RIO BRAVO: 4K UHD Blu-ray (Warner Bros., 1959) Warner Home Video
Based on a short story by B.H.
McCampbell, Rio Bravo (1959) represents something of a major comeback
for its director, Howard Hawks, who had not made a movie in almost 5-years. Hawks,
who exhibited three decades of extraordinary versatility behind the camera on
product as diverse as Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Big Sleep
(1946) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) had seen his reputation
plummet on Land of the Pharaohs (1955) - a DeMillian epic that, despite
being well-informed and lavishly appointed, ironically failed to catch on with
either his fans or even the general public, and, was thoroughly lambasted by
the critics as just another 'sword and sandal' quickie - costly, but dumb.
Disillusioned, Hawks took a step back to reevaluate his future. In this
interim, the studio system, once to have coddled directors like Hawks, severely
eroded. No one – not even Hawks – was immune to the cliché assessment of being
considered only ‘as good’ or ‘as bad’ as their last picture. So, Hawks was
suddenly considered passe - at best or a gamble - at worst. Employing long-time collaborators, Leigh
Brackett and Jules Furthman to pen a screenplay, Hawks turned to friend and
star, John Wayne – whose cache was seemingly immune to the times. Via Wayne’s
auspices, backing was secured and Hawks found himself working again – this
time, on the Warner backlot.
Like Hawks, Wayne’s career had
faltered with the occasional misfire. Yet, unlike Hawks, Wayne’s bankability at
the box office was never brought into question, most recently appraised by the
surefire hit of John Ford’s The Searchers (1956). Hence, Wayne’s name
above the title still carried major clout. And although co-star, Walter
Brennan’s was quick to accompany Wayne’s on Hawks’ short list of actors he knew
and trusted, Hawks made two uncharacteristic casting choices thereafter that,
at least in hindsight, proved fortuitous and ever-lasting to Rio Bravo’s
success. The first was Dean Martin, then perceived as only ‘half’ of the
ultra-popular comedy act, Martin and Lewis. A creative rift with co-star, Jerry
Lewis turned Martin into a free agent, more than anxious to make his bones on a
Howard Hawks’ picture. Yet, Hawks was marginally apprehensive Martin’s public
persona, perceived as a light comedian, would be at odds with the harsh
portrait of a rummy he had in mind for the character of Dude. Nevertheless, Hawks
granted Martin an audience, audition, and finally, a screen test, and was
bowled over by Martin’s ability to embody the character as he had envisioned.
Hawks also hand-picked teenage heartthrob and pop icon, Ricky Nelson to play
the gunslinger, Colorado. Ironically, at the time, Nelson was the biggest name
in the cast – having grown to prominence on TV’s The Adventures of Ozzie and
Harriet and, as a recording star. However, Hawks was rather unimpressed by
Nelson’s first day of shooting, coaxing Nelson to observe the mannerisms of
actor, Montgomery Clift in another Hawks’ western – Red River (1948) –
to develop his own cadence and mood for the part.
Much of Rio Bravo would be
shot on location at Old Tucson Studios. To establish the mood of the piece
Hawks turned to composer, Dimitri Tiomkin, whose eloquently portentous ‘El
Degüello’ theme, evoked a sense of the danger and destiny of these solitary
men. Aside: rumor has it, Sergio Leone’s instructions to composer, Ennio
Morricone on A Fistful of Dollars (1964) was to study Tiomkin’s score
for Rio Bravo. Music would also play another pivotal role in the
picture, as Hawks reasoned that with Dean and Ricky in his cast, he needed
songs to help promote the soundtrack. As such, Martin sang ‘My Rifle, My
Pony, and Me’ (which contained new lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, riffing
off a Tiomkin's own orchestral arrangement in Red River), while Nelson
warbled ‘Get Along Home, Cindy’ accompanied by Martin, Wayne and
Brennan. Finally, during the closing credits, Martin sang the title tune,
again, co-written by Tiomkin and Webster. Hawks would later go on the record as
having made Rio Bravo as his rebuttal to Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon
(1952) - a movie Hawks absolutely abhorred. Wayne too – an ultra-conservative -
was none too keen on Zinnemann’s veiled anti-McCarthyism, calling it
‘un-American’ and even going so far as to voice his gratitude for having helped
blacklist ‘Noon’s’ screenwriter, Carl Foreman. What likely
offended Hawks about Zinnemann’s classic was the idea a morally forthright
sheriff could be almost completely undone by his own lack of faith in himself,
desperately seeking support from the townsfolk he had diligently protected
under the law – and, that in the penultimate display of gunfire, it would take
the self-sacrifice of his Quaker wife to save the day. Hence, Hawks and Wayne
conspired on Rio Bravo to basically tell the same story, only this time
with the hero remaining heroic and not asking for – even accepting – help when
it was offered.
