Rio Bravo (film): Difference between revisions

| based_on = {{based on|"Rio Bravo"|B. H. McCampbell}}

| music = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dimitri Tiomkin]]

| released = {{Film date|1959|4|4|ref1=<ref>{{cite web | title=Catalog listing for Rio Bravo | website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]| date=1959-04-04 | url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53001 | access-date=2020-10-05 | archive-date=2020-11-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125140706/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53001 | url-status=live }}</ref>}}

| budget = $1,214,899<ref name="kings">{{cite book|title=Kings of the Bs : workingWorking within the Hollywood system : anAn anthology of film history and criticism |year=1975 |publisher=E. P. Dutton |edition=1st |editor-first1=Charles|editor-last1=Flynn|editor-first2=Todd|editor-last2=McCarthy|chapter=The Economic Imperative: Why Was the B Movie NecessayNecessary?|editor-first1page=Charles29|editor-last1isbn=Flynn|editor978-first2=Todd|editor-last2=McCarthy|page=290525140900}}</ref>

'''''Rio Bravo''''' is a 1959 American [[Western (genre)|Western]] film produceddirected and directedproduced by [[Howard Hawks]] and starring [[John Wayne]], [[Dean Martin]], [[Ricky Nelson]], [[Angie Dickinson]], [[Walter Brennan]], and [[Ward Bond]]. Written by [[Jules Furthman]] and [[Leigh Brackett]], based on the short story "Rio Bravo" by B. H. McCampbell, the film stars Wayne as a Texan sheriff who arrests the brother of a powerful local rancher for murder and then has to hold the man in jail until a [[U.S. Marshal]] can arrive. With the help of a "cripple"lame old man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter, they hold off the rancher's gang. ''Rio Bravo'' was filmed on location at [[Old Tucson Studios]] outside [[Tucson]], Arizona, in [[Eastmancolor]], with film processing provided by [[Technicolor]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/details/americancinemato40unse/page/226/mode/2up?view=theater&q=%22rio+bravo%22 |title=Photographing ''Rio Bravo'' |last=Lightman |first=Herb A. |date=1959 |journal=[[American Cinematographer]] |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=224–225, 251 |access-date=January 10, 2024}}</ref>

In 2014, ''Rio Bravo'' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the [[Library of Congress]] and selected for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-14-210/ |title=Cinematic Treasures Named to National Film Registry |date=17 December 2014 |access-date=4 August 2018 |work=[[National Film Preservation Board]] |issn=0731-3527 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |archive-date=11 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911175030/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-14-210/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing {{!}} Film Registry {{!}} National Film Preservation Board {{!}} Programs at the Library of Congress {{!}} Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA|access-date=2020-05-08|archive-date=2016-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031213743/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chance's friend Pat Wheeler attempts to enter town with a wagon train of supplies and dynamite, but has to force his way through Nathan Burdette's men. Chance reveals that he, Dude (who used to be a deputy before he became a drunk), and his oldlame crippledold deputy Stumpy are all that stand between Nathan's small army and Joe, whom they wish to free. Chance notices young gunslinger Colorado Ryan in Wheeler's wagon train, but Colorado promises he doesn't want to start any trouble.

Nathan himself rides into town. Stumpy, having old grudges withagainst theNathan Burdettesfor taking his land, threatens to shoot Joe if any trouble starts around the jail. In response, Nathan has his saloon musicians repeatedly play "[[El Degüello]]", {{aka}} "The Cutthroat Song". Colorado realizes the song means Nathan will show no mercy, and warns Chance.

Chance gives Dude back his old guns, some clothes and gunsa black hat he left behind when he became a drunkard, and Dude gets a haircut and shave, trying to start afresh. Unfortunately, Stumpy doesn't recognize Dude when he returns, and shoots at him, shattering Dude's nerves. The next day, Dude is still shaky and finds himselfis ambushed by Burdette's men, who threaten to kill him unless Chance lets Joe go. Colorado and Feathers distract the men long enough for Chance to get his rifle, and he and Colorado shoot down the men and free Dude. Dude thinks about quitting and letting Colorado take his place, but when he hears "El Degüello" being played, he resolves to see the thing through to the end.

