians’ vote than war, civil right and health care.
4- Civil liberties were most important in civil rights and Immigrants rights.
5- All Asians ethnic groups have common political interests.
6- Many south Asian Americans turned to their ethnic media, more than 38%.
7- Over 20% of Asian needed language assistance to exercise the right to vote.
8- The barriers to Asians’ voting were: wrong directing, hostility, rude or poorly trained poll workers, and identification.

The results of both institutions were different in percentage of first-time voters and candidate to whom they voted.
The research was conducted simultaneously in 20 cities in 8 states, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Analysis

According to results, first important point concerned to politics is Asians’ bias of Democratic Party. Maybe it refers to Democrats’ liberal policy on immigration. Another reason may be Bush’s Administration during his first term, in fields of interior (no support to low level class) and foreign policy (war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, considering both Asian Muslim countries).To add this argument it must be said that Democrats are more influencing through low-level class of American society, and we can account immigrants among this class.
In another case, economy and job was most important for Asians because some matters like American patriotism and Ideology do not mean for Asians ,as they mean for Americans themselves, so for them economy is more important to live than ideology.
About aforementioned civil liberties that are more important among immigrants’ rights, it is obvious that what is important for immigrants or Diasporas is freedom in doing rituals as well as sense of membership and freedom in choice of business and job.
Using the media represents identity and membership in every society, so south Asian American showed their glory of nationality and national identity through reading their own media. The media is formed by literature, language, economy, politics and all of communal characteristics that are specified to special community.
In terms of barriers, there are many obstacles for Diasporas in alien societies. It depends on people’s view, politically; ideologically that Diasporas are treated respectively or vice versa.

Conclusion

Apart from being original or aboriginal, voting in every society is sign of democracy. In every society those objectives that encourage people to participate in political activities are very important. People come to ballot box with different vista, some for economic purpose, as others for ideological views. Today’s democratic or alleged liberal democratic era is known by democratic right of voting given to minority groups, although practically they are denigrated.

Science & Media in Construction and Classification of Races


Seyyed Hasan Salehzadeh
Institute for North American Studies
University of Tehran

