The Western has been re-examined, reconstructed and reinvented a whole lot during its century and a bit lifespan. In the 60s it was hijacked by European filmmakers, led by Sergio Leone, who emphasised the violence and despair and created the Spaghetti Western. All Hollywood Westerns that have come since have been influenced in one way or another by that movement. Recent Westerns from Appaloosa to True Grit have had a vein of cynicism running through them. They’ve acknowledged that the western expansion was a time of lawlessness, when a country was being built by ruthless opportunists at the expense of the native people.
But before those pesky Europeans stuck their noses into things, the American Western was an inspirational genre that exemplified all that was good and true about American values. The heroes were invariably the brave pioneers sweeping across the continent bringing hope and civilisation to a savage land, while the baddies were the cruel natives or anyone who tried to stop the expansion. They were less concerned with being accurate depictions of this violent and cruel time and more interested in creating an American mythology.
Howard Hawk’s Red River was released in 1948 and is traditional as they come. It tells the tale of stalwart rancher Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) driving ten thousand cattle from Texas to Missouri with his motley team of ranch hands, including his adopted son Matthew (Montgomery Clift) and ornery old geezer Groot (the inimitable Walter Brennan). But disputes and conflicts within the crew threaten to bring the whole endeavour down as rebellion looms.
I love westerns of all shapes and sizes but I must admit I do favour spaghetti westerns and the revisionist American westerns made from the 60s onwards by filmmakers like Sam Peckinpah and Don Siegel. They have a political and social awareness that were largely missing from traditional westerns and crucially provide what feels like a much more realistic depiction of a brutal time and place, where you can’t tell if a character is good or evil just by the colour of his hat.
But having said that there is great joy to be had in the uncomplicated thrills of the traditional western and Red River is thoroughly enjoyable. It often feels more like a naval adventure than a western, with Wayne as the captain trying to maintain the respect of his unruly crew on the long voyage across the plains. It has all the trappings of an old-fashioned western including the depiction of the natives as either psychotically savage murderers or dim-witted heathens, but this is simply a sign of the times it was made in.
It’s a gorgeous looking adventure and Russell Harlan’s crisp and dense black and white cinematography makes the American expanse look suitably epic especially in HD. One of the great joys of the film is Dimitri Tiomkin’s joyously uplifting musical score that could only exist in a traditional western; a modern cynical one would never get away with including his magnificent arrangement of Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie.
Overall Verdict: It may seem naively uncomplicated and possibly even offensive to modern eyes but there’s no denying that this grand and old-fashioned adventure movie is still effectively entertaining, perfect for whiling away a long and rainy Sunday afternoon.
Special Features:
Original Trailer
A discussion about Red River with filmmaker and critic Dan Sallitt.
Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon