Tonight's Movie: Rio Grande (1950) - An Olive Signature Blu-ray Review

Director John Ford's RIO GRANDE (1950) is now available on Blu-ray from Olive Films.

RIO GRANDE is not just one of my favorite Westerns, I have listed it as one of my Top 30 favorite films of all time. Olive's new Blu-ray release more than does it justice.

RIO GRANDE is a film which, like Ford and Wayne's SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949), is so close to my heart that it's challenging to write about.  (I did so briefly early last year for Classic Movie Hub.) I pretty much know the film by heart, yet it never gets old; instead it becomes dearer with each viewing, as once more I spend time with old friends.

RIO GRANDE is the final film in Ford and Wayne's informal "Calvary trilogy" which began with FORT APACHE (1948) and continued with SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. Some readers are no doubt aware that RIO GRANDE was part of a deal Ford, Wayne, and O'Hara made with Republic Pictures president Herbert J. Yates, who agreed to fund the making of THE QUIET MAN (1952) if they first made this Western.

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke (Wayne) commands a calvary troop at a fort near the Rio Grande.  To Yorke's surprise, his son Jeff (Claude Jarman Jr.), whom he's not seen in 15 years, shows up among a group of new recruits.  The young man enlisted after flunking math at West Point and losing his chance for a commission.

Yorke is even more surprised when his estranged wife Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara) arrives at the fort shortly after Jeff, hoping to change Jeff's mind about frontier military service and buy him out of his enlistment. Jeff refuses to quit and gradually impresses his father with his character.  Meanwhile, Jeff's parents begin moving toward reconciliation, including coming to terms with an incident which drove them apart during the Civil War.

James Kevin McGuinness based his excellent screenplay on a Saturday evening post story by James Warner Bellah.  The combination of writing, directing, and acting ensures that every character is beautifully sketched, from the leads down to small roles like gallant Captain St. Jacques (Peter Ortiz) and kindly Dr. Wilkins (Chill Wills).

Aside from Wayne and O'Hara, whose touching performances here are among their very best, I especially love Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. as Troopers Tyree and Boone.  My entire family can quote some of their lines, and their horsemanship is beyond compare.  (For anyone who may not already know, yes, that's really Johnson, Carey, and Jarman doing the "Roman riding" early in the movie, not stuntmen!)

I also love that the movie is filled with music from the Sons of the Pioneers, including soloist Ken Curtis, which is not only beautiful but works to reveal character and move the story forward, notably during "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" and "My Gal is Purple."  The latter song, with Wayne standing at the river contemplating at sundown, is one of my favorite scenes in any movie.

There's also plenty of action to offset the more tender musical moments; the final charge on a church to rescue a group of children, all set to the incessant clanging of the church bell, is superbly staged.

The supporting cast includes Victor McLaglen, J. Carrol Naish, Grant Withers, Karolyn Grimes, Fred Kennedy, Steven Pendleton, and Alberto Morin.

RIO GRANDE was filmed in black and white by Bert Glennon. Much of the film was shot on location in Utah and Arizona.  The movie runs 105 minutes.

This Olive Films Signature Edition Blu-ray, with plentiful extras, is limited to 3500 units.  It looks and sounds wonderful.

Olive's extensive extras include an audio commentary track by Nancy Schoenberger; multiple featurettes, with Claude Jarman Jr., Patrick Wayne, Leonard Maltin, and Mark Wanamaker (the latter on the Sons of the Pioneers); a visual essay by Tag Gallagher; and the trailer. 

I found Jarman's recollections particularly enjoyable.  Jarman's interview with Ford ("Can you ride a horse?") sounded very much like a story William Wellman Jr. recently shared with some bloggers, including myself, on a Zoom chat about being cast in THE HORSE SOLDIERS (1959); it was likewise a very short discussion where Wellman was asked the same question.  Ford spent such little time with Wellman that he was quite surprised to later learn he'd been cast in a small part.

Both RIO GRANDE and Olive's Blu-ray are most highly recommended.

Thanks to Olive Films for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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