A retelling of the nativity story with the three godfathers as the Three Wise Men. Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the indefatigable Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), the trio lose their horses, suffer injuries, and come across a stranded woman (Mildred Natwick) who is dying while giving birth. Promising to carry the woman’s newborn to safety, the repentant criminals struggle to reach the village of New Jerusalem. Directed by John Ford, the classic film is filled with sentimentality, Christmas carols and Christian symbolism.
John Wayne as the leading badman and ultimate champion of the child is wonderfully raw and ructious. Pedro Armendariz is colorful as a Mexican pal, while adding a real note of pathos to many of the more tender scenes. And Harry Carey Jr. does an even more touching job as a tow-headed kid from Texas who gets mixed up in banditry. There are humor and honest tear-jerking in this visually beautiful film. – New York Times
Starring John Wayne, Jr. Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. Harry Carey, Ward Bond, Mae Marsh.