Film River: Red River (1948)

In Yugoslavia synonym for Western, one of the most popular of all Hollywood genres, was “cowboy film”. However, cowboys as main protagonists are actually quite rare in classic works of the genre. One of those rare instances can be found in Red River, 1948 epic directed by Howard Hawks.

The film is based on The Chisholm Trail, 1946 story by Borden Chase, originally published in Saturday Evening Post. The plot begins in 1851 when protagonist Thomas Dunson (played by John Wayne), abandons California-bound wagon train in order to try his luck in Texas. He leaves his fiancee Fen (played by Coleen Gray) and, together with trusted elderly helper Nadine Groot (played by Walter Brennan), travels southwards with bull and cow he hopes to breed into large herd. Soon afterwards he learns that the wagon train was attacked by hostile Indians and anyone, involving Fen, got massacred. The only survivor is a boy named Matthew “Matt” Garth (played by Mickey Kuhn) whom Dunson will take as his semi-adopted son. Fifteen years later Dunson has succeeded in his efforts to build cattle empire, but, due to Civil War deprivations and overabundance of beef in Texas, his herd becomes intolerable financial burden. Solution comes in the north, where the beef is much more scarce and expensive. Matt, who became adult (played by Montgomery Clift), helps Dunson launch great cattle drive during which 9000 pieces of cattle will be brought from Texas to Missouri. The trek is long, beset with all kinds of deprivations and dangers, ranging from devastating stampedes, Indians, bandits, but the greatest danger comes from Dunson himself, who becomes increasingly paranoid and tyrannical and refuses Matt’s suggestion to take the easier route towards Abilene. Their conflict escalates and gets further complicated after Matt falls in love with Tess Millay (played by Joanne Dru), dance hall girl whose wagon train he had saved from Indian attack.

Despite Howard Hawks being already established as one of the most experienced and successful action director of Classic Hollywood, Red River represented the first western in his filmography. Even the more experienced viewers couldn’t tell, because Hawks directs this expensive and ambitious production, shot mainly on Arizona locations, with great ease, skill and confidence. Hawks, despite rejecting the idea of making film in Technicolor, manages to give Red River an epic feel. This is mostly due to spectacular scenes that involves movements of thousands pieces of cattle or increasingly demanding nighttime stampede scene. Hawks had good talents at his disposal, that involved cinematographer Russell Harlan and famed composer Dimitri Tiomkin, whose theme, barely used in Red River, later served as basis for popular theme song in another Hawks’ classic western Rio Bravo.

Hawks’ handling of new genre was in many ways helped by casting of John Wayne, actor who had been acting in countless westerns before and didn’t hesitate to give advice to Hawks. Wayne also contributed to the film with one of his best performances in his career, not hesitating to portray his character as unusually dark. Thomas Dunson is actually the darkest of all characters in Wayne’s filmography – a man who ruthlessly kills people in cold blood only to later become driven by pride and paranoia which would escalate into near madness. Wayne has also worked hard to portray actual ageing of his character, and did it in a subtle ways, through small gestures rather than makeup. Wayne on set got along with Hawks so well, that he would act in number of westerns in later stages of director’s career.

Hawks and Wayne, on the other hand, didn’t get along that well with Montgomery Clift, young actor for whom Red River, originally shot in 1946 and released only two years later because of unresolved plagiarism dispute with Howard Hughes, represented feature debut. Clift represented one of first actors of new that came to Hollywood following WW2 and earned stardom by promoting Method acting. Clift played much more rational and less intense character than Dunson, and he did it very convincingly, even in fight scenes with Wayne, making audience not pay much attention to his relatively short stature. Although they didn’t like Clift, partly because of his left-wing politics and homosexuality, both Hawks and Wayne praised his professionalism and quality of his work.

There were other troublesome relations on the set, and some of them reflected on the general quality of the film. That was most notable in case of Hawks clashing with John Ireland, actor playing Matt’s rival cowhand and former gunslinger Cherry Valance. Hawks resented Ireland’s being drunk or smoking marijuana on the set, as well their romantic rivalry over actress Joanne Dru who would later marry Ireland. As a result, character of Cherry Valance was undeveloped. Character of Tess Milay also appears relatively late in the film, and serves as not so convincing deus ex machina that provides obligatory happy ending that would otherwise be a very dark film. Red River, on the other hand, benefited from the very good set of character actors that include legendary Walter Brennan, who also provides an effective narration.

Despite its flaws, Red River has easily won not only critics, but audiences, becoming one of the biggest hits of its time. It helped launch Clift’s career and finally established Wayne as serious actor, especially in the eyes of John Ford who would later cast “Duke” in some of the most celebrated western films in history. Because of that, Red River has deserved its status of genre classic.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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