The general outline of this story bears resemblance to the historical facts, but as with many of these older films, a fair amount of liberty is taken in the telling. For one thing, most of the players look a lot older than the actual characters they portrayed in real life. In fact, Cynthy Waters (Barbara Britton) even mentions how Jesse's wife Zee (Barbara Wooddell) looks fifty years old instead of thirty, though qualifies that by stating how a hard life with Jesse contributed to it. Reed Hadley as Jesse James looks more like the mature Abraham Lincoln, while John Ireland looks about the same age as Jesse, but Bob Ford was only twenty years old when he shot Jesse in the back. Aside from all that, the story leaves one with the impression that Ford's guilt over shooting Jesse managed to follow and haunt him for the rest of his life. The side story of Ford's relationship with Cynthy works to give the outlaw a human side, even while he was trying to capitalize on his infamy by appearing in staged recreations of the murder. That never really worked out for Ford, as Jesse, in death as well as in life, was considered a Robin Hood like hero to the citizens of Missouri.
The film's conclusion has John Kelley (Preston Foster) getting the drop on Ford in what looks like your typical showdown, but what actually happened was a man by the name of Edward Capeheart O'Kelley practically ambushed Ford in a tent in Creede, Colorado. Probably the best movie treatment of the relationship between the James and the Ford brothers can be found in the 2007 movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Without hesitation, I'd recommend that one to all Western movie fans because of it's treatment of a renowned historical figure, and also to non-Western fans for the intensity of the personal stories on center stage. The fact that it's beautifully filmed is a bonus.
The film's conclusion has John Kelley (Preston Foster) getting the drop on Ford in what looks like your typical showdown, but what actually happened was a man by the name of Edward Capeheart O'Kelley practically ambushed Ford in a tent in Creede, Colorado. Probably the best movie treatment of the relationship between the James and the Ford brothers can be found in the 2007 movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Without hesitation, I'd recommend that one to all Western movie fans because of it's treatment of a renowned historical figure, and also to non-Western fans for the intensity of the personal stories on center stage. The fact that it's beautifully filmed is a bonus.