# The best John Ford films

From Stagecoach to The Searchers: the John Ford films critics and fans rank highest, by the director with a record four Best Director Oscars (BFI, Gold Derby, Ranker).

- 96 votes · 15 items
- Feb 4, 2025 · cole.sf
- https://even.best/en/l/2517/the-best-john-ford-films

## Top 14

1. **How Green Was My Valley (1941)** (8 · ▲9 ▼1) — A Welsh mining family; Best Picture and Best Director.
2. **The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)** (8 · ▲8 ▼0) — James Stewart, John Wayne and a legend printed instead of the facts.
3. **My Darling Clementine (1946)** (8 · ▲8 ▼0) — Wyatt Earp and the O.K. Corral.
4. **The Searchers (1956)** (7 · ▲10 ▼3) — John Wayne hunts for his kidnapped niece for years.
5. **The Informer (1935)** (7 · ▲7 ▼0) — An informer in Dublin; Best Director Oscar.
6. **The Grapes of Wrath (1940)** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, from Steinbeck; Best Director Oscar.
7. **Stagecoach (1939)** (4 · ▲5 ▼1) — Nine passengers through Apache territory; John Wayne's breakthrough.
8. **The Quiet Man (1952)** (4 · ▲5 ▼1) — John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in Ireland; Best Director Oscar.
9. **Fort Apache (1948)** (4 · ▲5 ▼1) — Henry Fonda as a rigid colonel.
10. **She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — A cavalry captain's last patrol, in Technicolor.
11. **Mister Roberts (1955)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Henry Fonda on a cargo ship in the Pacific (co-directed).
12. **Rio Grande (1950)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — The third film of the cavalry trilogy.
13. **They Were Expendable (1945)** (2 · ▲4 ▼2) — PT boat crews in the Philippines.
14. **Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Henry Fonda as the young lawyer Lincoln.
15. **Wagon Master (1950)** (1 · ▲3 ▼2) — Mormon settlers heading west.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.