MODEL FORD

John Ford fans are having a field day, what with the DVD set “Ford at Fox” (which recently received a special award from the National Society of Film Critics), and now a John Ford film festival at the Egyptian Theatre, which begins tonight with 1924’s “The Iron Horse,” his western about the building of the transcontinental railroad (Pictured: Henry Fonda, right). “He was a well-regarded mid-level director up to that point,” says historian Robert Birchard, who will introduce the epic. “This is the picture that put Ford on the map. The beauty of the film is in re-creating the experience of building the railroad across the country -- the sense of being there while the railroad is being built.” “The Iron Horse,” screening tonight at 7:30 at the Egyptian Theatre. (323) 466-FILM or go to www .egyptiantheatre.com