Dude and Chance return to the hotel so Dude can take a bath, but Burdette's men capture Carlos' wife Consuelo and use her to lure Chance into a trap. Dude tells Chance to take the men to the jail, under pretext that Stumpy would let Joe out. However, Stumpy opens fire, as Dude secretly predicted. In the chaos, some men drag Dude off to Nathan, who demands a trade{{--}}Dude for Joe. Chance agrees, but brings Colorado as backup. Dude and Joe brawl during the trade, and a firefight ensues. Stumpy throws some sticks of dynamite from the wagons into the warehouse where Burdette and his men are holed up,; Chance and ChanceDude detonatesdetonate them with histheir rifleguns, abruptly ending the fight.

With both Burdettes and their few surviving gunmen in jail, Chance is able to finally spendspends some time with Feathers and admit his feelings for her. Colorado volunteers to guard the jail, allowing Stumpy and Dude to enjoy a night out in the town.

* [[Dean Martin]] as Dude

* [[Ricky Nelson]] as Colorado Ryan

* [[Angie Dickinson]] as Feathers

* [[Walter Brennan]] as Stumpy

* [[Ward Bond]] as Pat Wheeler

* [[John Russell (actor)|John Russell]] as Nathan Burdette

* [[Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez]] as Carlos Robante

* [[Estelita Rodriguez]] as ConsueloConsuela Robante

* [[Claude Akins]] as Joe Burdette

''Rio Bravo'' is generally regarded as one of Hawks' best, and is known for its long opening scene which contains no dialogue. The film received favorable reviews, and was successful, taking in over [[US$]]5.575 million, the highest grossing Western of 1959.<ref>{{CitationCite book |last=Hughes |first=Howard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abaKDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Rio+Bravo%22+%22box+office%22&pg=PA120 |title=Stagecoach to Tombstone: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Westerns needed|date=June2007-10-24 2008|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85771-701-6 |pages=120 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Boggs |first=Johnny D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQXHEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Rio+Bravo%22+%22box+office%22&pg=PT78 |title=The American West on Film |date=2019-11-15 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-216-04754-4 |language=en}}</ref>

As was often the case in a John Wayne Western, Wayne wore his "Red River D" belt buckle in the movie.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redriverdbeltbuckle.com/|website=Red River D Belt Buckle|title=History of the Red River D Buckle|access-date=2021-04-23|archive-date=2021-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123103333/http://redriverdbeltbuckle.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> It can be clearly seen in the scene wherewhen Nathan Burdette comes to visit his brother Joe in the jail where he is being held for the U.S. Marshal, about 60 minutes into the film; and again in the scene where Wayne, Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson deal with three of Burdette's men in front of the hotel.

The story was credited to "B.H. McCampbell." According to [[Todd McCarthy]]'s 1997 biography, "''Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood''," this was actually Hawks' eldest daughter, Barbara Hawks McCampbell (McCampbell being her married name). Her contribution was the idea of using dynamite in the final shootout.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.funtrivia.com/en/Movies/Rio-Bravo-13265_2.html|title=Rio Bravo Trivia Questions, Page 2, Movies Q-T|author=suomy|publisher=Funtrivia, Inc.}}</ref>

The musical score was composed by [[Dimitri Tiomkin]]. His score includes the hauntingly ominous "''[[El Degüello]]''" theme, which is heard several times.<ref>[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/xed01 The Handbook of Texas Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310183148/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/xed01 |date=2016-03-10 }}, Texas State Historical Association (retrieved on November 22, 2006).</ref> The Colorado character identifies the tune as "The Cutthroat Song". He relates that the song was played on the orders of General [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] to the Texans holed up in [[Battle of the Alamo|the Alamo]], to signify that no quarter would be given to them. The tune was used in Wayne's film ''[[The Alamo (1960 film)|The Alamo]]'' (1960). Composer [[Ennio Morricone]] recalled that director [[Sergio Leone]] asked him to write "Dimitri Tiomkin music" for ''[[A Fistful of Dollars]]''. The trumpet theme is similar to Tiomkin's "''Degüello''" (the Italian title of ''Rio Bravo'' was ''Un dollaro d'onore'', ''A Dollar of Honor'').<ref>{{citationCite book |last=Kalinak |first=Kathryn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=45GpAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Rio+Bravo%22+%22score%22&pg=PT163 |title=Music in the Western: Notes From the Frontier needed|date=March2012-05-22 2021|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-62056-0 |pages=163 |language=en}}</ref>

