Rio Bravo (DVD)

...one of my favourites is Rio Bravo. If I had to produce a top ten if films this would easily be in the top four without a doubt.

---The Plot---

Made in 1959, Rio Bravo tells the story of John T Chance. A small-town sheriff of a small town in southwest Texas must keep custody of a murderer whose brother, a powerful rancher, is trying to help him escape. After a friend is killed trying to muster support for him, the Sheriff ...
.../> For many, Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo is the clearest exposition of his philosophy of professionalism. His tough lawman solves his own problem without going out looking for help. So he welcomes volunteers and in fact depends on them. What is more, he overcomes by displaying intelligence in the way the issue is resolved.

The survivors in Hawks' philosophy are the ones who conduct themselves with the greatest degree of coolness and discipline. ... more

Hello and welcome to my 22nd review.

I guess for me watching Sunday afternoon TV after a Sunday roast meant always sitting down to watch a western. It had to be John Wayne, and one of my favourites is Rio Bravo. If I had to produce a top ten if films this would easily be in the top four without a doubt.

---The Plot---

Made in 1959, Rio Bravo tells the story of John T Chance. A small-town sheriff of a small town in southwest Texas must keep custody of a murderer whose brother, a powerful rancher, is trying to help him escape. After a friend is killed trying to muster support for him, the Sheriff and his deputies made up of a disgraced drunk called Dude played by Dean Martin and a cantankerous old cripple called Stumpy played by Walter Brennan, must find a way to hold out against the rancher's hired guns until the marshal arrives.

In the meantime, matters are complicated by the presence of a young gunslinger called Colorado played by Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson, a mysterious beauty who just came in on the last stagecoach named Feathers.

---The Film---

For many, Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo is the clearest exposition of his philosophy of professionalism. His tough lawman solves his own problem without going out looking for help. So he welcomes volunteers and in fact depends on them. What is more, he overcomes by displaying intelligence in the way the issue is resolved.

The survivors in Hawks' philosophy are the ones who conduct themselves with the greatest degree of coolness and discipline. It is not difficult to appreciate why Hawks has used substantially the Rio Bravo plot, with only minor variations in his subsequent Westerns, El Dorado and Rio Lobo as it is a tried and tested formula that works and works well.

In comparison to Fred Zinneman's High Noon, the main character played by Gary Cooper finds it difficult to round up a posse that might help him deal with four desperadoes arriving on a noon train to kill him, whilst in Rio Bravo John Wayne is faced with a similar situation but takes on the forces of evil in the shape of a gang of local tyrants who effectively want the Sheriff out of the way and it was High Noon that inspired Hawks and Wayne to make this film as a right wing statement against that film, a film which they both detested.

What comes across in the film is that Wayne makes us feel that somehow he'll cope without really letting on how it will be done and neither showing any panic or distress.

At the beginning of the film when the wagon master played by Ward Bond is asked by Wayne if any of his men would like to volunteer as Deputies against the heinous Burdette gang, the offer is turned down. At this point Wayne, who is holding a brutish prisoner Joe Burdette played by Claude Akins, on a murder charge, has no choice but to sit it out and wait for the U.S. marshal to take charge of him upon his arrival. This makes the sheriff the prisoner in his own town. It is only after Ward Bonds character is murdered by the Burdett Gang that Colorado comes forward to offer his help.

But the whole point about this cleverly conceived movie is that this unlikely trio do in fact have something to offer when the cards are down. Like the sheriff, they are of a professional calibre, and what Hawks seems to be saying is that whatever the odds, such people will always have the courage to overcome. To back this up, it is demonstrated in one sequence which has become a stand out moment. The character of Dude played by Dean Martin is drying out and eager to win back his self-respect within the town and tells Chance that he wants to be the one who chases the killer into a saloon, and that Chance should assume the less dangerous role of backing him up from the back door. It is this courage that shows throughout the film, and little nuggets like this assist in moving the film up a gear, as this sets then scene for what is going to happen next.

In Rio Bravo's famous four minute wordless opening, villain Claude Akins throws a silver dollar into a spittoon, daring Dude, who is desperate for a drink, to humiliate himself, and take the coin. Hawks' clever camera emphasizes how far beneath the standards Dude has fallen, this is when Wayne steps in and takes control, again dealing with the issue at hand.

