Red River

One of his better films

Movie was okay and was delivered on time. Both boxes movie was enclosed were damaged. May want to consider heavier/stronger boxes for shipping movie.

The title says it all. One of Wayne's best westerns, and that is saying a lot. Well worth the expense to get a great copy!

I think having the Duke behave like a crazed bully through nine-tenths of the film doesn't really work. Also leaving out female characters through nine-tenths of the film doesn't really work either. Coleen Gray at the beginning was wonderful (Why didn't we see more of her?). Joanne Dru at the end chattered too much and the character didn't really make sense. I think for both of them there was just too little screen time to develop a character, although Gray makes the most of a small, heartfelt exchange with John Wayne. The nine-tenths in the middle is dust, steers, and unwashed cowboys. Ah, well.

Aside from the ending, this is a great western. In my view it, Stagecoach, and Rio Bravo are Wayne’s best movies. Although the Searchers is regarded by some as his best, I reach for these three before it. The reason it gets four stars is because it’s print quality is ordinary. It’s very grainy. Having said that it’s much better than my DVD of the film, but I thought they had the original negative to work with. In fact, the image quality is similar to Criterion Stagecoach bluray. There the original negative was lost, so image quality was as good as expected. Here it’s no better than Stagecoach. The quality is very noticeable when one looks at the bluray of Fort Apache. There the image quality is outstanding. But it was made in 1948, the same year as Red River! So it’s time the film was remastered to give us the image quality this great film deserves.It’s true the ending is a little weak, but I would rather the happy ending than Dunson shoot Matt. It’s a forgivable error. I can’t see how else it would have a happy ending.So highly recommended but the film should be remastered.

It a shame what we have to watch these days.

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.

l articolo mie piaciuto per la qualita e le tre misure di grandezzail prodotto e ok e come preschitto

Il prodotto tecnologicamente è valido è il film che non è sicuramente tra i migliori di john wayne