Because the film starred a [[crooner]], Martin, and a [[teen idol]], Nelson, Hawks included three songs in the [[soundtrack]]. Before the big [[shootout|showdown]], in the [[jail|jail house]], Martin sings "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" (which contains new lyrics by Webster to a Tiomkin tune that appeared in ''[[Red River (1948 film)|Red River]]''), accompanied by Nelson, after which Nelson sings a brief version of "[[Cindy (folk song)|Get Along Home, Cindy]]", accompanied by Martin and Brennan. Over the closing credits, Martin, backed by the [[Nelson Riddle]] Orchestra, sings a specially composed song, "Rio Bravo", written by Tiomkin with lyrics by [[Paul Francis Webster]]. Nelson later paid homage to both the film and his character, Colorado, by including the song "Restless Kid" on his 1959 [[LP (format)|LP]], ''Ricky Sings Again''.

Members of the [[Western Writers of America]] chose "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.<ref name="Top100">{{Cite web |title=The Top 100 Western Songs |author=Western Writers of America |year=2010 |author-link=Western Writers of America |publisher=American Cowboy |url=http://www.americancowboy.com/culture/top-100-western-songs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/2014081307285120101019002745/http://americancowboy.com/culture/top-100-western-songs |archive-date=1319 AugustOctober 20142010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The film was made as a response to ''[[High Noon]]'',<ref name="michael munn">{{cite book|last1=Munn|first1=Michael|title=John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth|date=2005|publisher=Penguin|location=New York|isbn=0451214145|page=190|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qqatDJRg1NYC&q=john+wayne+high+noon+rio+bravo&pg=PA190|access-date=1 February 2015|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423231622/https://books.google.com/books?id=qqatDJRg1NYC&q=john+wayne+high+noon+rio+bravo&pg=PA190|url-status=live}}</ref> which is sometimes thought to be an [[allegory]] for [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklisting in Hollywood]], as well as a critique of [[McCarthyism]].<ref>[http://tags.library.upenn.edu/rollmang/blacklist Blacklist] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207032051/http://tags.library.upenn.edu/rollmang/blacklist |date=2009-02-07}}</ref> Wayne would later callcalled ''High Noon'' "un-American" and saysaid he did not regret helping run the writer, [[Carl Foreman]], out of the country.<ref name=manfred/> Director Howard Hawks went on the record to criticize ''High Noon'' by saying, "I didn't think a good sheriff was going to go running around town like a chicken with his head cut off asking for help, and finally his Quaker wife had to save him."<ref name="jeff stafford" /> According to film historian [[Emanuel Levy]], Wayne and Hawks teamed up deliberately to rebut ''High Noon'' by telling a somewhat similar story their own way: portraying a hero who does not show fear or inner conflict and who never repudiates his commitment to public duty, while only allying himself with capable people, despite offers of help from many other characters. Chance also cites concerns for the safety of those that offer to help and his fears are confirmed when the first such offer results in the character being quickly killed. <ref>{{cite web|last1=Levy|first1=Emanuel|title=High Noon: Why John Wayne Hated the Film|url=http://emanuellevy.com/comment/high-noon-why-john-wayne-hated-the-film-9/|website=Cinema 24/7|date=June 12, 2007 |access-date=1 February 2015|archive-date=26 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426161913/http://emanuellevy.com/comment/high-noon-why-john-wayne-hated-the-film-9/|url-status=live}}</ref> In ''Rio Bravo'', Chance is surrounded by allies—a deputy who is brave and good with a gun, despite recovering from alcoholism (Dude), a young untried but self-assured gunfighter (Colorado), a limping, "crippled" old man who is doggedly loyal (Stumpy), a Mexican innkeeper (Carlos), his wife (Consuelo), and an attractive young woman (Feathers)—and repeatedly turns down aid from anyone he does not think is capable of helping him,.<ref name="jeff stafford">{{cite web|last1=Stafford|first1=Jeff|title=Rio Bravo|url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1069%7C0/Rio-Bravo.html|website=TCM Film Article|publisher=Turner Entertainment Network|access-date=1 February 2015|archive-date=14 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514195816/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1069%7C0/Rio-Bravo.html|url-status=live}}</ref> though in the final shootout they come to help him anyway. "Who'll turn up next?" Wayne asks amid the gunfire, to which Colorado replies: "Maybe the girl with another flower pot."

