'Rio Bravo,' Still Popular and Hip at 50 - WSJ.com: "It wasn't nominated for any Academy Awards. It was scarcely taken seriously by the critics on its release, and it's never made into the American Film Institute's top 100. But Howard Hawks's 'Rio Bravo,' which had its premiere half a century ago this month, may be the most popular cult film ever made.The phrase 'cult favorite' conjures up images of wobbly hand-held camera shots and little-known actors. But 'Rio Bravo' was shot in glorious Technicolor and starred perhaps the most popular star in movie history. Most cult films are too hip to be popular, and most big hits are too popular to be hip. But 'Rio Bravo' is that rarest of films -- both popular and hip."
3 comments:
A real classic, and tremendously entertaining. Best scene is Dean Martin in the bar, but there's a lot to like.
For some reason most of my favorite westerns are pretty grim affairs ("The Searchers", "McCabe & Mrs. Miller", etc), but this one is right at the top of the list. Martin could be an excellent actor when he was really trying, as he was here and in Vincente Minnelli's "Some Came Running" from around the same time. It may also be my favorite Howard Hawks movie, but the competition is fierce.
It was so good they remade it as El Dorado, leading to such vociferous debates as Brennan or Hunnicutt? Martin or Michum? Nelson or Caan? Wayne or Wayne? There's no debate about the woman, it's Angie all the way.
WV: Oughthe. Should the guy do something?
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