Review of Rio Grande

Introduction

"Rio Grande" was the sixth film of John Ford`s that starred John Wayne and is arguably one of the best they did together. It is the third installment of a trilogy that started with "Fort Apache" (considered a better film by most) and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" with "Rio Grande" taking a more thoughful approach to the genre.

Costing over 1.25 Million dollars to produce, it was one of the most expensive westerns of it`s time with the majority of the film being shot in Moab, Utah (not Monument Valley as most people believe!)

Video

Despite the age of the original print, it has cleaned up remarkably well (or has just been well preserved!) although picture quality varies a lot through the film (chapters 5, 6 are especially dirty for example) There is good definition throughout and no obvious digital imaging artefacts to be seen.

Audio

Again, above average for the age. The soundtrack is well presented and doesn`t intrude into the foreground too much, voices are clearly understood. No major complaints. There is some low level hissing but it`s hardly noticable.

Features

The customary trailer is actually quite entertaining as it`s so old fashioned and naieve ;)

You also get a stills gallery that suffers from form over substance - the pictures are all pretty good but are viewed in a small window within the screen which is a shame - especially if you like setting them as backdrops.....

The unexpected bonus here is a 20 minute documentary recorded in 1993 for the VHS special edition. This gives a very interesting insight into why the film was made, casting etc and is well worth viewing to see what movie making was like all those years ago ;) picture quality is good and the stereo soundtrack acceptable.

Conclusion

Good disc for the age of the film. "Rio Grande" is a wonderfully epic tale without all the usual cliches and has long been on the list of westerns you have to watch. Moab looks like a little Monument Valley (hence the perpetual confusion) and is wonderfully shot, camerawork is excellent and the onscreen chemistry between Wayne and O`Hara leaps out of the screen at you.

If you are a fan of the John Ford western (or of the Duke himself) you`ll want this dvd!