RIO BRAVO

US, 1959, 141 minutes, Colour.
John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Angie Dickinson.
Directed by Howard Hawks.

Rio Bravo was not hailed as a classic western on its release in the late 50s. It was just another John Wayne western. However, the reputation of Howard Hawks has grown over the years - his Red River, also with Wayne, is now another classic.

Wayne is the personification of the western lawman. He is well supported by Dean Martin at the beginning of his solo career and by Angie Dickenson. The film was virtually remade by Hawks as El Dorado in 1966 and was the basis, it is said, for John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 (1977). The film was written by Hollywood veterans Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman.

1. This is considered by critics a classic western. Do you see why?

2. What principal conventions of the western did the film use? How well did it use them? Did it create western myths? Or did it just merely tell a story and leave it at that?

3. The scope of the western seemed to be rather big, yet the context of characters and incidents was small. How did the film, by using such a small story with few characters, achieve such greatness and depth?

4. How important was the opening of the film? The character of Dude and his weakness? The money in the spittoon and the human contempt? Chance's intervention? Dude's ingratitude? At the initial murder? How did this create atmosphere and establish the characters in relation to the atmosphere? In relation to the town?

5. How important was the theme of the help or lack of help for the sheriff? In westerns this is a typical invention. Generally, the sheriff had no help here except an alcoholic and a cripple. When he did get help, the help was killed. What did this indicate about heroes, isolation, collaboration from the townspeople?

6. How heroic a figure was John Chance? A typical John Wayne figure? What were his strengths? His weaknesses? His sense of justice for the town? His relationships with Dude, Stumpy, Feathers, Colorado, the murderer Joe? Did he relate well? Or did he seem to be somewhat outside the human circle? How did the incidents in the film change him? Was he a more real person by the end of the film than he was in the beginning? Why?

7. How important was the character of Dude? Howard Hawks considered that he was the central character. Do you agree with this? Why? What strengths did the character of Dude have? What were his weaknesses? Was his drinking and despair well enough explained? Why did he have such a low opinion of the himself? Why did he rise to this occasion to help Chance? How well did he cope? Why was he put off by Stumpy's accidental shooting at him? How nervous? Did Chance help him to get some self-esteem? Did his work help him with self-esteem? In response to the taunts? His discovery of the murderer upstairs? His handling of the situation? His despair at the end that he was tricked? How did he redeem himself? Was this development of character interesting throughout the film?

8. The role of Feathers in the film. Her accidental presence in the town? Her strength? Her challenging of John Chance? Her over-talking and yet her wisdom? Her sexiness? The effect on John Chance? Her being confronted by a difficult situation and her response to it? Her helping Colorado to save Chance? (This in contrast to her reputation on the handbill and her explanation of it.) What did she contribute to the end of the film? How did she change John Chance and help him to relate?

9. The intervention of Pat Flannery. The only character who volunteered to help? His being gunned down? What comment did this make on the town and its justice?

10. Colorado: was he a convincing character? Was he too much of a romantic hero? Why did he initially refuse to help? Why did he change his mind? Was he a help? Did he help in the situation of the characters and of the town?

11. Did you enjoy the character of Stumpy? Was he humorous or was his humour overdone? The fact that he was a cripple yet he helped Chance? His ability in doing his job? The fact that he could outwit those who were trying to outwit him? His final contribution to Dude's change and John Chance's change?

12. How did the film explain Joe and his callous attitudes? The fact that he could murder? The hold that the Burdette family had over the town? Latham Burdette and his arrogance? (Was he really interested in Joe at all except for pride?) His hiring of killers and their shooting people down?

13. The contribution of Carols and his wife to the film? Humour? Related to the theme of the development of the plot? Carols' intervention at the end?

14. Did Dude have a sufficient number of choices at the end? What prompted him to keep going as the deputy? The challenge when Colorado was deputy? Why did Dude become good?

15. How was the film and its relationships between the people summed up in the singing sequence? Was it merely an excuse for Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson to sing? How much good humour was there in it? The camera moving to each of the singers? Stumpy's intervening to sing? John Chance's smiling and yet his not standing within the circle of the singers?

16. How dramatic was the final resolution of the problem? The use of wits? Stumpy's contributing to the dynamiting? And the fact that the Burdettes came out instead of being shot?

17. How well did the film resolve itself as a western?

18. What view of humanity did the film take? How sympathetic a film? An optimistic western? Is this the kind of film that was reacted against in the '70s? With the anti-westerns? How was this a classic western?