The role of science to make people believe events and phenomena is distinct to all. Today you can not force people to believe what you want they believe in without scientific affirmation. This is a routine and common way in universities and scientific societies because these scientific centers established on rationality and logic rather than mere assumption. But sometimes these centers can be origins to develop distrustful and manipulated ideas based on very dangerous targeted assumptions that some have called them "Pseudoscience". Another view can emphasize on positive impacts of science on people. Many scholars could change people's negative view on something or someone to positive.
In twenty century, Medias are very important phenomena with efficient and undeniable impacts on people. As time goes on, they become more benefit than past. In early years of twenty century, by emerging cinema on the scene, it became a very important branch of Media to transmit meaning indirectly throughout the world. No one can deny the impacts of movies produced to show blacks' hard and complicated condition in American society through history. Movies such as "A raisin in the sun", "Uncle Tom's cabin" could affect on Americans to make great and positive impacts. The novel "Uncle Tom's cabin" written by Harriet Beacherstow functioned as a great factor to make Americans to think about slavery at the time near to civil war. Contrary to that, there were also movies through them some directors tried to use cinema to show Indians as savage creatures and persuade people, even within America about American violent action toward Indians. These were also impacts. As an example, we, as students in Institute for North American studies, were shown a movie by this title "Drums along the Mohawk" which showed this subject unilaterally.
Racism is one of the issues some scientists intended to prove that scientifically and academic, but some stepped in wrong ways which was called "Scientific Racism". Scientific Racism is defined as propaganda or publications which support racism. For Example, Arthur Gobineau offered An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races (1853-1855) that is a milestone for scientific racism and White supremacy. He wrote a formulation for Biological Racism in contrast to Henry de Boulainvillie's theory of Races. Gobineau divides human to three species based on climate conditions and geographical situation and no color was considered so important. His ideas were upon some biology scientists' theories and ideas such as Alexander Von Homboldt. Homboldt had classified the species. He was a Prussian naturalist and famous as "second discoverer of Cuba". He had some trip to American countries such as Brazil. Gobineau dedicated his essay to King George V of Hanover (1851-66), because he had promised king " he presents to his majesty the fruits of his speculations and studies into the hidden causes of the "revolutions, bloody wars, and lawlessness" that had been going on in Europe through many years". He says " the young ,vigorous, virile, noble races have won over the older races , when these has lost the qualities that had made them winners in the first place". He also says that history has proved and explained that inequality of races is a sign that people's destinies are related together. Then, he gives an example of Great Britain, when it was captured by the people who were King George's ancestors.
Thus, it is easy to say that this essay is not so based on authentic scientific reason, just on some historical cases that are very obvious. In addition, this essay, like many anthropological researches which conducted by those who were funded to do research for colonial purposes, has been conducted to please the king not for humanity. The biological and natural theories are not regarded and considered authentic today, and some tend to view through ontological look, as " Linda Martin Alcoff" in " Philosophies of Races and Ethnicity"(2002:17) says " The fact that races has lost its scientific credibility does not entail, then, that it has lost its ontological status, since on this usage ontology does not imply a reference in a transcendental reality ". She defines "Race is a particular, historically and culturally located form of human categorization involving visual determinants marked on the body through the interplay of perceptual practices and bodily appearance". In ontology, argument is about existence of race.
Michel Foucault's "biopower" was anther scientific theory by which he refers to the numerous and diverse techniques for making others subjugated and to control the population, of course by the use of statistics and probabilities. He believed that biopower allows the control of entire population ( later it was called bio politics).Foucault used this term, first time , in his book The Will of Knowledge and in his second book The History of Sexuality in terms of relation between male/ female and even in economic and politic issues such as modern Nation state , Capitalism.
By biopower, Foucault does not mean the traditional meaning of power that was based on threat of death but he means protection of life and production of other technologies of power, such as notion of sexuality.
As Foucault says sexuality can be used as a strong means of power. For example,, sexual relation between male and female among human being usually determines the issue of power in a family. Many men for their sexual inability do not possess regular power over their families. In contrast, many women may use the relation as means to decrease men's power and to take over them.
Sexuality as a tactic to corrupt enemies always has been implied in different historical periods. For example, Islamic government in Andalusia (today's Spain) was not defeated until it was corrupted by wine and whores, then as a weak government was conquered by Castilians.
According to Foucault's, "Regulation of health, heredity, family, blood and well-being would be the exact examples of biopowers".All these concepts can classify people into different classes. The wealth is the most common that increases human's power over others not possess it. Some social theorists such as "Jean Jacques Roseau" and even Aristotle in ancient Greece believed on the role of wealth in social power and they believed a kind of Aristocracy. Family as another example of power is based on ancestors. Sometimes social status of a family is a reason for them to have power over others or to be superior to others. Blood is a one those factors that royal, elite and feudal families emphasized on it from far past. They did not admit relation with other low level families because of their blood and noble ancestors. Heredity among royal and elite families was based on power. For example in medieval centuries and in Feudalism, there was a tradition that feudalists granted all their feuds to their grand son before their death to keep the family power and to transmit to the next generations. The rest of the sons became chevalier and served their elder brother as their master. Usually elite and rich families who live wealthier can be healthier as well, because they have access to all health facilities such as doctors, clinics, medical cares and etc.
Foucault believed that power is positive, contrast to some who seem it negative, and limitative and similar to censorship. Foucault argues about the value of state power. When the state is established to protect of life of population, anything can be justified. Groups that are identified as the threat to the existence of the life of the nation or of humanity can be removed. He says " If genocide is indeed the dream of modern power, this is not because of the recent return ti the ancient right to kill; it is because power is situated and exercised at the level of life, the species, the race, and large- scale phenomena of the population." (History of sexuality, vol I)
In terms of media, as I said before, Media as the most developed means of communication has a great impact on classification and construction of people and ethnoracial groups. Media, today, is in the hand of wealth and power. People who possess these elements, use media to increase them, so in classification and construction of the society, they are ranked over than others who possess nothing.
Census and researches show that today, in spite of increasing attendance of African-Americans in TV, Movies and Ads, they are not yet represented appropriately. This shows that there are yet those who believe to white supremacy and do not admit the equality of human. In a book by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki, The Black Image in the White Mind (University of Chicago Press. 2000; paper edition with updated preface, November 2001), the writers have explained the cases in medias in which African-Americans characters shown using vulgar profanity (89%), or being physically violent (56%), being restrained (55%), or in TV ads now show many Blacks and eschew stereotypes. However, hidden patterns of differentiation and distance emerge on close analysis. Not surprisingly, for instance, Blacks do not touch Whites in the ads, but (unlike Whites) they rarely even touch each other, conveying a subtle message of Black skin as taboo. A hierarchy of racial preference is embedded within the casting of commercials.
In sum, either scientifically or in Media , both we see those who have power and wealth live better and are seemed superior to others ,so here maybe this proverb seems right that " Might is right". Do you believe so?

Reference
1- Philosophies of Race and Ethnicity, Peter Osborn & Stella Sandford
2- Internet