In the United Kingdom, ''Rio Bravo'' was not originally even reviewed for ''[[Sight & Sound]]'';<ref>''The Movie'' article by [[Phil Hardy (journalist)|Phil Hardy]], 1980</ref> [[Leslie Halliwell]] gave the film two out of four stars in his ''Film Guide'', describing it as a "cheerfully overlong and slow-moving Western" that was nevertheless "very watchable for those with time to spare".<ref>Halliwell, Leslie (1979). ''Halliwell's Film Guide to 8,000 English Language Films'', [[Rupert Hart-Davis|Hart-Davis, MacGibbon]], Granada.</ref> The film was taken more seriously by British critics such as [[Robin Wood (critic)|Robin Wood]], who rated it as his top film of all time and wrote a book on it in 2003 for the [[British Film Institute]], publishers of ''Sight & Sound''. [[Pauline Kael]] called the film "silly, but with zest; there are some fine action sequences, and the performers seem to be enjoying their roles."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.geocities.ws/paulinekaelreviews/r3.html |title=ArchivedPauline copyKael |access-date=2019-03-15 |archive-date=2018-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907090446/http://www.geocities.ws/paulinekaelreviews/r3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Rio Bravo'' was the second highest-ranking Western (63rd overall) in the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' critics' poll of the greatest films ever made.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/critics |title=Critics' top 100 |publisher=British Film Institute |date=2012 |access-date=December 12, 2016 |archive-date=February 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207035347/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/critics |url-status=livedead }}</ref> In 2008, the [[American Film Institute]] nominated this film for its [[AFI's 10 Top 10|Top 10 Western Films list]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/10top10.pdf?docID=381&AddInterest=1781 |title=AFI's 10 Top 10 Nominees |format=PDF |access-date=2016-08-19 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716071937/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/10top10.pdf?docID=381&AddInterest=1781 |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}</ref>

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|9896|8.43|4346|''Rio Bravo'' finds director Howard Hawks – and his stellar ensemble cast – working at peak performance, and the end result is a towering classic of the Western genre.|ref=yes|access-date=DecemberFebruary 68, 20212023}}

Howard HanksHawks went on to direct two loose variations of ''Rio Bravo'' with the idea of a sheriff defending his office against belligerent outlaws. John Wayne starred in both films, released as ''[[El Dorado (1966 film)|El Dorado]]'' in 1966 with [[Robert Mitchum]] playing a variation of Dean Martin's original role, and ''[[Rio Lobo]]'' in 1970.<ref>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=el_dorado|type=m|title=El Dorado|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=rio_lobo|type=m|title=Rio Lobo|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref>

* [[Dell Comics|Dell]] [[Four Color]] #1018 (June 1959), illustrated by [[Alex Toth]].<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=15302|title=Dell Four Color #1018}}</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=issue|id=313752|title=Dell Four Color #1018}}</ref>

* ''Rio Bravo'' essay [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/rio_bravo.pdf Rio Bravo Essay] by Michael Schlesinger at [[National Film Registry]]

* {{AmgTCMDb movietitle|41469|Rio Bravo16103}}

[[Category:American buddy action films]]