| | | Howard Hawks' Production of...
Features: DVD
On one side is an army of gunmen dead-set on springing a murderous sidekick from jail. On the other is Sheriff John T. Chance and his two deputies: one a drunk, the other a cripple. Place your bets.John Wayne is Chance in Rio Bravo, a lean Western classic packing solid heroics and a strong emotional core. He's joined by Dean Martin as the deputy coming off a two-year drunk, Walter Brennan as the old coot whose spirit outmatches his hobbled stride. Ricky Nelson as a youth out to prove himself and Angie Dickinson as the scarlet woman with her eye on Chance. Director Howard Hawks lifted the Western to new heights with Red River. Capturing the legendary West with a stellar cast in peak form, he does it again here.
"Slam-bang, exciting, funny. One of the all-time great Westerns." Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic
"...a great film...in the top 20 westerns of all time if not the top 10." Gary W. Tooze, DVD Beaver
"...an American classic...great fun." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"...outstanding entertainment...an excellent film..." The Motion Picture Guide
"...continually entertaining." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
No-nonsense Texas border sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) fights off ruthless mercenary gunmen in order to keep a murderer in custody. A ragtag band of volunteers, consisting of a singing kid, a toothless old man, a recovering alcoholic, and a spunky woman, assist. Contains an interesting sing-along interlude among the group, and yes, the Duke participates.
Plot Summary
John Wayne stars as the sheriff of a small western town who arrests a murderer and then must contend with the aggressive efforts of the killer's brother to free him before the state marshall arrives. Surrounding the town, the villains make repeated runs at the tiny jailhouse where their comrade is incarcerated. The sheriff is left to defend the territory almost single-handedly -- his only aid being a rag-tag crew of misfits, including a drunk, an old cripple, a saloon woman, and a singing teenager. The plot's tensions build to one of the most explosive finales in cinema history.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital Plus Mono | | Dubbed: French | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | This Is An HD-DVD Made For HD-DVD Format Players Which Produce Higher Quality Picture And Sound |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 6/5/2007 |
| Running Time: 141 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1959 | | Catalog ID: 114273 | | UPC: 00085391142737 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Angie Dickinson | | Dean Martin | | John Wayne | | Ricky Nelson | | B.H. McCampbell - Based On Short Story By | | Dimitri Tiomkin - Original Music By | | Folmar Blangsted - Editor | | Howard Hawks - Director | | Howard Hawks - Producer | | Jules Furthman - Screenplay | | Leigh Brackett - Screenplay | | Leo K. Kuter - Art Director | | Russell Harlan - Cinematographer |
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| | Professional Reviews | Total Film
5 stars out of 5 -- "Warm, witty and endlessly welcoming....It's arguably the quintessential Hawks flick." 07/01/2007 p.112Empire
"Hawks' picture is about standing up for yourself, embracing responsibility and acting with integrity....The film is subtle, good-natured, funny and charming." 01/01/2008 p.200-201 Variety 9 of 10
Rio Bravo is a big, brawling western. Script, based on the B. H. McCampbell short story, gets off to one of the fastest slam-bang openings on record. Within 90 seconds Wayne, a fast-shooting sheriff, is clubbed, another man knocked out and a third man murdered...Plot thereafter revolves around Wayne's attempts to hold the murderer, brother of the most powerful rancher in the area, until the arrival some days hence of the US marshal...Producer-director Howard Hawks makes handsome use of force in logically unravelling his hard-hitting narrative, creating suspense at times and occasionally inserting lighter moments to give variety. Wayne delivers a faithful portrayal of the peace officer...In for distaff interest and with more legitimate footage than usual in a western is Angie Dickinson, a looker fashioned into an important key character who delivers in every way.
DVD Verdict 9 of 10
I think the one word that most comes to mind when thinking about Rio Bravo is "comfortable." The film plays out in a relaxed fashion, with familiar faces and familiar situations. The plot includes so many character conventions of the western that the film is almost a textbook of the genre in that sense...The effect of all this familiarity is to allow us to concentrate on the various characters and their interactions. In so doing, we readily recognize the characteristic individuals and relationships that one finds in so many of Howard Hawks's films...This is one of the best classic westerns and if you're a fan of the genre, the title should be in your collection. Fortunately, we've been given a fine looking and sounding DVD rendition of the film. - Barrie Maxwell
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