MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Shepherd of the Hills

The Shepherd of the Hills

1941 · 98 min

A slow, sincere mountain melodrama of grudges and forgiveness, shot in lush colour, with a gentle stranger thawing a bitter community.

Directed by
Henry Hathaway
Genres
Drama, Western
Starring
John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey
Tagline
He Tamed Their Wild Hearts With His Courage and Won Them With His Love
Overview
Young Matt Matthews, an Ozark Mountains moonshiner, hates the father he has never seen, who apparently deserted Matt's mother and left her to die. His obsession contributes to the hatred rampant in the mountains. However, the arrival of a stranger, Daniel Howitt, begins to positively affect the mountain people, who learn to shed their hatred under his gentle influence.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Henry Hathaway
Genres
Drama, Western
Starring
John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • revenge
  • family
  • guilt
  • redemption
  • healing
Places
  • countryside
  • small town
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour2
Realism6
Romance4
Tension5
Darkness5
Complexity4
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like The Shepherd of the Hills

Movie

The Man from Laramie

1955

A brooding, deliberate Western that tightens like a wire, with stark landscapes and moral shadows beneath its wide skies.

Same cinematographer: Charles Lang · Earnest, melancholic · about revenge and family

Also
Same cinematographer: Charles Lang
Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • revenge
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
The Man from LaramieHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Sons of Katie Elder

1965

A warm, old-fashioned western that mixes brotherly banter with a somber quest for justice, easy to settle into.

Same director: Henry Hathaway · Earnest, melancholic · about revenge and family

Also
Same director: Henry Hathaway
Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • revenge
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
122 min
Details
The Sons of Katie ElderHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

1936

A classic Technicolor romance set against a bitter family feud, with sweeping visuals and heartfelt drama.

Same writer: Grover Jones · Earnest · about family and redemption

Also
Same writer: Grover Jones
Via
  • earnest
  • family
  • redemption
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
96 min
Details
The Trail of the Lonesome PineHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

True Grit

1969

A gritty, character-driven Western with a determined young heroine and a gruff marshal, balancing tense action with wry humor and emotional depth.

Same director: Henry Hathaway · Earnest, warm · about revenge and redemption

Also
Same director: Henry Hathaway
Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • revenge
  • redemption
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details
True GritHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Places in the Heart

1984

A quiet, heartfelt story of endurance and community, with moments of shocking violence and a dreamlike, forgiving ending.

Earnest, melancholic · about family

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details
Places in the HeartHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

East of Eden

1955

A brooding, emotionally raw family drama that simmers with youthful restlessness and paternal rejection, building to a quietly devastating reckoning.

Earnest, melancholic · about family and guilt

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • family
  • guilt
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
115 min
Details
East of EdenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Bravados

1958

A brooding, sunbaked western that turns a manhunt into a slow moral reckoning, gripping but somber.

Earnest · about revenge and guilt

Via
  • earnest
  • revenge
  • guilt
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
98 min
Details
The BravadosHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Shane

1953

A solemn, wide-open western that moves quietly and aches with moral weight, building to a farewell that lingers.

Earnest, melancholic · about family and redemption

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • family
  • redemption
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
118 min
Details
ShaneHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

El Dorado

1966

A relaxed, amiable Western that ambles along with gentle humour and camaraderie, punctuated by bursts of action and a touch of melancholy.

Earnest, warm · about family and guilt

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • family
  • guilt
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
126 min
Details
El DoradoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Searchers

1956

A sweeping, somber Western that lingers on loss and obsession, with stark landscapes and a haunting, unresolved ending.

Earnest, melancholic · about revenge and family

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • revenge
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
119 min
Details
The SearchersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Yearling

1946

A tender, slow-paced rural drama that builds deep affection before delivering a heartbreaking lesson about love and letting go.

Earnest, melancholic · about family

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details
The YearlingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Broken Lance

1954

A brooding, Shakespearean Western that simmers with family resentment and quiet tragedy, unfolding at a deliberate pace.

Earnest, melancholic · about revenge and family

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • revenge
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
96 min
Details
Broken LanceHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, western
Directed by
Henry Hathaway
Written by
Stuart Anthony, Grover Jones
Starring
John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey, Beulah Bondi, James Barton, Samuel S. Hinds, Marjorie Main, Ward Bond
Cinematography
Charles Lang, W. Howard Greene
Runtime
98 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.