Rio Grande (1950)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by James Kevin McGuinness, based on a story by James Warner Bellah
Directed by John Ford
Starring Maureen O’Hara, John Wayne, Victor McLaglen, Ben Johnson, Claude Jarman Jr., Chill Wills, and J. Carrol Naish

Features:

• Trailers
  
• “The Making of Rio Grande” mini-documentary
  
• Scene-by-scene commentary with Maureen O’Hara
  
• Fully restored audio and video
  

Rating: NR

Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Buy it, even if you have Apache blood

In some ways, Rio Grande exists as a film only because of another O’Hara/Wayne film, The Quiet Man. The proceeds from this flick were meant to defray the expected losses from that “silly Irish story,” which of course went on to be one of history’s best films. All in all, O’Hara and Wayne made five films together, and this one continues to be one of the most enduring.

The acting is, of course, simply incredible. What else would you expect from this cast, headed up by O’Hara and Wayne? The characters are well-drawn and interesting...complex in their own individual ways. The backstory between O’Hara’s character and McLaglen’s serves as the perfect way to showcase their various personalities with more depth than you might expect from a Western.

Ford’s direction is legendarily famous for its close attention to detail, emotional awareness, and artisty and this film, with its impact and interest, will show you why. A film that could be melodramatic or just plain dull is instead sophisticated, complex, and human.

The audio and video are both also quite wonderful. Fully restored, there are very few places where the black and white stock is at all grainy, and overall, the viewing experience is not only enjoyable, but beautiful. The scenery of course helps, but the cinematography really shines here, and the film stock shows it on this digital transfer.

The commentary with Maureen O’Hara is a treasure; not only do we get to hear some wonderful anecdotes and history about this film, but we get to learn more about the Golden Age of Hollywood--not to mention learning more about O’Hara herself and her personality. Commentaries are a wonderful way for the fans to learn about the making of movies, as well as get a feel for the personalities of the stars. We love Maureen O’Hara for her acting talents, and now we can love her for herself, as well, or what we get to see during the commentary track. The mini-documentary is almost like a visual continuation of this, given that O’Hara is prominent in it, though Leonard Maltin’s hosting is right on. It is a great look at the setting and facts surrounding this film. The trailers are ads for other Wayne films. The only other thing you could ask for would be some sort of interview with an Old West historian.

Basically, even if you aren’t a fan of Westerns, or don’t think you are, then you should definitely give this one a try. Rio Grande is a wonderful story with fine acting and splendid production values--what more could you ask? The scenery is worth the price alone. If you think that Westerns are all about politically incorrect depictions of Native Americans, then you need to see this one--while the “bad guys” are the Apaches, the main characters are detailed, the story is engrossing, and the filmmaking in general is marvelous.