Customer Reviews

Red River [VHS]

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Red River" deserves the adulation that critics, film scholars, and most importantly audiences have lavished on it since its premiere in 1948. One of the earliest "psychological" westerns, preceded by Selznick's "Duel in the Sun" (1946) and followed by King's "The Gunfighter" (1950), etc., "Red River" maintains interest after half a century due to the unique tensions between its characters, and the supreme skill with which those characters are played. Set against the backdrop of the first cattle drive along the Chisum Trail, the story basically boils down to an epic conflict between two men of different generations. John Wayne is the older sharp-shooter who builds up an empire through ruthless wiles and steely determination; Montgomery Clift, who is equally proficient with a gun, is the young surrogate son who tends to manage through intellect and reason rather than violence. These two opposing personalities and styles eventually erupt into a mortal combat under the strain of driving over 9,000 head of cattle across the hostile terrain of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

As the volatile Dunson, John Wayne gives one of his most finely nuanced performances. Living by a personal code of ethics which doesn't always translate into lawful or even rational behavior, Wayne is neither sympathetic nor deplorable; he's simply human. His performance is bolstered by the contrast provided by the quietly charasmatic Montgomery Clift, whose unspoken love and respect for Wayne's father figure shine through the fear and intimidation he expresses. (Remarkably, this was Clift's first performance in front of the movie cameras; the stage-trained actor seems to have adapted instinctively to the more subtle technique required of film work.) Various other characters come between these two to create some memorable triangles throughout the film. Three-time Oscar winner Walter Brennan is wonderful as Wayne's longtime sidekick whose allegiance eventually shifts over to Clift; Paul Fix also does a fine job in a minor role as the character whose fate jumpstarts the conflict between the two leading men. Most fascinating among the supporting cast is John Ireland who plays the curiously-named Cherry; the Freudian scene in which he and Clift admire each other's pistols, and then commence to shoot them off together is simply astonishing. It's worth noting that Cherry is the first one to try and intervene during the climactic showdown between Wayne and the "son" he contemptuously characterizes as "soft"; equally significant is the fact that the character who finally brings resolution into the movie is a "strong" woman (played by Joanne Dru).

The MGM DVD release of this classic United Artists film is, in my humble opinion, abominable. The source print is visually a disaster, chock full of lines, jumps, flutters, speckles, and other visual noise. The grays are grainy and at one point, the picture even is briefly - and distractingly - out of focus. The sound isn't much better: it crackles and pops and the volume is inconsistent. Adding insult to injury, there are no extras at all, not even cast biographies or production notes, much less a theatrical trailer. This is one classic film that demands - and richly deserves - to be restored, remastered and repackaged.

Let it be known to one and all: "Red River" is one of the best Western movies of all time! It is a supperlative western film, telling the story of the first cattle drive from Texas to Abeline, Kansas, which would later be known as the Chisholm Trail.

The American West is known for it's rugged individualism, and starring in this epic film is Hollywood's #1 rugged individual, John Wayne. Wayne plays Tom Dunson, who on a wagon trail of settlers going west, decides to strike out on his own for Texas country and establish his own cattle ranch. In leaving the wagon train behind, Dunson also leaves behind the love of his young life, saying he will send for her when he finds his homestead. But that same day, the wagon train is attacked by Indians, and his love is brutally killed. The only survivor of the massacre is a spirited young boy, who is found wandering in a daze with his cow. The boy, Matthew Garth, is adopted by Dunson. The stage is then set for the remainder of the story, the struggle to establish the greatest cattle ranch in Texas, and the massive cattle drive to get the cattle to market.

Howard Hawks directs this masterpiece of filmmaking, and takes Borden Chase's (Saturday Evening Post) serialized storyline, and spins a visual saga of obsession and rivalry between Dunson and and his adoptive son Matthew Garth. The film co-stars Montgomery Clift as Matthew Garth. The cast is very favorably rounded out with the addition of Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, and John Ireland. The film's musical score by Dimitri Tiomkin is as perfectly composed for the old west as the black and white rendering of the western barren landscape in the film.

