Seeing as there have been a few posts about John Wayne, I just thought I'd chip in and say that he's probably my favourite actor of all time.
It hasn't always been the case, and I definitely watched a few films of his without ever really loving them at the start, but as I have come to watch more and more of him, and rewatch some films, I have come to appreciate his brilliance.
I think it was
Stagecoach where I really fell in love with him, and with Ford. For me, that introduction scene for his character was like a proper introduction to him as an actor.
Yes he "plays a lot of the same characters" and there's not always much variation, and it's not very "realistic" but I think we have become accustomed to realistic by the modern-day search to emulate reality with extreme method acting and realistic photography.
Ford and Hawks films, certainly American cinema back then, it's not about reflecting reality. When I watch their films I'm aware that I'm watching a movie and instead of telling the story through extreme realism we get details and mythos packed within the cinematography of the films and the actions/gestures of the characters. The way Wayne talks, the way he speaks, the way he moves, he embodies such great spirit in a way that not many actors can. He has a bravado about him that excites me and keeps my eyes glued to the screen. That's not to say he isn't capable of the subtle or the dramatic, because he definitely is. Sometimes I don't think I felt the depth of some of them until multiple viewings, like
The Searchers. Then some of my favourite films from him are more lighthearted like
The Quiet Man or
Donovan's Reef, even
Hatari!.
Here's to many more John Wayne films showing up