EL DORADO
Country: USA
Year: 1967
Duration: 126'


When Cole Thornton arrives at El Dorado, invited by Jason, a rich cattle breeder, who has hired him as a gun-man, he finds a cold welcome from his friend Jimmy Harrah, who is now the county sheriff. Jimmy tells him that Jason wants to seize land belonging to a patriarchal family of settlers. So Cole decides to go to Jason, and refuse his offer of work, but on the way back, due to a misunderstanding, he is attacked by a young man, who belongs to the family against which Jason has openly declared war. To defend himself Cole shoots the young man, mortally wounding him. The young man's sister does not believe Cole's version of the story,and decides to organize an ambush. Cole flees the county with a bullet in his back. Quite soon he finds himself at El Dorado again, where Jason is still set on his plans.A fight is definitely on the cards: on one side we find Jason and his men, and on the other, the drunken sheriff, the injured gun-fighter, a young lad called Mississippi,previously saved by Cole, and Bull, an old man who hunted Indians. The fight is long and cruel, but somehow the four of them manage to get the better of Jason's men.

Biography

film director

Howard Hawks

University and moved to Los Angeles, where he entered the world of cinema as a prop master at the Famous Players-Lasky. Hired by Paramount in 1922 as a screenwriter, he debuted in directing at Fox in 1926 and had his first big success thanks to the producer Howard Hughes, who chose him to direct Scarface, Shame of the Nation (1932). One of the top directors during the golden age of Hollywood, he was famous for his eclectic genres and masterly use of the classic style, alternating comedies (Bring Up Baby, 1938; I Was a Male War Bride, 1949), noir (The Big Sleep, 1946), Westerns (Red River, 1948, Rio Bravo, 1959), war movies (Air Force, 1943), and musicals (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953). He received an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1975.

FILMOGRAFIA

The Road to Glory (Bolidi in corsa, 1926), Fig Leaves (Le disgrazie di Adamo, 1926), The Cradle Snatchers (Amanti per burla, 1927), Paid to Love (Passione di principe, 1927), Fazil (Oasi dell’amore, 1928), A Girl in Every Port (Capitan Barbablù, 1928), The Air Circus (La via delle stelle, 1928), Trent’s Last Case (L’affare Manderson, 1929), The Dawn Patrol (La squadriglia dell’aurora, 1930), The Criminal Code (Codice penale, 1931), The Crowd Roars (L’urlo della folla, 1932), Scarface, Shame of the Nation (Scarface - Lo sfregiato, 1932), Tiger Shark (Le tigri del Pacifico, 1932), Today We Live (Rivalità eroica, 1933), The Prizefighter and the Lady (L’idolo delle donne, 1933), Viva Villa! (id., 1934), Twentieth Century (Ventesimo secolo, 1934), Barbary Coast (La costa dei barbari, 1935), Ceiling Zero (Brume, 1936), The Road to Glory (Le vie della gloria, 1936), Come and Get It (Ambizione, 1936), Bringing Up Baby (Susanna!, 1938), Only Angels Have Wings (Avventurieri dell’aria, 1939), His Girl Friday (La signora del venerdì, 1940), The Outlaw (Il mio corpo ti scalderà, 1941), Sergeant York (Il sergente York, 1941), Ball of Fire (Colpo di fulmine, 1941), Air Force (Arcipelago in fiamme, 1943), To Have and Have Not (Acque del sud, 1944), The Big Sleep (Il grande sonno, 1946), Red River (Il fiume rosso, 1948), A Song Is Born (Venere e il professore, 1948), I Was a Male War Bride (Ero uno sposo di guerra, 1949), The Thing from Another World (La cosa da un altro mondo, 1951), The Big Sky (Il grande cielo, 1952), O. Henry’s Full House (La giostra umana, 1952), Monkey Business (Il magnifico scherzo, 1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Gli uomini preferiscono le bionde, 1953), Land of the Pharaohs (La regina delle piramidi, 1955), Rio Bravo (Un dollaro d’onore, 1959), Hatari! (id., 1962), Man’s Favorite Sport? (Lo sport preferito dall’uomo, 1964), Red Line 7000 (Linea rossa 7000, 1965), El Dorado (id., 1966), Rio Lobo (id., 1970).

Cast

& Credits

Director: Howard Hawks.
Plot: dal racconto The Stars in Their Courses di Harry Brown.
Screenplay: Leigh Brackett.
Director of photography: Harold Rosson.
Costume designer: Edith Head.
Art director: Ray Moyer.
Music: Nelson Riddle.
Editor: John Woodcock.
Cast and characters: John Wayne (Cole Thornton), Robert Mitchum (sceriffo Jimmy P. Harrah), James Caan (Alan Bourdillon Traherne, alias Mississippi), Charlene Holt (Maudie), Michele Carey (Joey MacDonald), Arthur Hunnicutt (Bull Thomas).
Producer: Howard Hawks e Paul Helmick.
Production company: Paramount/Laurel Productions.
Italian distribution: Paramount.
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