It is Dunson's dictatorship resolve to get the cattle to market that eventually leads to the supreme conflict in the film, the battle of wills between father and son. Matthew Garth is forced by dire circumstances to lead a mutiny against the tyrannical Dunson, and take the herd to Kansas, leaving Dunson alone in the wilderness. Dunson, stung by the perceived betrayal of his adopted son, promises to catch up with Garth, and kill him. The film's climax is the showdown between Dunson and Garth, on the streets of Abeline.

This is a film that you will enjoy watching for the first time, and for many times afterward. It is one of Wayne's best films, and the film that established him as a Hollywood western film icon. John Ford, a close friend of Waynes, and a premier director of his time, commented upon seeing Wayne dominate the film: "That son of a bitch can really act!"; perhaps the highest form of praise Ford ever gave.

If I had to recommend one western film, this is the one I'd choose.

Having weighed-in on _The Culpepper Cattle Company_, I have to genuflect at the altar of THE cattle-drive movie-- _Red River_.

This film pre-dates _The Searchers_ by about eight years. The lead character, Tom Dunson, is a sort of prototype for Ethan Edwards. This is John Wayne without sentiment or schmaltz, until the final scene which differs from the story on which the film is based, and which jars a bit.

That being said, _Red River_ still stands as the definitive cattle-drive movie. Wayne/Dunson builds an empire but then must head the herd north on a drive that simply _has_ to get through-- despite conflicts with nature, rustlers, Indians, and between Dunson and his men, including his adopted son, Matthew Garth.

Wayne is cast against his own stereotype as Dunson and comes across as a hard and unlikeable character. Walter Brennan as his sidekick, Groot, nearly steals the show just as he did (again) in Hawk's _Rio Bravo_. Montgomery Clift does a passable job as Matthew Garth, but is outclassed by John Ireland as Cherry Valance, the gunfighter turned cowhand.

The rest of the cast is outstanding. You need only look at the cast list to appreciate the fine ensemble company that Howard Hawks put together for this movie. This is also on of Dimitri Tiomkin's finest musical scores.

Finally, I agree with Maltin on this point: beware edited and abridged copies of this film. Anything less than a 133 minute running time should not be bothered with.

"Take `em to Missouri, Matt!"

Without a doubt one of the best westerns ever made. The film has everything; a truly epic scope, Montgomery Clift, Howard Hawks and of course John Wayne. Easily the best film about cattle driving. A western of epic proportions with awe-inspiring cinematography by Russell Harlen that perfectly captures the beauty of the open trail. This film is also blessed with one of Dimitri Tiomkin's best scores, Tiomkin also scored 'High Noon'. Montgomery Clift is excellent in his film debut as Matt, a brooding performance that showcased his talents that would later flourish in movies like 'From Here To Eternity' and 'A Place In The Sun'. But John Wayne surprised everyone from John Ford to himself creating an extremely complex multi-layered character; Thomas Dunson, that remains one of his best performances, second only to Ethan Edwards in Ford's 'The Searchers'. And what would a great Howard Hawks western be without Walter Brennan? An ambitious western that covers a lot of ground and is filled with classic Hawksian touches especially during the campfire scenes. The scenes right before the stampede where there is complete silence (only a coyote is heard from a distance) and any sound could stir up hell-storm of crazy running cows is pure Howard Hawks. And then one of the most exciting sequences in western history ensues, easily the best stampede ever filmed. As for the story, it is basically 'Mutiny On The Bounty' for the open trail. Dunson is being forced to round up his cattle (and some of his neighbors) and take them up the Chisholm Trail. An epic and extremely difficult cattle-drive becomes possible because of Dunson's determination. But when another easier trail is made clear but Dunson decides to do it his was, the hard way. This makes the men uneasy and Dunson becomes a tyrant and slowly goes mad. This is one of the best psychological transformations of any character in film history. This causes a mutiny that is lead by Matt (Clift), his own step-son, that makes for one of the most compelling conflicts in film history. But, as memorable as this western is, it still has one or two 'bad scenes'. Basically almost all the scenes with Joanne Dru are badly made, save the scene when Dunson asks her to bear his son. The scene when Clift first meats her during the Indian attack is especially bad. And the silly ending is a huge letdown. These two driving forces clash in a much-anticipated showdown and shouldn't be stopped by a woman. The intensity near the end, I think, was so unbearable and Hawks had too many emotions exploding in those few moments that maybe he didn't know how to handle them. But still this remains a memorable western and one of the best. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!

