Direction: John Ford

The best movies, series, and documentaries directed by John Ford. Explore exceptional titles that showcase a unique filmmaking vision.


Judge Priest

1934 · Movie · 81 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Will Rogers · Tom Brown · Anita Louise · Henry B. Walthall

Plot A judge sees fair play when tackling prejudices and injustices in a small American town.

6.7

859 votes

6.7

859 votes

Steamboat Round the Bend

1935 · Movie · 88 min. · United States

6.7

395 votes

6.7

395 votes

Mister Roberts

1955 · Movie · 123 min. · United States

Direction John Ford · Mervyn LeRoy

Cast Henry Fonda · James Cagney · Jack Lemmon · William Powell

Plot Mister Roberts is aboard a US cargo ship, working in the Pacific during the Second World War. He'd do anything to leave the quiet of the ship to join in...

6.6

2K votes

6.6

2K votes

6.5

105 votes

Rookie of the Year (TV)

1955 · Movie · 30 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast John Wayne · Vera Miles · Ward Bond · James Gleason

Plot A small town sports writer attending the World Series recognizes a young ballplayer as the son of former baseball hero who was banned for throwing a game.

6.4

35 votes

6.4

35 votes

Young Cassidy

1965 · Movie · 100 min. · United Kingdom

Direction Jack Cardiff · John Ford

Cast Rod Taylor · Maggie Smith · Julie Christie · Flora Robson

Plot Biographical drama based on the early life of playwright Sean O'Casey, depicting his rise from the 1910 Dublin slums to the celebrated openings of his early plays. Johnny Cassidy (Rod...

6.4

205 votes

6.4

205 votes

Just Pals

1920 · Movie · 50 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Buck Jones · Helen Ferguson · George Stone · Duke R. Lee

Plot Small-town tramp befriends runaway boy.

6.4

118 votes

6.4

118 votes

December 7th

1943 · Documentary · 82 min. · United States

Direction John Ford · Gregg Toland

Cast Walter Huston · Harry Davenport · Dana Andrews · Paul Hurst

Plot "Docudrama" about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and its results, the recovering of the ships, the improving of defense in Hawaii and the US efforts to...

6.3

64 votes

6.3

64 votes

When Willie Comes Marching Home

1950 · Movie · 82 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Dan Dailey · Corinne Calvet · Colleen Towsend · William Demarest

Plot When Willie leaves home to join the war effort he is all ready to become a hero, but he is only frustrated when his posting ends up to be in...

6.3

241 votes

6.3

241 votes

The Fugitive

1947 · Movie · 104 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Henry Fonda · Dolores del Rio · Pedro Armendáriz · Ward Bond

Plot Anti-Catholic and anti-cleric policies in the Mexican state of Tabasco lead the revolutionary government to persecute the state's last remaining priest.

6.3

1K votes

6.3

1K votes

Mary of Scotland

1936 · Movie · 123 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Katharine Hepburn · Fredric March · Florence Eldridge · Douglas Walton

Plot Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to rule as queen, to the chagrin of Elizabeth I of England who finds her a dangerous rival. There is much ado over whom Mary...

6.3

1K votes

6.3

1K votes

Air Mail

1932 · Movie · 84 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Ralph Bellamy · Gloria Stuart · Pat O'Brien · Slim Summerville

Plot Level headed Mike Miller runs Desert Airport, an air mail base full of daring young pilots risking their lives to get the mail through-regardless of the weather. Following the death...

6.2

60 votes

6.2

60 votes

Straight Shooting

1917 · Movie · 57 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Harry Carey · Duke R. Lee · George Berrell · Molly Malone

Plot Cattleman Flint cuts off farmer Sims' water supply. When Sims' son Ted goes for water, one of Flint's men kills him. Cheyenne is sent to finish off Sims, but finding...

6.2

141 votes

6.2

141 votes

Flesh

1932 · Movie · 96 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Wallace Beery · Ricardo Cortez · Karen Morley · Jean Hersholt

Plot Slimy American con man Nicky and his girl Laura Nash (Ricardo Cortez & Karen Morley) are in a German jail. Laura is released but has no means to free Nicky...

6.2

135 votes

6.2

135 votes

The Plough and the Stars

1936 · Movie · 72 min. · United States

6.2

157 votes

6.2

157 votes

Hangman's House

1928 · Movie · 80 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Victor McLaglen · June Collyer · Earle Foxe · Larry Kent

Plot Forced by her dying father to marry a man she doesn't love, a young woman must pine for her true paramour until fate can bring them back together. This film...

6.1

78 votes

6.1

78 votes

Gideon of Scotland Yard

1958 · Movie · 118 min. · United Kingdom

Direction John Ford

Cast Jack Hawkins · Dianne Foster · Cyril Cusack · Andrew Ray

Plot Chief Inspector from Scotland Yard Gideons starts his day badly wit a traffic ticket, but faces then such cases as an escaped and murderous madman, and a payroll robbery.

6.1

427 votes

6.1

427 votes

How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines

1943 · Documentary · 62 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast John Ford · Eddie Foster · Martin Garralaga · Peter Lorre

Plot A training film for OSS agents who are to be dropped behind enemy lines, covering cover and concealment, ambush techniques, etc.

6.1

39 votes

6.1

39 votes

Arrowsmith

1931 · Movie · 101 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Ronald Colman · Helen Hayes · Richard Bennett · DeWitt Jennings

Plot Based on a Sinclair Lewis novel "Martin Arrowsmith". A medical researcher is sent to a plague outbreak, where he has to decide priorities for the use of a vaccine.

6.1

478 votes

6.1

478 votes

Up the River

1930 · Movie · 92 min. · United States

Direction John Ford

Cast Spencer Tracy · Claire Luce · Warren Hymer · Humphrey Bogart

Plot Two prisoners, Saint Louis and Dannemora Dan, escape during a theatrical production in order to go to the aid of Steve, a former prisoner whose past is about to be...

6.0

267 votes

6.0

267 votes