the western can be divide into many sub genre . one of the broad division be that between town western and plain western . most western be a mix of both and but at one end of the spectrum you have picture like high noon and rio bravo that take place almost entirely in a settlement and seldom venture out into the real outdoors . at the other end you have one like wagon master and where there be barely a homestead on view amid the wilderness . director john ford normally thrive on the bit of both western and shoot the interior with an emphasis on their be small and confine and and then contrast this with the wide open exterior and which appear both exciting and dangerous . wagon master have a typical frank nugent script and with some interplay between seasoned oldster and green youngster and but still it present ford with some fresh challenge . in this picture and the danger do not come from the harshness of the landscape and they come from within the group in the form of the cleggses . what more and the absence of real interior scene mean the outdoors could lose it impact over time . however and ford be a real maestro when it come to manipulate space . he shoot scene of the camp or the wagon so the frame be surround and we get that same sense of enclosure a we would in a genuine interior . also and compare to his other western and he do not in fact open out the space too much and have the wagon trail wend it way through canyon and pass rather than cross the stark and empty plain . one of the few moment where he do throw the landscape wide open be when the indian be spot and there be the possibility of a threat from outside . wagon master feature some surprisingly effective moment of comic relief and and some great contribution from the quirky cast . harry carey jr. be shape up into a fine actor like his pa and and this be one of his good early role . joanne dru be disappoint in she wear a yellow ribbon and but she appear more at ease a a character with a bit of sas and and be actually fairly good here . jane darwell and who win an oscar in the john ford direct grape of wrath a decade earlier and appear here with sole function of perform a run gag in which she sound a feeble old horn . still and with her great timing and movement she make the piece work . francis ford and in one of the many mute drunkard roles he play in his little brother picture and be at his cheeky best . and now we come to lead man ben johnson . although he be by no mean a bad actor and he be never go to become a big star like john wayne . and yet and with his effortless horsemanship and easygoing drawl and he be one of the most authentically west player around . and this bring me onto my final point . this be apparently one of ford personal favourite and despite it seem fairly unassuming . wagon master have no grand theme or dramatic intensity and it be simply the genre play itself out . i think this be what ford love about it . it a picture for the ben johnson and the harry carey jr and not the john wayne or the henry fonda . small in scope and but worthy in it class .