Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Great Article on Rio Bravo
Big Hollywood � Leo Grin: "Exquisitely crafted, but never ostentatious. Pleasantly mellow, but never lazy. Thematically rich, but never preachy. Respectful of tradition, but never stolid. Deeply compassionate, but never descending into schmaltz. Five decades ago, a group of men now long-dead (and, it must be said, one smokin’-hot woman, still-living) followed an aged veteran director into the Arizona desert to make a humble, heartfelt western based firmly on quintessentially American notions of courage, decency, and good humor. The result of their collaboration, Rio Bravo (1959), remains one of the great visceral pleasures of cinema."
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5 comments:
It is a great article. As you know, I share your appreciation of Rio Bravo, a classic western.
Also agree with these sentiments:
“I made Rio Bravo,” he later told an interviewer, “because I didn’t like High Noon. Neither did Duke.Jeff
RIO BRAVO is one of the all-time greats, and this is one of the best articles I've read about it.
I didn't realize Leo Grin was a fan of the movie.
A great movie and a damn good apazine.
I love Rio Bravo; it is relaxed and fun. Walter Brennan was splendid. so was gorgeous Angie Dickinson.
Wayne, et al, didn't like High Noon because the hero asked for help from the town people instead of handling the crisis alone; and because his Quaker bride saves his life at one point. Hawks and Wayne thought that was sissy stuff.
But High Noon is the deeper, richer, more powerful film, precisely for those reasons. Cooper's hero is actually larger, finding the courage to do his job when he would be well advised to flee; getting help from the least expected source. If Wayne's hero were mythical, Cooper's was a real person rising to the occasion.
Richard Wheeler
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