When John Wayne broke out in the celebrity of cinema The classic of John Ford in 1939 “Stagecoach”, “,” He quickly established himself as the most bankable actor in the film industry. Each image of Wayne was not a success, but they almost always made a well -tidy profit. Given that he was remarkably prolific throughout the premium of his career, making several films per year, it meant that his fans expected a certain level of quality of the star – if not, they would have stopped showing up at a certain time.
If you are new in John Wayne’s films and you are looking for a good starting point, you can not do better than the aforementioned West, which has established its laconic fanfaron personality. But once you have put this away, you can take many different paths. You can try one of his war films or watch the duke be absolutely striking by Barbara Stanwyck in the classic pre-code “Baby Face”.
If, however, you want to see the Wayne cocksure being challenged for real in a western proper, there are many great options. “She wore a yellow ribbon” and “the researchers” are complete classics of Ford, while Mark Rydell’s “The Cowboys” (and his sensational score of John Williams) could surprise you. But if you want to see someone not only at the head of Wayne, but that it sometimes blows it from the screen, the film you are looking for is “Red River” by Howard Hawks, and it is streaming for free right now!
Red River Stop at the old Wayne against Montgomery Clift at the new school
Wayne played several pure and simple bastards throughout his career, but, with the possible exception of Ethan Edwards in “The Searchers”, I am not sure that he was never more than the breeder Thomas Dunson in “Red River”. Determined to lead its 10,000 cattle to the Missouri, regardless of the considerable risk. Riding with him is his adopted son Matt, a young man with growing confidence and a greater feeling of decency played by Montgomery Clift, 28, in one of his first large screen roles.
The story itself is not riddled with surprises. It is mainly “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Wayne as Captain and Clift as the accusation that usurps his command. We sympathize with Matt, but the Hawks and his writers (Borden Chase and Charles Schnee) depict Dunson as a hard man fighting like a hell to ensure the survival of his livelihoods. The Ranch is his life, and Dunson has killed to protect him. The film finds DUSON at a precarious moment; He is challenged by his son, who does not want to go for the kind of bloodshed that marked the life of his father, and when he cannot convince the old man to moderate his wickedness, he throws him.
Dunson is not the type to lose a fight, so we know that there will be a calculation between the father and the son. It is a spectacular conflict, which is doubly loaded when we consider that the Hawks opposed the actor of film not to make a clift formed by the method. Are there better westerns? No, not really (Metacritic says it’s the best of Wayne). Just perfect westerns in different ways.
“Red River” is currently streaming for free (with advertisements) on the Roku, Pluto TV and Freevee channel. There are also free advertisements without on Hoopla.
