3 Godfathers (1948; USA; Technicolor; 106m) **** d. John Ford; w. Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent, Peter B. Kyne; ph. Winton C. Hoch; m. Richard Hageman. Cast: John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Jane Darwell, Ben Johnson, Mildred Natwick, Guy Kibbee, Dorothy Ford, Charles Halton, Hank Worden, Jack Pennick, Fred Libby, Michael Dugan. Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert. Superbly filmed story with obvious religious overtones, which only become heavy-handed in the story’s finale. Ford gets superb performances from his actors – notably as Wayne, Armendariz and Carey, Jr. are tracked across unforgiving terrain by Bond and his posse. Wonderful photography by Hoch. Ford had previously directed a silent film version of the same story, called MARKED MEN (1919) – no prints of this is known to be in existence. [PG]