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Rio Grande

Rio Grande
Director: John Ford
Actors: John Wayne, Maureen O'hara, Ben Johnson, Claude Jarman Jr., Harry Carey Jr.
Studio: Republic (Universal)
Category: Video

List Price: CDN$ 9.95
Buy Used: CDN$ 0.01
You Save: CDN$ 9.94 (100%)



Used (4) from CDN$ 0.01

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 22 reviews
Sales Rank: 1756

Format: Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Media: VHS Tape
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1

Model: VHS 3453
ISBN: 1555265952
UPC: 017153345339
EAN: 9781555265953
ASIN: 1555265952

Theatrical Release Date: November 15, 1950
Release Date: November 24, 1998
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Save a tree, buy from Green Earth Books. Ships from USA; Allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery. All books guaranteed. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse

Similar Items:

   Fort Apache
   She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
   Horse Soldiers (Widescreen)
   Cahill: US Marshall
   Stagecoach (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Editorial Reviews:

From Amazon.com
The last and least memorable of John Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (following Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon), Rio Grande nonetheless has an interesting continuity about the gentlemanly rules of military conduct. Here the focus is on the family. While creating a heated controversy over his handling of the Apache war, John Wayne must also contend with disgruntled wife Maureen O'Hara and estranged son Claude Jarman Jr., a new recruit trying to earn his father's love and respect. Ford seems to suggest that there are two conflicting codes of honor in every cavalry officer's life, the personal as well as the professional, and that it takes an act of heroism to maintain both. It's fascinating to observe Wayne's progression throughout the trilogy, as his personal stakes intensify. Also, this is the first of five onscreen appearances between the Duke and O'Hara, each filled with a competitive spirit and stormy sexuality. --Bill Desowitz


Customer Reviews:   Read 17 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars THE TRILOGY'S SUNSET RIDE   July 18, 2004
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

RIO GRANDE nicely finishes off the John Ford Cavalry Trilogy. While not as intense as FORT APACHE, or touching as SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON, RIO GRANDE earns its stripes with the trademarks of the trilogy: luminous direction, straight forward story telling and solid work from The Duke, Maureen O'Hara and of course, Victor McLaglen, who steels the first 20 minutes of the film. "Welcome home, darling," he bows to O'Hara as she's escorted into the fort by The Duke, to which she replies: "I see you still have that ox with you." Pappy and The Duke have the regular Ford/Wayne troop still with them and it works. The Sons of the Pioneers offer a new song book, but the band still plays "The Girl I Left Behind Me" when the cavalry marches out. There's a lot to be said for the old ways.


5 out of 5 stars A Trilogy Completed   September 6, 2003
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is the third of Ford's films which focus on the U.S. Cavalry and its violent encounters with the Apache. Wayne's role in each is quite different. He is a subordinate officer in Fort Apache, a commanding officer about to retire in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and again a commanding officer in this film but estranged from his wife Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara), and son Jeff (Claude Jarman, Jr.) among the men he commands. Lieutenant Kirby Yorke (Wayne) resembles Woodrow F. Call in Lonesome Dove (played by Tommy Lee Jones) who refuses to show any favoritism or even affection whatsoever to his son. (In fact, Call denies his fatherhood.) Of course, Ford ensures that husband and wife are reunited by the end of the film; also, that father and son become close after Trooper Yorke plays a key role in helping to rescue children captured by the Apache and thereby earns his commanding officer's (and father's) respect. A similar relationship exists in Red River except that the conflict is resolved without a brawl. Personally, I would have preferred less reliance on Irish ballads, the focus on Yorke's marital conflicts, and what I view as the macho element of which Ford was so fond. Nonetheless, Wayne's performance is outstanding and the sequence by which the children is rescued is brilliantly portrayed. In additional to much improved sound and image, this DVD version also offers several excellent supplementary features which include a scene-specific commentary with Maureen O'Hara, a mini-documentary "Along the Rio Grande with Maureen O'Hara," and "The Making of Rio Grande" hosted by Leonard Maltin.


5 out of 5 stars John Ford's Triumphant Conclusion to Cavalry Trilogy!   April 22, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

'Rio Grande', the last of director John Ford's 'unofficial' Cavalry Trilogy, has often been unfairly judged the 'weakest' of the three westerns. Certainly, it lacks the poetic quality of 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon', or the revisionist view of a thinly-disguised reworking of the events surrounding the death of George Armstrong Custer ('Fort Apache'), but for richness of detail, a sense of the camaraderie of cavalrymen, an 'adult' (in the best sense of the word) love story, and a symbolic 'rejoining' of North and South conclusion that may have you tapping your toe, 'Rio Grande' is hard to beat!

It is remarkable that 'Rio Grande' ever got to the screen; Ford hadn't planned to make it, but in order to get Republic Pictures to agree to his demands for 'The Quiet Man' (he wanted the film to be shot on location in Ireland, and in color), he had to agree to do a 'quickie' western that would turn a quick profit for the usually cash-strapped studio. This is, perhaps, a reason why the film is held in less esteem than it deserves. 'Rio Grande' may have not been born with high expectations, but with John Ford in the director's chair, and John Wayne and the Ford 'family' in the cast and crew, the potential for something 'special' was ALWAYS present!

A few bits of trivia to enhance your viewing pleasure: Yes, that IS Ken Curtis, singing with The Sons of the Pioneers, in the film...while uncredited, he made a favorable impression with Ford, and soon became a part of his 'family'...Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr, and Claude Jarman, Jr, actually did their own stunts while performing the 'Roman Style' riding sequence (Carey said in interviews that they were all young, and didn't think about the danger of it; a production would lose their insurance if they 'allowed' three major performers to do something as risky, today!)...Did you know that O'Hara, playing Jarman's 'mother', was barely 14 years older than her 'son', and was only 29 at the time of the filming?...Harry Carey barely had any lines in the script; most of what you see in the film was ad-libbed!...the popular ditty, 'San Antoine', sung by Jarman, Carey, Johnson, and Curtis, was, in fact, written by Mrs. Roy Rogers, herself, Dale Evans!

Whether you're viewing 'Rio Grande' for the first time, or have sat through many viewings, the film has a richness and sense of nostalgia for a West that 'may never have existed, but SHOULD have'. It would be a proud addition to any collector's library!


5 out of 5 stars Great film!   February 15, 2003
Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne definitly have great chemistry in this film, and are a very romantic couple. It's well worth seeing, adventure, romance, and drama.


2 out of 5 stars Sorely disappointed   January 30, 2003
After reading all of the glorious reviews of this movie, which led to my getting it, I feel bad about panning it but thumbs down on this one. I couldn't even finish watching this movie. Getting past Wayne in a moustache was troublesome enough; he wasn't his usual "take charge" self, even tho' he was the commander in the film. The actors seemed wooden, charicatures, and Wayne's character seemed befuddled and subdued. Then, O'Hara enters...whose mother is going to show up in a war zone? Unbelievable! I chucked it when she turns up in her son's tent during a songfest. (Incidentally, if you don't like western songfests, this film isn't for you!) Believe me, this was a real disappointment - and I am a J.W. fan. My favorites? The Cowboys and Chism... Rio Grande isn't even in the running. I mean, doesn't the story have to make sense? Wow.

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