Red River Movie Review

THE WESTERN MOVIE “RED RIVER” : A TALE OF A TRAVEL ALONG THE RED RIVER The open wide lands of the prairies with cattle herds leaded by the cowboys with horses are among the most beautiful scenes of the classic western “Red river” which narrates the first cattle drive on the Chisholm trail, the historic route where cowboys travel with cowherds. Based on Borden Chase’s novel “Saturday Evening Post” from the story of “The Chisholm trail”, the movie “Red river” shot on the locations of Arizona and Mexico, directed by Howard Hawks, it’s built on the relationship between a mature man Tom Dunson, John Wayne with a young man Matthew Garth, Montgomery Clift. Howard Hawks told: “When I started at the work of “Red river”, I thought that I could realize an adult western and not usual cowboy films”. This movie starts through the tale of a book’s pages telling about the hard job of ranchers in the sunny wild ranges of America. Magnificent sequences are the escape and chasing of the cattle during the night while men are camping around a bivouac to take restore, they go into a stampede, like in the morning when cowboys travel with cows across the river, going with their conestogas and horses through the prairies. “Red river” represents the theme of a journey which is also a way to discover ourselves in the bottom of our own sentiments, where we can make experiences, learning from each other, it’s a film based on strong passions. The movie begins with Tom Dunson and his friend Nadine Groot, Walter Brennan are accompanying a group of pioneers towards California. They both decide to go on their own on other territories even if they find themselves at an Indian ambush. Then Tom Dunson meets Matthew Garth, they get well together even if they’ve different characters. Dunson is an intrepid, impulsive, skilled man, instead Garth is calm, courageous, pondering situations. Anyway they think to start their own cattle enterprise in Texas, to sell it and to build a ranch with a house that will be by the river with a corral, the hay loft and horses. While they’re travelling, they see around good grazing lands for cows in a region nearby Rio Grande. They can’t get to sell the cattle so they move towards Missouri. They all work hard, Dunson teaches many things to Garth but during the trip Tom’s behaviour changes. He becomes authoritarian, cynic, discussing with everybody contrasting his initiatives, so inducing Garth to the rebellion. Matthew decides to leave Tom and he goes to Abilene with the cattle where after some negotiations with the Beef Trading he sells the cattle. Meanwhile Tom Dunson wants to revenge of Matthew Garth, but he meets Tess Millay, Joanna Dru, a Matthew’s friend, talking with her sitting around a table, he reveals her his feelings at the light of a lamp in the cosy ambience of a camping tent. Then Tess informs Matthew at the Royale Hotel, Tom is looking for him, when Dunson meets Garth, manifesting his rancour, he invites him to fight, taking up the gun. Tess understands that behind their rivalry, they love each other, so she suggests them to get themselves reconcilied. Dunson is proud of Garth’s work and drawing the bands of a river with the initials of Dunson and Matthew, they create the new brand of their cattle enterprise which also represents the symbol of their friendship. “Red river” talking about of a journey on the new territories where everybody can realize own desires, like other western classics, the movie describes those rude, intense, spontaneous feelings which get well with the natural beauty of landscapes. Anna & Maria Sciacca