Of course, my canon includes the John Ford western that exemplifies the rebirth of the genre (STAGECOACH in that fabled year of 1939), the genre at its most complex, philosophical and mature (THE SEARCHERS), and the genre at the end of its most fecund period (THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE). There's a couple other Fords in my canon so I've been reluctant to add more. Ford doesn't need more recognition. Hitchcock is the only director who's inspired more interest and study. Ford has been in my mind lately, more often than the usual, because of the pertinence of his themes, especially political themes. Is there a more profound film about racism and miscegenation than "The Searchers" or a more complex, multifaceted view of the relationship between fact and rhetoric than "Liberty Valence"? These two films are quite capable of representing the genius of post-War Ford. And yet, I think that at least two other Ford films deserve to be included: FORT APACHE (1948) and WAGONMASTER (1950). The first is a member of the Cavalry trilogy that concerns a contrast between the leadership styles of a man played by John Wayne and another played by Henry Fonda (cast against type, with Wayne playing the more liberal and humane character). "Wagonmaster" is Ford's most populist film about the creation of a new and diverse community.