Rio Bravo begins in
earnest with the imprisonment of Joe Burnette (Claude Akins) for the murder of
an innocent man during a bar room altercation involving Deputy Sheriff Dude
(Dean Martin) and Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne). Burnette’s posse does
not take lightly to his incarceration, and, neither does Burnette’s brother,
wealthy rancher, Nathan (John Russell). After the Sheriff’s long-time friend,
Pat Wheeler offers to guard the jail – and is murdered by Burnette’s men –
Wheeler’s hired gun, Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) takes a stand with Chance,
Dude and the jailer, Stumpy (Walter Brennan), determined to hold down the fort
until the U.S. Marshall’s arrival. There are two back stories running
concurrently throughout this central narrative. The first, involves Chance’s
growing affections for Feathers (Angie Dickinson) – a con on the lam and out to
romantically ensnare the Sheriff. The other worth mentioning is Dude’s triumph
over alcoholism, earlier begun by a love affair turned rancid. Hawks builds all
this sustained tension into an explosive showdown between the Sheriff, Dude and
Colorado vs. Nathan Burnette and his henchmen.
Not all of Rio Bravo is as
great as its pedigree would suggest. The story, while solidly scripted by Jules
Furthman and Leigh Brackett, waffles in its middle act – through a series of
contemplative debates among the principals that are more theoretical than
action-oriented. The picture also positively stalls for its ‘concert-like’
musical interludes that, while charming, have absolutely nothing to do with the
story. What is engrossing throughout is its bro-mantic chemistry between its
stars. Wayne and Martin are undeniably having a good time, evolving into an
empathetic pair in which tough love proves the sobering influence, with Nelson
processed into this mix as the ingenue full of male-identifying idolization,
and Brennan, the clairvoyant sage of the piece – part curmudgeon/part
grandfatherly figure, understanding of the brittle camaraderie between Chance
and Dude, but also exceedingly hopeful about the future, buoyed by Colorado’s
as yet untainted optimism. And Hawks is a seasoned story teller, intuitively to
recognize just how far he can experiment with, and delay the inevitable, and
still, bring it home to a successful conclusion. The last act – the big finish
and showdown – remains Rio Bravo’s tour de force. Only in hindsight is
the picture as much a rebuttal to Zinnemann’s High Noon as it marks its
territory as a reunion piece – a return to form for both John Wayne (whose
various attempts to depart the western milieu had not proven altogether
successful) and Hawks, who considered it such a crowning achievement he would
remake it twice more in the future, as 1967’s El Dorado, then 1970’s Rio
Lobo – with diminished, though arguably, still profitable results.
It’s been a rather disappoint 100th
anniversary for Warner Bros. The home video division has limped into this
epoch, regurgitating existing (and occasionally flawed) video masters into
casually slapped together box sets that, arguably, appeal to no one (as the
singles have been readily available to own, in some cases, for decades), and
released only a trickle of home-grown, but new to Blu product via the Warner
Archive (WAC). For a studio boasting such illustrious stars as Errol Flynn,
Bette Davis, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and, Joan Crawford – to name only a
handful in its vast alignment of legendary performers, we have yet to see much
of their Warner output arrive in hi-def. So, no Old Acquaintance, The
Roaring Twenties, City for Conquest, Humoresque, Across the Pacific, The Man
Who Came to Dinner, Charge of the Light Brigade, Gentleman Jim, Captain Blood,
In This Our Life, The Old Maid, and on and on. But I digress.
Warner Home Video has deigned –
again with dwindling results – to release a select group of 4K masters to mark
its 100th anniversary, among them – Rio Bravo. So, how does it look in UHD? In a word –
spiffy. The Technicolor on this release has always been problematic. In 4K it continues
to favor a ruddy palette. Unlike the previous Blu-ray, browns, oranges, blacks
and grays, that once took on a nondescript muddy tone, have a subtler
refinement here. The image is not as crisp or as well-defined as one might
expect. But it does offer a marked uptick in overall quality. Flesh tones that
were too reddish or flat, pasty orange on the Blu, now have subtler hues and
texturing. Curiously, long and medium shots still want for fine detail.
Contrast is a shay deeper. This is a grain-rich video transfer. There are
several shots where it is heavy to the point of distraction. We get 2 audio
options – the 2.0 DTS mono and reimagined 5.1 DTS that was a part of the
Blu-ray release from 2012. The real beneficiary of the 5.1 is Dimitri Tiomkin’s
score and the two songs sung by Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin, remixed from surviving
mag tracks in full stereo. The rest sounds pretty flat, with dialogue front and
center. Extras are direct imports from the Warner’s DVD: 3 documentaries (one
on the movie, and two devoted to Hawks’ film-making genius). There is also an
informative audio commentary from John Carpenter and Richard Schickel, and, the
original theatrical trailer. Bottom line: Rio Bravo is an uneven, but
engaging western. The 4K is not entirely perfect, but the best this movie has
ever looked on home video. Judge and buy accordingly.
FILM RATING (out
of 5 - 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
4
EXTRAS
3.5
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