Red River (1948)

Directors:

Howard Hawks
Arthur Rosson (co-director)

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay) and
Charles Schnee (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 August 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Action | Adventure

Tagline:

Greatest Spectacle Ever!

Plot:

Dunson is driving his cattle to Red River when his adopted son, Matthew, turns against him.

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Kansas | Cattle Drive | Texas | Deserter

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

John Wayne	...	Thomas Dunson
Montgomery Clift	...	Matt Garth
Joanne Dru	...	Tess Millay
Walter Brennan	...	'Groot' Nadine
Coleen Gray	...	Fen (also as Colleen Gray)
Harry Carey	...	Mr. Melville (as Harry Carey Sr.)
John Ireland	...	Cherry Valance
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Buster McGee
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dan Latimer
Chief Yowlachie	...	Quo
Paul Fix	...	Teeler Yacey
Hank Worden	...	Simms Reeves (as Hank Warden)
Mickey Kuhn	...	Matt, as a boy
Ray Hyke	...	Walt Jergens
Hal Taliaferro	...	Old Leather

Also Known As:

The River Is Red (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Sweden:15 (cut) | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Norway:16 | USA:Unrated | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Elgin, Arizona, USA

Company:

Charles K. Feldman Group

Trivia:

After seeing John Wayne's performance in Red River (1948), directed by rival director Howard Hawks, John Ford is quoted as saying, "I never knew the big son of a bitch could act."

Goofs:

Continuity: Inside the tent, during Tom and Tess's conversation, the lamp hanging between them changes positions and disappears between shots.

Quotes:

Cherry Valance: You're fast with that gun, Matt. Awful fast. But your heart's soft. Too soft. Might get you hurt some day.
Matt Garth: Could be. I wouldn't count on it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Australia (2008)

Soundtrack:

Settle Down

Classic Western

Red River(1948) is a film that gets better with age. This was the first of five Howard Hawks/John Wayne features. Red River(1948) was Howard Hawks third straight gem right after To Have & Have Not(1944) and The Big Sleep(1946). John Wayne had come a long way from his low budget Lone Star film days.

The film is considered a Western take on The Mutiny on the Bounty. The relationship between Tom Dunson and Matt Garth is deeply complex. Although they're prepared to kill each other, deep down they still respect for one another. This relationship is based on control, idealism, respect, and trust.

It takes a fascinating look at the cattle drive during the Wild West. The film shows the responsbility that went with driving cattle across country and the different road blocks that many riders were faced with. Red River(1948) shows that the cattle drives were a cowboy's main source of work. City Slickers(1991) would do a wonderful homage to this Howard Hawks classic.

Tom Dunson, Ringo Kid, and Ethan Edwards to name a few are some of the best characters played by the duke. He exhibits here that he was a great actor as well as a great Hollywood star. Its a shame that his best performances were overlooked by by many people during his lifetime(he's definitely a superior actor compared to the likes of Stallone, Arnold, and Willis combined). It was actually filmed during 1946 but was shelved for two year due to a legal battle with Howard Hughes.

Montgomery Clift stands out on his own as Matt Garth in acting next to John Wayne. Walter Brennan is excellent in the role of Tom Dunson's sidekick. Red River(1948) was one of the best film to come out of 1948. Red River(1948) contains a trademark flirtious man-woman relationship between Matt Garth and Tess that also evident in some of the director's other works...I.E., His Girl Friday(Walter & Hildy), Ball of Fire(Potts & O'Shea), To Have & Have Not(Harry & Slim), The Big Sleep(Phillip Marlowe & Vivian Sternwood), and Rio Bravo(John T. Chance & Feathers).