The Analysis of The Film "Rio Bravo"

The 1959 film Rio Bravo, directed by Howard Hawks was released during a time of heightened tension in the United States, with the fear of communism still looming, even in the post-Red Scare era. The film, starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Ricky Nelson, reflects the mainstream popularity of American Westerns at the time in which the film was produced.

The plot of the film centers around the arrest of Claude Atkins’ character Joe Burdette, whose own men attempt to get him out of jail throughout the film, eventually hindered to a permanent surrender by the leading roles of the film. As someone who had virtually no experience viewing American Westerns before this film, this film made me appreciate them much more than I did before and see John Wayne’s roles in a different light, as his character appeared more dynamic, not as one-dimensional as I would have believed without viewing this film.

The film’s use of camera angles was superb and while certain shots were limited, they were used very impactfully and effectively to understanding the film’s storyline. John Wayne’s character, John T. Chance, is introduced through the use of the movie’s first close-up shot, as he comes to the aid of Dean Martin’s character, Dude, in the first scene of the film. Dude is featured in the majority of the close-up shots that occur throughout the film, including a close-up in which Dude is upset, hitting his own leg in anger, and another in which Dude’s face is being shaved by Feathers, Angie Dickinson’s character.

I believe the most effective use of these close-up shots occurred before Dude is attacked by Joe’s men, displaying a close-up on Dude’s reflection in the water, almost anticipating the attack, yet surprising the viewer. I was also particularly impressed by the film’s use of dissolve transitions between several scenes, as a means to not only change settings, but speed up physical time in the film’s storyline.

There are some technical aspects of Rio Bravo that I am curious about, as not all methods can be easily explained while watching from the perspective of a different era. In particular, there was a scene in the film where Joe Burdette jokes at and taunts Dude from his jail cell, in which Dude responds by throwing a full beer bottle at the cell, with it breaking upon impact. Obviously in movies present-day, computer-generated images could make this easily possible, but because such did not exist at the time of this film’s productions, I am genuinely curious as to how this was achieved? I would be inclined to believe the bottle was a prop, but the effect was very realistic for a movie released in 1959. In a later scene, Dude and Ricky Nelson’s character, Colorado, sing “My Rifle, My Pony, and Me,” which I assume was prerecorded in a studio and not performed live during the production of the film, but I am still curious if my belief is actually the case in this movie.

In relation to the present-day, I was impressed that this film was seemingly able to achieve a successful performance with a cast that I would perceive as “star-studded” for the time period, an accomplishment that various modern films attempt to achieve, by packing a film with a cast of actors who are typically accomplished individually, but are seemingly incompatible together, resulting in a film with a lack of box-office success.

For instance, if there was another director in place of Howard Hawks, or another actor in place of John Wayne, I question if this film would have been so successful. I was also impressed by Angie Dickinson’s role in the film, as while she was portrayed as a love interest of John Wayne’s character, she was still a multi-dimensional character with multiple attitudes towards the actions of the other characters, which we would come to learn as the film progressed.

Rio Bravo accurately reflects the era in which it was produced, shadowing the popularity of American Westerns at the time, and their impact on American entertainment. The storyline, while formulaic in the demise of the criminals and evildoers at the conclusion of the film, was still entertaining and reflective on the culture of the United States during the time period. I am surprised by the chemistry of the film’s cast and how the movie played to each actor’s strengths so successfully. The technical features of the film were impressive for the era, with scenes that I imagine were not particularly easy to produce on a mere soundstage. I enjoyed Rio Bravo and as a result, have gained an appreciation for Westerns of this era and John Wayne’s impact on our culture.

Works Cited

1. Hawks, Howard, director. Rio Bravo. Warner Bros., 1959.Rio Bravo (1959). IMDb.com, 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053221/?ref_=nv_sr_1.