Average Rating: 
Rating:  - One of Wayne's Finest
John Wayne probably gives the finest performance I've seen him give so far in this story of a Calvary officer, just days before his retirement, who goes on one last assignment. He's accompanied by fellow officer Victor McLaglen who's very funny in a broad way, as well as two stiffly acted young lovers, a subplot that doesn't take too much away from the overall film (fortunately). Wayne has to rely a lot less on heroics in this performance, and instead concentrate on characterization, which he does with much success. He brings depth and a bittersweet quality to his character in a way that might surprise some. With a beautifully photographed backdrop framing each scene, this John Ford feature is sure to please fans of Wayne and Westerns alike.
Rating:  - Crying for DVD
If there's one John Wayne film just crying for a DVD release, this is it. Director John Ford once said he could conceive of nothing more beautiful than a horse in full stride. There are plenty of them in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon but even more than that, there's Monument Valley in a way that only John Ford could have filmed it. It's no accident that a Monument Valley vista now bears the name "John Ford's Point." And She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is THE John Ford Monument Valley film.
There have been scores of Monument Valley films but no other is this good. Just look at the way the West Mitten hangs over Captain Brittles' moving scene at his wife's grave and the thunderstorm building over the wagons where Ford overruled his cinematographer and kept the cameras rolling. Many of us believe this is John Wayne's best acting performance ever and that his True Grit Oscar was payback two decades later, just as Henry Fonda's On Golden Pond statue was payback for The Grapes of Wrath. Let's just say that Wayne's performance here is so good if ever anyone argues that he was a celebrity more than an actor, the best way to refute them is simply to roll She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. But, please, please, PLEASE ! we need to be able to roll it in DVD.
Rating: - THE John Wayne Movie
John Wayne may have received reviews for acting in other movies such as The Searchers, Red River, True Grit and others, but this is the one where he brings all the others together in an image that can not be equalled. The old cavalry captain at the end of a long career, a Civil War veteran trying to get a job done in a lonely part of the world, a widower still in love with his wife, a gentleman of the old school, and more, this is John Wayne in a truly great role. In addition to him, this movie has some of the best directing, photography, and music of any western film. Maybe The Searchers is arguably the best western ever made, and I would not argue that, but She Wore A Yellow Ribbon is the one that makes you want to stand up and cheer (just like Joanne Dru said). Captain Nathan Brittles takes care of his soldiers, mentors the young officers (a phrase overused and little heeded in today's Army), and finally accomplishes his mission, but not without some great drama and disappointment along the way. If nothing else, people should watch this movie for the photography and camera work. Watch the bugler as he rides along in silence beside his Captain; watch how he sits his horse. And watch Ben Johnson in an early role. There is one picture of him on his sorrel horse against the sky that should have been a painting. I do enjoy this movie, as anyone can tell. I do so because it has all the right elements: danger, romance, drama, a surprise and exciting ending, along with the music and photography. Yeah, and don't forge the acting either, not Wayne's nor Victor Mclaughlin's, Ben Johnson's, Mildred Natwick's, Tom Tyler's, Barry Fitzgerald's, and all the other great actors of that time.
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