red river

It’s hard to appreciate what’s truly great about Red River (1948) without some familiarity with the work of John Wayne. The Duke always had charisma and an imposing screen presence, but it seemed part and parcel of the same package. There was no deviating from the studio-imposed norm of who the character of John Wayne was “supposed” to be. Until Red River.

As the hard-nosed and rather ruthless Texas cattle baron Thomas Dunson, Wayne doesn’t just stick a toe outside of his comfort zone, he becomes the villain for a large part of the film, until a “safe” Hollywood ending brings him back in the fold. Montgomery Clift, in an offbeat pre-James Dean type performance, plays his adopted son Matt Garth, a ranch hand who’s quick with a gun, but slow to take a stand against his single-minded father figure.

Directed by Howard Hawks in a style that meets halfway between his usual studio-bound screwball comedies and the more open, naturalistic techniques used by John Ford, Red River is a psychological drama in the guise of a typical cattle drive story. Based on the short novel by Borden Chase, which is included in this superb Criterion Collection four disc set, the film adheres to the typical genre qualifications – standoffs, shootouts and stampedes – but interweaves it with an unnervingly realistic portrait of a man whose personal aspirations drive him to the brink of insanity. That that man is played by John Wayne is something no one ever expected, particularly his mentor John Ford who famously said, “I never know the sonavabitch could act,” after screening the film.

Although the character of Dunson dominates, it’s far from the only memorable thing about the film. The epic cattle drive staged by Hawks, recreating the first along the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Kansas, is a marvel of classic Hollywood filmmaking. The technical challenge of getting that many animals – and that many actors – to do exactly what is expected of them is no small feat. Not to mention the creative editing to keep the story focused on the father-son relationship that pays off with one of cinema’s most memorable Western confrontations.

The Criterion Collection welcomes Red River into the fold in typical grandiose fashion. Besides the aforementioned previously out-of-print novel, Blazing Guns on the Chisholm Trail, on which the film was based, the set includes a new 2K digital restoration of the original theatrical release version (which runs a few minute shorter). The reason for two versions of the film is explained in the extras, which includes interviews with Peter Bogdanovich and various film scholars, audio excerpts from a 1970 interview with screenwriter Borden Chase, a Lux Radio Theater adaptation and excellent liner notes. The longer pre-release version of the film is still the preferred version and offers a better hi-def image, but it’s a treat to finally have both to make the comparison…and in the same beautifully designed package.