She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is a 1949 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. The academy award winning film was the second of Ford's Cavalry trilogy films (the other two being Fort Apache (1948) and Rio Grande (1950)). With a budget of $1.6 million, the color film was one of the most expensive Westerns made up to that time. It was a major hit for RKO.
The film was shot on location in Monument Valley utilizing large areas of the Navajo reservation along the Arizona-Utah state border. Cinematographer Winton Hoch won an academy award for Best Color Cinematography in 1949. Ford and Hoch based much of the film's imagery on the paintings and sculptures of Frederic Remington.
The film takes its name from the popular US military song, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is used to keep marching cadence.
Famous quotes containing the words wore, yellow and/or ribbon:
“The oldest man he seemed that ever wore grey hairs.”
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
“Don’t read much now: the dude
Who lets the girl down before
The hero arrives, the chap
Who’s yellow and keeps the store,
Seem far too familiar. Get stewed:
Books are a load of crap.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1985)
“I’ll tell you how the Sun rose—
A Ribbon at a time—”
—Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)