Rio Grande (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Rio Grande' (a "grande" Western directed by John Ford) is actually the last of the 7th Cavalry trilogy after John Ford's Fort Apache (1948) & She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949). John Wayne stars as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke, who oversees a remote army outpost along the U.S.-Mexico border where the Apache Indians go on deadly raids. Requesting an additional 180 men to defeat the Apaches, Yorke only gets 18 and one of them happens to be his own son Jefferson, played by Claude Jarman Jr., so adorable in 1946's The Yearling. Because of his intense devotion to duty, Yorke all but ruined his family life; he hadn't even seen his son in 15 years and the reason Jefferson stands before his dad now is because he was booted out of West Point for failing grades; and so, Jefferson enlisted to prove his manhood.
Yorke has been separated for quite a # of years & is shocked when his estranged wife Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara) shows up at the outpost. When she requests to buy her cherished son out of the army, Yorke refuses to do the necessary paperwork & Jefferson refuses to leave the army {sweet scene there btwn. mother & son}. Yorke tells his son to expect no preferential treatment, and begins to renew his relationship in a tender way with Kathleen; who he still loves greatly. During an Apache raid on the Cavalry's caravan, a group of white children in one of their wagons are taken & Jefferson teams up with 2 older recruits (played by Ben Johnson & Harry Carey Jr.) to be part of the all-important rescue effort. The Cavalry must cross the Rio Grande into Mexico in hot pursuit of the Apaches (and it's against the law to cross the border). Heroics ensue. Tragedy, too. But also the rekindling of a family.
I have to say, while the beginning of this film gripped me and the last Act had me riveted, there are portions throughout the middle that disinterested me enough to question the quality of what I was watching. But overall, I must say that I was impressed with many aspects of the movie; however minor it may feel in the canon of Western adventures. Though this is a 'serious' motion picture, there are many enjoyable aspects, thanks to the sturdy collaboration of John Ford, his craftspeople, John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, & the supporting actors who regularly show up in his films. Speaking of those roles, I got a kick out of Victor McLaglen as the oafish master sergeant. And The Yearling's Claude Jarman Jr. impressed me as Wayne's son in this his 1st major follow-up film since that 1946 film.
John Ford just really knows how to capture the aftermath of the Civil War in poetic visual, thematic, & richly defined ways. He captures a feel for the rugged life on a frontier. And thanks to his expertise eye & the cinematographer, the stark black-&-white photography of the landscapes is breathtaking. 'Rio Grande' also contains a sweeping music score by the great Victor Young & a smattering of Civil War era songs that are sprinkled throughout (one is even written by Dale Evans). Some of these tunes are silly. Some are poignant; especially the love ballad sung with John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara looking on at the singers. Without saying one word, the 2 actors convey a lifetime of emotions. There's just something about this pairing of Wane & O'Hara that always brings out movie chemistry magic. And so, while I didn't love 'Rio Grande', I admire it quite a bit and am glad to have seen it.
Yorke has been separated for quite a # of years & is shocked when his estranged wife Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara) shows up at the outpost. When she requests to buy her cherished son out of the army, Yorke refuses to do the necessary paperwork & Jefferson refuses to leave the army {sweet scene there btwn. mother & son}. Yorke tells his son to expect no preferential treatment, and begins to renew his relationship in a tender way with Kathleen; who he still loves greatly. During an Apache raid on the Cavalry's caravan, a group of white children in one of their wagons are taken & Jefferson teams up with 2 older recruits (played by Ben Johnson & Harry Carey Jr.) to be part of the all-important rescue effort. The Cavalry must cross the Rio Grande into Mexico in hot pursuit of the Apaches (and it's against the law to cross the border). Heroics ensue. Tragedy, too. But also the rekindling of a family.
I have to say, while the beginning of this film gripped me and the last Act had me riveted, there are portions throughout the middle that disinterested me enough to question the quality of what I was watching. But overall, I must say that I was impressed with many aspects of the movie; however minor it may feel in the canon of Western adventures. Though this is a 'serious' motion picture, there are many enjoyable aspects, thanks to the sturdy collaboration of John Ford, his craftspeople, John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, & the supporting actors who regularly show up in his films. Speaking of those roles, I got a kick out of Victor McLaglen as the oafish master sergeant. And The Yearling's Claude Jarman Jr. impressed me as Wayne's son in this his 1st major follow-up film since that 1946 film.
John Ford just really knows how to capture the aftermath of the Civil War in poetic visual, thematic, & richly defined ways. He captures a feel for the rugged life on a frontier. And thanks to his expertise eye & the cinematographer, the stark black-&-white photography of the landscapes is breathtaking. 'Rio Grande' also contains a sweeping music score by the great Victor Young & a smattering of Civil War era songs that are sprinkled throughout (one is even written by Dale Evans). Some of these tunes are silly. Some are poignant; especially the love ballad sung with John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara looking on at the singers. Without saying one word, the 2 actors convey a lifetime of emotions. There's just something about this pairing of Wane & O'Hara that always brings out movie chemistry magic. And so, while I didn't love 'Rio Grande', I admire it quite a bit and am glad to have seen it.