I always liked this great classic and recently I was pleased to see that it didn't age a bit. It was and still is one of the greatest westerns ever made and it remains a GREAT WATCH! Below, more of my impressions, with some LIMITED SPOILERS.PRECISION: this is the review of the 2000 Region 2 DVD, not the recent Masters of Cinema Blu-ray.The film begins in 1851 with Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) and his trail companion/hired hand, Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan) travelling to Texas. They are dirt poor and other than their clothes and guns they own only one wagon and one head of cattle, a healthy bull. Quite quickly in the film they meet a boy, Matthew Garth, who lost his family and all his belongings, except for one cow. Then we go all the way to 1865, when Matthew is already all grown (he is from that moment played by Montgomery Clift). Together, he and Dunson own a gigantic herd of cattle but Texas is so ruined by the war and so oppressed by war profiteering carpetbaggers that there is no buyer for all this beef.Completely broke, Dunson decides at that moment to do something unprecedented and in fact quite desperate, namely drive his gigantic herd north, all the way to Missouri. That means a thousand miles trek, which will take a minimum of two months and a half – if they are very lucky… And on the way there will be "dry country, dry wells when we get to 'em. There'll be wind, rain. There's gonna be Indian Territory - how bad I don't know. When we get to Missouri, there'll be border gangs. It's gonna be a fight all the way."… And once this speech made, the film really begins…The scenario of this film is actually greatly inspired by the Bible, mostly the Exodus but also the Book of Joshua, some New Testament and of course there is the Snake – always present… The Book of Joshua (the conquest of Canaan) came immediately to my mind when we are told how Dunson acquired his ranch and his land. The great cattle drive is a modern re-telling of Exodus, as Dunson and his companions suffer misery and hardship in their land and making this deadly trip to the north is the only way for them to recover their freedom and dignity. The Red River which they must cross on their way is quite obviously the equivalent of the Red Sea. On the way Dunson becomes more and more a Moise-like patriarch, an authoritarian man driven by certitude and showing no mercy to himself or others. Another similarity with Exodus is the dissension appearing amongst his followers, exactly like during Hebrews wanderings in the desert.There is however also New Testament included in this story and in fact the film ultimately becomes a debate between the Old and New Alliance. Dunson is an Old Testament patriarch, who believes that when people enter a covenant of their free will, they must respect the terms to the end and the price for openly breaking it is death – this terrible, merciless justice he is ready to apply indifferently to companions, loved ones and himself. Matthew Garth, a tough and rough frontier man himself, is nevertheless a more Christian character – he admits that when people break the covenant not for profit or lack of honour but only because their suffering is unbearable, forgiveness rather than punishment must be the solution. Still in accordance with the New Testament, his vision of leadership is to hear the suffering of his people and answer with flexibility of charity, rather than with merciless sternness. The film doesn't openly take sides in the debate – both visions are honourable and they are in fact ultimately shown as complementary rather than antagonistic, exactly like the Old and New Testament complete one another.Another Biblical element is the presence of the Snake, the great facilitator of all kind of mischief, conflict and violence, who appears quite early in the film as Cherry Valance, a hired hand with a shady past and a terrific reputation of gunfighter. This secondary but important character is played very well by John Ireland, a man gifted with a very masculine handsomeness mixed with a little bit of danger – which is a perfect mix to play a somehow devilish character and also to get the best girls (he married in 1949 Joanne Dru, the main female star of this film). On the surface of the things Cherry Valance is always obedient, does his job well, obeys orders and is loyal to his friends – but in the same time he always ends by making things worse…The initial scenario of "Red River" was even darker and more tragic, and especially Cherry Valance's character was more significant and the evil he caused was greater, but ultimately both Howard Hawks and the producers took fear and decided at the last minute to smooth the things a little. This is the reason why the very ending of this film is the only moment slightly weaker than the rest. The scenario is however still very, very good.This is one of the films in which John Wayne shined the most, as his role is definitely different from anything else he ever played – and he aced it! After seeing John Wayne's performance in "Red River" John Ford famously said: "I never knew the big son of a (-----) could act."…))) Montgomery Clift, for whom it was the FIRST ROLE, shows here one of the most impressive debuts EVER! Veteran actor Walter Brennan provides great fun in every single scene in which he appears, and there is also a short appearance by Harry Carey, the legend of old westerns, for whom it was the penultimate role in an amazing career, began in 1909 (!)…On another hand, the only significant female character, Tess Millay (Joanne Dru), is ultimately not so great. I almost had the impression that Howard Hawks couldn't quite make his mind about Tess and as result she is a patchwork of different ideas rather than one character. In one scene she is proud and courageous, in another she is begging and whining. In one scene she cannot shoot straight, immediately after she is Annie Oakley. Etc., etc. But as her role is ultimately secondary (she appears late) it doesn't damage this film too much.Even with the small weakness at the very ending and with a rather unsatisfying main female character, this film is still AMAZINGLY GOOD, extremely powerful, in many moments very moving, frequently tragic but also containing wonderful humour – and it is worth reminding here, that is was Howard Hawks FIRST WESTERN! The beauty of the film is greatly increased by the music composed by great Dimitri Tiomkin in person and one of the themes was later transformed into the legendary "My rifle, my pony and me" song from "Rio Bravo".I love this film, I am certainly going to watch it again and I am so keeping my DVD. A recommended viewing! ENJOY!

This is one of the best, if not THE best westerns ever made. John Wayne and Montgomery Clift make a great combination, Throw in Walter Brennon and others and it makes a superb cast. Honestly, the two women characters were irritating, but luckily they weren't around enough to make too much of a negative impact. The scenery and storyline were top notch, and the acting was convincing. You could see the changes in Dunson as the movie moved along and you knew it was going to come to a head eventually. The picture quality was excellent. Criterion Collection did a fine job with the restoration. Having the two versions of the movie was nice. There are things about both versions that I liked. They seem to coincide with what Howard Hawks liked as well. I would have really liked it if there had been a third version created for this set combining the two into a 'definitive' version of Red River with Walter Brennon's commentary and the longer ending, which is far superior. Oh well, it was just a thought..... There was one thing that I noticed was missing. Years ago I remember seeing the movie on TV somewhere. There is a scene early in the movie where Dunson and Groot were fighting Indians. Near the end of the scene, Dunson goes off to get the last one while Groot stays behind to distract him. In both versions of the movie in this set, the scene cuts off before you hear Dunson doing in the last Indian. In the version I saw that once (and only once) you hear Dunson finishing him off and you can see Groot grimace. I wonder where this scene went in these versions? I assumed that one of these two would have that full scene but it doesn't. Strange. I always notice that when watching the movie. That scene just isn't complete. Anyway, it's a great movie and well worth the price.

Fabulous and finally thanks Criterion for restoring both versions of this wonderful film. Blue Ray clarity is simply stunning and I Haven't even gotten to the extras yet. If you're a fan of classic films then do not miss the wonderfully re-mastered Red River with narration From Walter Brennan. Thank you Criterion.