Red River (1948)
US 133m, B&W
Director: Howard Hawks; Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru
A surprisingly sophisticated story, Red River is about a Texas rancher and his adopted son who attempt a momentous cattle drive against seemingly impossible odds. Wayne’s classic tough guy character is contrasted against Clift’s modern version of the cowboy in this classic American western. As the grizzled voice of reason, Brennan’s colourful character is a scene stealer as he attempts to keep the peace in this in this suspenseful and highly entertaining father and son melodrama (Klaus Ming May 2014).
4 comments on “Red River (1948)”
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This is one of my very favorite Westerns, too.
Though never a big John Wayne fan, I did really enjoy this film.
The picture which, reportedly, led John Ford to say of John Wayne, “I didn’t know the big son of a bitch could act!” And Wayne’s performance is great. Plus there some classic Hawks scenes (the Dru/Clift banter during the Indian attack, for example — that scene alone makes it clear that this is a Hawks picture). Plus Dru’s classic line to Wayne about when she fell in love with Clift: “Under a wagon, in six inches of water.”
My only real qualm is the ending, which seems a bit like wishful thinking, given everything that came before. It feels unearned (unlike, for example, the ending of The Searchers).
Heh, heh, yeah, I’ve read that quote before. Pretty funny stuff. And I agree, though the happy ending is pretty contrived, it’s an entertaining western.