RED RIVER
Country: USA
Year: 1948
Duration: 125'


Tom Dunson, a veteran of the Civil War, and Matthew Garth, a young man he saved years before from the Indians, decide to lead a cattle drive of 10,000 heads of cattle to Missouri. Tom prepares the expedition carefully, but his brutal determination to succede makes him increasingly intolerant of the cowherders, who end up rebelling. Matthew, who was in growing contrast with Tom, takes over the command. The cattle drive starts up again after Dunson and a few of his followers are disarmed and abandoned. Matthew decides to turn south, towards Abilene, believing that there is a better chance of selling the cattle for a good profit there. Tom, who has sworn to kill the young man, chases after him. After arriving in Abilene and selling the cattle, Matthew prepares himself to face his rival, who has caught up with him in the meantime. The result is a fight without weapons or bloodshed, until the final reconciliation.

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: Borden Chase.
Screenplay: Borden Chase, Charles Schnee.
Director of photography: Russell Harlan.
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin.
Editor: Christian Niby.
Cast and characters: John Wayne (Thomas Dunson), Montgomery Clift (Matthew Garth), Joanne Dru (Tess Millary), Walter Brennan (Groot Nadine), Coleen Gray (Fen), John Ireland (Cherry Valence), Noah Berry, jr. (Buster), Harry Carey, Hank Worden (Sims), Ivan Parry (Bunk Kennally), Hal Taliaferro (Old Leather), Paul Fierro (Fernandez), Ray Hyke (Walt Jergens), Billy Self (Sutter), Don White (Laredo), Shelley Winters (una ragazza della carovana).
Producer: Howard Hawks.
Production company: Monterey Productions.
Italian distribution: United Artists.
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