Review: Three Faces West (1940)

So I rewatched *Three Faces West* last Saturday night, efter att ha grävt fram en gammal VHS från en låda i förrådet. Jodå, jag vet – vem fan har ens en VHS längre? Men det passade filmen på nåt sätt. Old-school meets… even older school.

Directed by Bernard Vorhaus, who honestly isn’t the biggest name at the bar, but there’s something about how he puts this one together. The film stars John Wayne, pre-Duke era you could say – still not entirely comfy in his own boots, if you ask me. There’s something boyish about him here, even a bit stiff, like han försöker se tuff ut men är osäker på vad han ska göra med händerna.

The story? A German refugee doctor escaping the Nazis arrives in a drought-ridden bit of America. Enter John Wayne as the all-American town leader, and boom – you’ve got dust storms, cultural tension, and a weird sort of optimism that feels both naïve and hopeful at the same time.

I remember showing this to my mormor in the early ’90s. She clutched her coffee with båda händerna and said, with a grin, “Det där var riktiga män på den tiden.” I think she had a crush on Wayne. Or maybe just nostalgic for a world where good and evil were more… svartvitt.

Now, it’s not a perfect film. Some of the dialogue is cheesier than a Västerbotten pie. And the pacing? Snigeltempo, especially in the middle. But there’s something touching in the way it handles the refugee angle, even if it’s wrapped in flag-waving Americana.

Would I recommend watching it? Yeah, maybe on a rainy Sunday when you’re in the mood for wartime idealism, tractors, and John Wayne trying to pronounce “Austria” in his cowboy drawl.

watch the full movie on CinemaOneMovies on YouTube

please note that there may be geographical blocking implemented.