Although there are definitely weaknesses in the screenplay and score for RED RIVER, there is also no question that this film is an American masterpiece.

Howard Hawks who directed one of the best comedies Hollywood ever produced, BRINGING UP BABY, took on an almost impossible task: making an adult Western, basically a cattle drive- inspired remake of MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, with over 9,000 head of cattle and the men who, for various reasons, go on the drive from Texas to Kansas. John Wayne is the boss, Dunson the cattle baron, who becomes obsessed with his mission--getting his cattle sold and onto the railroad. If there is a "villain" in the movie, Dunson is it and Wayne plays him wonderfully. The drive, itself, takes over three months and it is grueling: psychological, as well as physical, problems beset the men. Wayne's "adopted" son, Matthew, is second in command and it is the relationship between these two men that makes up the heart of the movie and makes the movie as deep and moving as it is.

Director Hawks had seen a young actor in a Broadway play and brought him to Hollywood to make his screen debut as "Matthew." In this crutial role, Hawks had discovered one of the most under-rated, talented, complicated, handsome actors Hollywood ever saw: Montgomery Clift. If Clift had done no film work besides Fred Zinneman's FROM HERE TO ETERNITY and Hawks' RED RIVER, he'd deserve a place in cinema history.

Quibbles? The score by Dmitri Tiomkin could certainly stand to be a bit more subtle; both the creation by the writers and the playing by Joanne Dru of the major female role is completely one dimensional; the last few moments of the movie are as silly as the rest of the two hours+ are fascinating. So, an altogether thrilling movie, even with a few faults.
If for no other reason, all true movie lovers must see the way the stampede is filmed. The D.V.D. version has no "extras" to speak of, but the print looks beautiful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The greatest cattle drive ever filmed! Director Howard Hawks (Rio Bravo, El Dorado) cements his lifelong association with star John Wayne in this gripping Western adventure with more than a slight hint of Mutiny on the Bounty. Wayne stars as a grizzled rancher out to save his business in the early days of Texas. To do so he has to embark on an epic drive to get his cattle to market. Together with his adopted son Marty (Montgomery Clift), he enlists a team of cattle drivers to aid him in a final, desperate drive West. As time and nature bear down, his obsession begins to drive his men to breaking point - with Marty increasingly in the middle of the growing conflict that ensues between the crusty leader and his disgruntled men. With mutiny in the air, it is finally up to father and son to face each other with some hard truths - and force a confrontation that will test the bonds of family and loyalty. Both Wayne and Clift are on top form, their contrasting personas and acting styles very much at the heart of the electricity between them whenever they share a scene. Clift's thoughtful coolness has impressively survived the passage of time and he accordingly makes for a sympathetic protagonist - struggling to strike out from beyond the giant shadow of a larger-than-life adoptive father whose original kindness begins to pale in the face of the increasing of his obsessive drive to market. Affectionately referenced in the comedy City Slickers, Red River remains a worthy epitome of the old school traditional Western, unencumbered by the darkness, cynicism and irony that would begin to influence the genre in the 50's and 60's through the works of Fred Zinneman, Anthony Mann, Sergio Leone, Arthur Penn and, most interestingly, old school cowboy auteur John Ford as well (The Searchers; Cheyenne Autumn).

OVERVIEW: A MILESTONE PERFORMANCE FOR JOHN WAYNE

"RED RIVER" depicts Capitalism and Rugged Individualism with maximum human stress added, resembling a "Mutiny On The Bounty" culminating during a desperate cattle drive along the "Red River". By no means is this film any less dramatic or hard-hitting for having been made in the Western genre.

