RIO GRANDE (1950)
Label: Olive Films
Region Code: A
Duration: 105 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: John Ford
Cast: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Claude Jarman Jr., Victor McLaglen, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Chill Wills , J. Carroll Nash
John Ford's Rio Grande (1950) stars John Wayne (The Shootist) returning to the role of Kirby Yorke from Fort Apache, with Yorke being tasked with protecting frontier settlers from the Apache who have been raiding settlements along the border. Complicating matters is the arrival of Yorke's estranged son Jefferson (Claude Jarman Jr., The Yearling) who has recently been booted from West Point, followed not long after by his estranged wife Kathleen (Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man). Growing up I avoided American western TV and movies, I was not a fan of black and white westerns and thought they were quite boring. It didn't help that the first western I remember watching was Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, after seeing that the antiquated and tame by comparison American westerns didn't stand a chance! Now that I getting older I have been taking in a few more of the traditional American westerns and have been enjoying them quite a bit, and this entry is a solid and well made flick.
This dusty frontier western was shot in Utah and looks fantastic from start to finish, with Wayne embodying a duty and honor-bound Cavalryman with his typical stoic bravado, which I have only come to appreciate as I have mellowed with age. The dramatic and action-packed western also features a great performance O'Hara as his wife, and a host of memorable supporting roles from Ben Johnson (Terror Train), Harry Carey Jr. (Exorcist III), Chill Wills (Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid), Victor McLaglen (Gunga Din) and J. Carrol Nash (Dracula vs. Frankenstein)
Audio/Video: Rio Grande (1950) arrives on Blu-ray from Olive Films as part of their Olive Signature imprint, presented in 1080p HD and framed in the original 1.37:1 full frame. This brand new restoration looks very good with a natural layer of film grain that at times is a bit chunkier but overall looks quite nice. The grayscale is pleasing with solid shadow detail and the contrast is mostly consistent throughout. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD-MA 2.0 mono audio that delivers dialogue, gunfire and the score from Victor Young (Around the World in 80 Days) cleanly, optional English subtitles are included.
Extras begin with a brand new audio commentary with Nancy Schoenberger, the author of Wayne And Ford: The Films, The Friendship and The Forging Of An American Her. It is a terrific track from someone well-versed in the films of John Wayne and John Ford. We also get a new essay by Paul Andrew Hutton that gives historical context to the film. Then onto a handful of new interviews, we get a 13-minute chat with Raoul Trujillo on the representation of Indigenous Americans in film, a 10-minute conversation with Wayne's son Patrick Wayne on his father's legacy and what it was like growing up on set and being the son of the star.
Actor Claude Jarman, Jr. who played Wayne's son in the film talks for 13-minutes about how he was cast in the film and his memories making it, plus we get a 13-minute interview with Marc Wanamaker who talks about the Sons of the Pioneers and their music in the film. We also get a 10-minute visual essay on the film by Tag Gallagher, a 2-minute trailer for the film. Carried over from the previous release is a 21-minute featurette about the making of the film by film critic Leonard Maltin. This release comes housed in a clear keepcase with a two-sided sleeve of artwork featuring an image from the film on the reverse side. We also get a nice looking side-loading soft-touch slipcover with the logo on all three sides of the spine. Inside there is an eight-page illustrated booklet also containing extensive writing on the film by Paul Andrew Hutton, which is also a featured as a text extra on the disc.
Special Features:
- New High-Definition digital restoration
- 8-Page Collector's Booklet with new essay by Paul Andrew Hutton
- Audio commentary by Nancy Schoenberger
-“Telling Real Histories” – Raoul Trujillo on representations of Indigenous Americans in film (13 min)
- “Songs of the Rio Grande” – Marc Wanamaker on the Sons of the Pioneers (6 min)
- “Strength and Courage” – Patrick Wayne on his father (10 min)
- “Bigger Than Life” – with Claude Jarman, Jr. (13 min)
- Visual essay by Tag Gallagher (1 min)
- “The Making of Rio Grande” – with Leonard Maltin (21 min)
- Text Essay by Paul Andrew Hutton (11 min)
- Theatrical trailer (2 min)
Another solid Blu-ray from Olive Signature, I am glad that I was able to experience this Wayne/Ford collaboration for the first time with such a wonderful presentation and with a host of wonderful in-depth extras. Olive seemed to have slowed down production in 2020, but if this is the quality of the product we can expect from them I am willing to wait, this is a top-notch release and the western flick is pretty great, too.
More screenshots from the Blu-ray:
