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John Wayne and sometime crooners Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson star in Howard Hawks' seminal western Rio Bravo. It wasn't just a landmark in the genre, but a masterful exercise in suspense that later inspired director John Carpenter to make urban thriller Assault On Precinct 13. Both films see a group of lawmen holed up in a tense standoff with marauding desperadoes...
Shooting From The Hip
Anyone who really loves film will relish the chance to hear the late great Howard Hawks talking about his work in the hour-long documentary The Men Who Made Movies. Speaking in 1973, he recollects the stories behind all of his greatest works, from gangster yarn Scarface to screwball romance Bringing Up Baby. According to him, Katharine Hepburn was quite apprehensive about doing comedy, but adds that an essential part of his job was to soothe actors' anxieties (especially the A-listers). He chats about working again with Cary Grant on His Girl Friday, before going on to make Bogey/Bacall thrillers To Have And Have Not and The Big Sleep. Then came his first western, the classic Red River starring John Wayne. Rio Bravo came towards the end of his career and was a direct reaction to Gary Cooper's 1952 western - "I didn't like High Noon," says the no-nonsense helmer. "I thought it was phoney..."
The half-hour documentary Commemoration puts the focus solely on Rio Bravo, described as Hawk's "most personal film." John Carpenter is among the learned interviewees who share their insights, along with veteran actress Angie Dickinson (who plays Wayne's love interest). She reveals that Dean Martin - who she came to know as part of The Rat Pack - was "very scared" about acting, contrary to his laidback image. Likewise, we're told that Hawks was very nervous about the production, after the critical and commercial disaster that was Land Of The Pharaohs. Returning to Hollywood after four years, he's said to have questioned his ability to the point where he was "throwing up behind the props..."
Cowboy Tactics
John Carpenter explains why Hawks is his "favourite director" in a commentary for the film, shared with critic and historian Richard Schickel. While JC draws your attention to the way the camera moves in a scene, Schickel throws in a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes and analysis of the subtext. The relationship between Wayne's grisly sheriff and the young Miss Dickinson is one of the talking points, since much of it is ripped from To Have And Have Not. Even the dialogue is frighteningly close to the words Lauren Bacall utters to Humphrey Bogart.
Completing the two-disc package is a backstage tour of the Old Tucson Studios in Arizona where the film was shot. This mocked-up frontier town, which was also the setting for other classic westerns like Winchester '73 and The Gunfight At The OK Corral, today serves as an Old West theme park. Brimming with nostalgia and graced with that rare Hawks interview, this Special Edition DVD is great news for cinephiles.
EXTRA FEATURES
Rio Bravo: Special Edition DVD is released on Monday 28st May 2007.