ABOUT "RED RIVER"

It was Wayne's and Hawks' first collaboration [1948]. It went a million dollars over budget, costing 4 million dollars, and it introduced Montgomery Cliff in a leading role. There were nominations and awards received:

Best Editing (nom) Christian Nyby 1948 Academy
Best Story (nom) Borden Chase 1948 Academy
Best Director (nom) Howard Hawks 1948 Directors Guild of America
U.S. National Film Registry (win) 1989 Library of Congress

But most of all, we see the Duke in a very nuanced and unexpectedly complex role where things are going far from right from the get-go. Sure, he's a hero, but he's not a simple or predictable one. His dark side is very near the surface and the kind of stress that a desperate cattle drive raises presses everyone to his limit. The results are -- "RED RIVER"!

LIVING AT THE LIMIT: THE RESULTS ARE -- "RED RIVER"!

Throughout the film, virtually every scene has major hurdles for our characters to overcome, especially Wayne, and they are going to have to deal with these hurdles like human beings -- NOT GOD-LIKE ICONS. In essence, there are no short cuts for the cast in the way of simple and expected outcomes. This makes the film AWESOME during every one of its 133 minutes. The rare dark side seen of Wayne is shocking in its unusual and mostly [until the finale] unsentimental excellence. WOW!

CONCLUSIONS - "RED RIVER" IS JUST 'THAT' GOOD & 'THAT' SOPHISTICATED

Somehow, this is one of the rare superb films that I missed seeing when I was young. It was a treat to see it now. The film boasts Wayne in an Oscar-worthy performance and he is well-complemented with a superb cast which included:

Montgomery Clift - Matthew Garth
Joanne Dru - Tess Millay
Walter Brennan - Groot Nadine
Coleen Gray - Fen
John Ireland - Cherry Valance
Harry Carey - Mr. Millville
Harry Carey, Jr. - Dan Latimer
Paul Fix - Teeler Yacey

The whole cast really played it up a notch, probably inspired by Wayne's fantastic performance. I plan on seeing this film a number of times over the coming months, at which time I hope to add more comments as this film is just that good and that sophisticated.

ABOUT THE DVD: FEATURES WOULD HAVE BEEN APPRECIATED

Excellent Widescreen transfer of both audio and video

DVD Features: Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)

Red River has John Wayne as Tom Dunson, a man who has worked hard all his life for what he has. He has very little. His only hope is to get his heard of 9,000 or so to Missouri. There he can make back what the Civil War took from him. After the war ends Matt (Montgomery Clift in his first film) returns to the ranch. Tom who years before first encountered Matt, after an indian attack took him under his wing. Matt will take over one day after Tom dies. Matt is better than the next man at a quick draw. Walter Brennan (Groot)is more or less Tom's assistant through all the years. It took these three men 14 years to build what they have. There hopes are to get the cattle to market and avoid going broke. Which is really what they are. The most memorable hired hand that comes along is Cherry (John Ireland). Who is as quick with a gun as is Tom and Matt. As they get closer to the border near Missouri the men get scared of a raid. Tom is wounded and Matt takes over, Tom vows to kill Matt for doing so. Shortly enters Joanne Dru who more or less and in this case (more) ruins the film. Although she get's the heart of Matt. Dru did not need to be even close to the final showdown. However a great film by Howard Hawks and a good score by Dmitri Tiomkin and great photography by Russell Harlan, make this worth your time and is one of the best westerns ever. Grade:A

One of the greatest Westerns ever, but unfortunately, Hollywood intrudes at the ending: the last two minutes are as silly as the first two hours are unforgettable. Not surprisingly, the writer of the source material objected to the ending of the movie. In the original story, Dunson is killed by Valance and he's buried by Matt at the Red River--truly a tragic ending worthy of this epic story, but I'm afraid you can't kill off John Wayne.

Howard Hawks' 1948 RED RIVER is an ambitious, sprawling, epic western. It's on a number of top-100 lists, and it belongs there.
The movie tells the story of cattle rancher Tom Dunson and the first drive along the fabled Chisholm Trail. It's based on Borden Chase's "The Chisholm Trail"
The movie hits the ground running. Within the first five minutes there's a romantic leave taking, an indian attack and a burning wagon train. The romantic parting of Dunson (John Wayne) and his intended is a key incident in the development of this bitter and hard-driven character. Dunson and Groot Nadine (Walter Brennan), who left the wagon train with Dunson, are joined by a survivor of the massacre, Matt Garth - who, fourteen years later, will become the quick-drawing Montgomery Clift. The shocked boy is leading a cow, Dunson and Groot have a surviving bull, and with this bovine first couple they make for the open land south of the Red River.
Fast forward 14 years and Dunson has 10,000 head of cattle and a depressed, post-Civil War southern economy that can't afford to buy them. They must drive them to Missouri and sell them to the more prosperous northerners or face ruin. During that drive Dunson descends to near insanity and Matt ascends as a moderating influence and, apparently, becomes the only one who can successfully lead the men and cattle to market. Without giving too much away, something happens on the drive that will drastically change Dunson's and Matt's relationship and jeopardize both of their lives.
It's pretty heavy stuff, and John Wayne is rock solid great as the troubled Dunson. This is one of the greatest roles in the career of a sometimes under-rated actor. Montgomery Clift is fine in his screen debut.
Walter Brennan's Groot is a marvel. That guy was such a good actor. Like all good sidekicks, and Brennan was the best, Groot is part court jester and part moral barometer. It helps that he plays most of the movie without his upper teeth in, too. Brennan was always better when his mouth was half empty.
There are some images that will stick with you for a while. Thousands of cattle crossing the Red River, a midnight stampede with a couple of hair-raising rescues. And there's a neat little bit with an angry John Wayne striding down a long street crowded with cattle - Wayne doesn't break stride, of course, and the cattle move out of his way like a longhorn Red Sea parting for an angry Moses.
For the most part the script is well written, and there's enough amusing scenes (usually including Brennan) to keep the whole thing from collapsing under it's own weight.
For instance, when Dunson and Matt are deciding who's to go along on the drive, Dunson excludes Groot (bum leg.) Groot mutters to himself like a live-action Popeye while Dunson and Matt continue their conversation. A distracted and exasperated Dunson finally says:
Dunson: What are you saying? I can't understand you. Where's your store teeth Matt bought you?
Groot: They're in my pocket.
Dunson: Well, why don't you use them?
Groot: `Cause they whistle. I use them for eating.

Then there's the Joanne Dru character, Tess Millay. It doesn't help that her first appearance occurs in the third scene. One hour and forty-one minutes into the 2:20 movie, by my clock. My guess is the scriptwriters didn't want to clutter up the action with a romantic subplot until absolutely necessary. Fair enough, but it means that Millay's and Matt's romance has to be telescoped severely. Basically they meet, fall in love, and part in a day. It stretches an audience some. Worse, Dru as an actress simply wasn't right for the part.
One of her character traits, as written, is to talk and keep on talking when something worries or frightens her. She does this to negligible effect. It's a role that seemed to have been custom written for Jean Arthur, who always could blabber on to good effect, who could always drop her voice down to a husky purr or have it emit an abrupt squeak for maximum dramatic effect. Unfortunately Arthur was nearly fifty when this movie was made, so I guess casting her as a romantic lead opposite the young Clift would have, uh, added an strange and unwelcome dimension to the movie. Dru, in one of her earliest roles, just doesn't have the chops to carry off the role convincingly. All things considered, I think this piece of miscasting is more Hawks' fault that anyone elses. Anyway, I shaved a point off because of it.
I don't normally notice bad transfers, but there are a few dark night scenes in RED RIVER that look like someone lit a Fourth of July sparkler. And, less forgivable, my new factory-sealed-from-a-reputable-national-outlet retailer did NOT contain the advertised four page booklet. Finally, I've played the movie twice so far, and each time the start up menu screen doesn't appear until AFTER the movie is over.