Backstory
The third film in John Ford’s iconic “Cavalry Trilogy” — released as part of Republic’s archive-clearing four-disc “John Wayne Collection: Volume 2” — casts The Duke as a duty-bound Good Solider reunited with his estranged wife (Maureen O’Hara) and son on a southwestern cavalry base, while holding down the fort against marauding injuns.
Feature
Ford uses the close, candlelit quarters of the military encampment’s tents to create a domestic sphere in shrewd contrast to his customary Ford Country vistas (here, Utah rather than the usual Monument Valley). As Wayne balances military and familial obligations, the respective wide-open and intimate spaces underscore the complex American itch to first subdue new land, and then make a home of it.
Extras
Leonard Maltin, O’Hara, and other supporting players are on hand for seemingly recycled featurettes.
Verdict
The initial generations of movie directors to grow up with the movies — Welles, the Nouvelle Vague — venerated the ease with which Ford’s films articulated themselves visually; viewing Rio Grande, one hopes future filmmakers are still paying attention.
The third film in John Ford’s iconic “Cavalry Trilogy” — released as part of Republic’s archive-clearing four-disc “John Wayne Collection: Volume 2” — casts The Duke as a duty-bound Good Solider reunited with his estranged wife (Maureen O’Hara) and son on a southwestern cavalry base, while holding down the fort against marauding injuns.
Feature
Ford uses the close, candlelit quarters of the military encampment’s tents to create a domestic sphere in shrewd contrast to his customary Ford Country vistas (here, Utah rather than the usual Monument Valley). As Wayne balances military and familial obligations, the respective wide-open and intimate spaces underscore the complex American itch to first subdue new land, and then make a home of it.
Extras
Leonard Maltin, O’Hara, and other supporting players are on hand for seemingly recycled featurettes.
Verdict
The initial generations of movie directors to grow up with the movies — Welles, the Nouvelle Vague — venerated the ease with which Ford’s films articulated themselves visually; viewing Rio Grande, one hopes future filmmakers are still paying attention.