It reminded me of a similar scene in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance when Lee Marvin trips an unarmed James Stewart as he carries a steak dinner to Wayne in the restaurant where he works. He stumbles and the steak falls to the ground. Stewart has been obviously humiliated. Suddenly Wayne enters the frame, and orders Valance to peak up the steak, revealing his gun belt as he faces him. He is ready for the showdown...

But Hawks helps them by having the outlaws mistakenly play a Mexican tune called Cutthroat, a song which Santa Anna tried to intimidate the Texans under siege in the Alamo. As the music plays, we see Dude putting down his glass untouched. He observes that his hands no longer shake; he has been given a focus.

Rio Bravo contains tenderness and humour and this works well as it is balanced to the story. Wayne is defined by how well he relates to women, how well he handles pressure and how he reacts to danger. Angie Dickinson of Police Woman fame plays the gambling girl, who enriches the mixture with a nicely judged performance as it is the character of Feathers that manages to calm down Wayne and also to show a more human side of the Sheriff.

The film has a great score by one of the great film composers Dimitri Tiomkin who makes good use Dean Martin to sing the end song. The instrumentals throughout do tend to stick and raise the tension throughout the film at the correct points.

---Overall---

Rio Bravo is an action Western, which captures a legendary West that fits the legendary talents of the cast perfectly. What makes the film so special is the relationship between the individual characters, as all have problems that are dealt with by each other. It is a traditional, straightforward Western, good-humoured and exciting, rich in original touches, not to mentions a few twists along the way.

I have a number of favourite moments in the film, my personal favourite is when Martin and Nelson join each other for some singing and guitar picking, and Walter Brennan joins in with his harmonica and his scratchy voice singing the song My Rifle, My Pony and Me. A song that incidentally was used in another John Wayne film called Red River under the title of Settle Down. As Nelson was heading up the record charts at the time of the release this was aimed more for the younger audience as an attraction, in a similar way that Elvis sang in his films. It is rumoured that Elvis was to take the part played by Nelson, but unfortunately was tied to his contract at another studio. Oh and if you wondered why John Wayne looks so big in the film, it was because the sets were recreated to 7/8 scale, so the focal emphasis was on the performers to make them look larger than life.

Rio Bravo is a beautifully shot film by Howard Hawks, who teamed up with John Wayne a number of times on various films such as Hitari, Red River and Rio Lobo, which was his last film. One of the best things is that the film is down to earth and an absolute pleasure to watch whether it is on a Sunday afternoon or a weekday evening.

At the time of release the film did not necessarily perform as well as expected and was considered an underrated production, but with more recent showings on TV and Satellite as well as VHS and DVD releases it has now attained the credibility deserved of the film.

This is to such an extent that it is referenced in other more recent films such as True Romance, Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers, with actual clips from the film shown within Get Shorty, both versions of Assault on Precinct 13 and John Wayne's last film The Shootist as tribute to the actor who passed away shortly after filming had completed in June 1979.

The picture quality on the DVD is excellent for a film that was made nearly 50 years ago, the picture is crisp and sharp throughout the playing of the film and is not let down by the quality of the print or the DVD transfer at all. I am unsure as to whether the DVD has been restored as it really does look that good.

This is 141 minutes of good, enjoyable Western action.

--- Extras---

When the DVD was released the first time round, the extras were basically a menu with some music and a trailer. The trailer process to be different from normal trailers as it is Ricky Nelson introducing the cast, through clips of the film, interestingly talking direct to camera as well.

Later this year there is a two-disc special edition to be released with new documentaries put together. Although I am unsure as to who will be in these as most of the cast have passed away, so I can only assume that this is going to be a collection of footage from news reel and such like.

---Price---

HMV sell this though there classic collection at all stores for £5.99, and that would be about the right price for this film, the word classic is used in the correct context completely for this film. On the Net you can get second hand editions from £3.00 on Amazon, but seeing as HMV or Virgin sells this for under six pounds to me it seems pointless. A good buy for a great film.

Until next time… Tim
 

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