One of the most influential directors in the history of cinema, John Ford helmed more than 140 films and received countless awards for the extensive craftsmanship, including four Best Director Academy Awards. Setting the standard for excellent filmmaking in every genre he touched, Ford remains an icon, a legend and an inspiration to anyone who's ever made a film... or watched one.

Hangman's House - 1928
A Woman In Love Is Never Without Hope.

Forced by her mean-spirited father, Lord Chief Justice James O'Brien (Hobart Bosworth), to marry a man she doesn't love, Connaught O'Brien (June Collyer) gives up hope of ever with her true love, Dermot McDermot (Larry Kent). After her father dies and a hunted rebel leader (Victor (McLeglen) returns to town, however, Connaught finds it renewed hope that the tides of oppression will shift and she might again find happiness.

This romantic silent drama, set in Ireland, is the first film in which a then-unknown John Wayne is clearly visible.

3 Bad Men - 1926
Sometimes, Your Heroes Are Chosen For You

This western gem stars George O'Brien and a host of other greats from the silent era and beyond. When a trio of bandits discovers a young woman (Olive Borden) whose father was murdered by a ruthless gang, the "Three Bad Men" go from being partners in crime to comrades in chivalry. Willing to put their own lives on the line to protect her from a sinister sheriff (Lou Tellegen) and his deranged posse, the men prove that character isn't always determined by which side of the law a man sits on. A gran, picturesque western, this epic stands as one of Ford's finest.