Rio Grande
Directed by John Ford
1950/USA
Republic Pictures/Argosy Pictures
Repeat viewing
#227 of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
[box]Mrs. Kathleen York: To my only rival, the United States Cavalry.[/box]
Colonel Kirby York (John Wayne) commands a cavalry troop fighting Apaches. His son Jeff, who has just flunked out of West Point and enlisted as a soldier, joins the company. Kirby has not seen the boy in 15 years – neither expect the boy to get special treatment. Soon, Kirby’s estranged wife Kathleen (Maureen O’Hara) arrives, determined to buy her son out of his enlistment. The couple split after Kirby followed orders to burn his wife’s plantation during the Civil War but it is clear they still have feelings for each other. With Victor McLaughlen as a comic drill sergeant; Harry Carey Jr. and Ben Johnson as Jeff’s fellow recruits; and the Sons of the Pioneers to provide some songs.
It’s 1001 Movie Sunday, and the Random Number Generator picked a good one. This is the third in John Ford’s Apache Trilogy. Was there ever a better director at filming wide open spaces? Monument Valley doesn’t really need color in Ford’s hands — it looks gorgeous. I find that the older I get the more John Wayne grows on me. He is excellent in this film – his eyes registering pride, love, and concern for his son and love for his wife as well as quiet courage and determination. O’Hara and Wayne are another of the great screen couples and are touching here. Don’t go into this one expecting a lot of action, though there is a battle with the Indians near the end, but if you are looking for a classic character-driven drama you could do worse than to try this.
Re-release trailer
