As a seasoned Western movie enthusiast with a soft spot for Howard Hawks and John Wayne, I must say that the parallel tales of Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and Rio Lobo are a delightful treat. Having watched these classics multiple times, I can attest to their enduring charm and the timeless appeal of their characters.
Among the most respected directors in Hollywood history, Howard Hawks was exceptionally skilled at crafting films across various genres. Be it directing the legendary gangster movie “Scarface,” the timeless musical “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” the groundbreaking film noir “The Big Sleep,” or the influential screwball comedy “Bringing Up Baby,” Hawks possessed an uncanny ability to narrate stories for the big screen. However, his most significant impact on cinema might be seen in the realm of Western films.
As a dedicated film enthusiast reflecting on my collaborations with John Wayne, I can’t help but notice the striking resemblances between our 1959 Western masterpiece, Rio Bravo, and our 1966 creation, El Dorado. It’s left many moviegoers puzzled – are these two films one in the same? Was it a deliberate move by Hawks and The Duke to remake an old tale or were these story parallels merely coincidental? To unravel this enigma, a detailed side-by-side comparison seems essential.
What Is Rio Bravo About?
Rio Bravo, helmed by Howard Hawks, is a classic Western movie originating from the USA. The screenplay was penned by Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman, inspired by the short story Rio Bravo authored by B.H. McCampbell. In essence, this film revolves around Sheriff John T. Chance (portrayed by John Wayne), who apprehends Joe Burdette, the sibling of a wealthy Texas landowner, for the cold-blooded murder of an unassuming citizen. With Joe behind bars, Sheriff Chance finds himself under threat from Nathan Burdette, Joe’s formidable brother.
In order to defend against Nathan and his troops, Chance enlists the help of three men: the tipsy Dude (Dean Martin), the young cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), and the veteran with a disability Stumpy (Walter Brennan). This quartet takes refuge in a temporary jail where Joe is being held captive, fiercely resisting every effort to break through the building and free Joe from prison. However, the nearly three-hour film Rio Bravo isn’t just about action; it also serves as a leisurely movie where there are extended periods between gunfights that allow for character development and depth to be explored.
To put it another way, viewers who’ve watched the movie will likely never forget the scene where Dude, Ryan, and Stumpy harmoniously sing “My Rifle, My Pony, and Me” while Chance gracefully moves side to side. This moment serves as a clear demonstration of Hawks’ skill in blending genres and eliciting remarkable camaraderie between actors from different eras. Fundamentally, Rio Bravo is an action-packed Western centered around a siege and defense, a storyline often revisited by followers of Howard Hawks, such as John Carpenter in his film Assault on Precinct 13. Given its rich narrative potential, Hawks also remade Rio Bravo seven years later with El Dorado.
What Is El Dorado About?
Like Leigh Brackett’s “El Dorado,” the story unfolds in a manner reminiscent of “Rio Bravo.” The setting is El Dorado, Texas, where the grizzled Sheriff J.P. Harrah (played by Robert Mitchum) rides into town to enlist the aid of his old buddy and skilled gunslinger, Cole Thornton (John Wayne). When Harrah reveals that wealthy landowner Bart Jason (Ed Asner) is pushing the MacDonald family off their farm, they band together to shield the family from a looming attack.
In the film Rio Bravo, Ricky Nelson was cast, much like how Johnny Crawford was chosen for El Dorado by Hawks, reinforcing the similarities between these Westerns. Notably, Harrah’s character in Rio Bravo shares the characteristic of being a drunkard, identical to Dude. However, the key distinction lies in the roles; in El Dorado, Mitchum assumes the Sheriff role while Wayne takes on the gunslinger position. Despite these differences, the stories of both movies bear striking resemblances, as they both involve Wayne rallying a group to protect them against an attack at a specific location.
Although El Dorado extends slightly beyond the town that Rio Bravo focuses on, the plot progression and character development in both films are remarkably similar. Director Howard Hawks intentionally drew parallels between these two movies, a decision that writer Leigh Brackett found problematic during the production of El Dorado.
How Rio Bravo, El Dorado & Rio Lobo Parallel Each Other
As a passionate cinephile, I can’t help but notice the striking similarities between “El Dorado” and “Rio Bravo,” beyond their shared title rhythm, the same creative minds behind them, and John Wayne embodying heightened versions of his character. In an intriguing interview, the talented writer Leigh Brackett revealed her original screenplay for “El Dorado” was her crowning achievement. However, during this discussion, she expressed a sentiment that resonated with me: “The more we delved into ‘Rio Bravo’ again, the more I felt unwell, as I detest repeating myself. And yet, Howard would reassure me, saying we could redo it.
Howard Hawks didn’t just reuse the fundamental storyline of Rio Bravo in El Dorado; he additionally infused story elements into his last film, Rio Lobo. In Rio Lobo, written by Leigh Brackett, John Wayne plays a small-town peace officer protecting his jurisdiction from a brutal attack. Although Rio Bravo stands out as the superior work, Howard Hawks’ exceptional filmmaking skill is evident in El Dorado and Rio Lobo, where, despite the repetition and redundancy, these films still offer fresh perspectives that avoid feeling like tired retreads.
The film El Dorado is powerfully engaging, largely due to the dynamic partnership between Mitchum and Wayne, with a young James Caan delivering an impressive performance as the vengeful Mississippian. When questioned about his role in El Dorado, Mitchum told Time Out, “When Howard contacted me, I asked, ‘What’s the plot?’ To which he replied, ‘No plot, just characters,’ and that’s how it unfolded. I did a scene, set it aside, then did another, setting each one aside.
In essence, the powerful characters in “El Dorado” demonstrated that a detailed plot wasn’t essential to keep audiences engaged. A straightforward reenactment of “Rio Bravo” could have sufficed if the characters were captivating enough. With John Wayne at the helm, this approach proved effective not just for “El Dorado,” but also for the lesser-known “Rio Lobo,” which marked Hawks’ final film and concluded his remarkable career. Remarkably, John Wayne received an Oscar for “True Grit” in 1970, the very same year that “Rio Lobo” was released.
Rio Bravo & El Dorado are available to stream on Apple TV+. Watch the trailer here.
Read More
- BODEN PREDICTION. BODEN cryptocurrency
- GHST PREDICTION. GHST cryptocurrency
- BETA PREDICTION. BETA cryptocurrency
- STRD PREDICTION. STRD cryptocurrency
- Mango Markets Exploiter Found Guilty Of Fraud And Manipulation
- GBP EUR PREDICTION
- MATIC PREDICTION. MATIC cryptocurrency
- LOOKS PREDICTION. LOOKS cryptocurrency
- BRN/USD
- TNSR PREDICTION. TNSR cryptocurrency
2024-09-14 01:01