Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959) John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond
A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a cripple (Brennan), a drunk (Martin), and a young gunfighter (Nelson) in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.
Bit of fun. Walter Brennan (born 1894) hamming it up. Dean Martin convincing as a drunk. Might have been 'typecast', but I still found him plausible. But then I used to love the Dean Martin Show on TV. Anyone remember that? No, I thought not.
Ricky Nelson was a singer, but then so was Dino Corcetti. I think the latter had the higher IQ, but. Nelson died in his 40s when his DC3 crash-landed and burnt. Dean M lived to be 78.
Reminded me of the story of High Noon. Gary Cooper was genuinely suffering (from an ulcer or something) during that, whereas the Duke breezes through his film assuredly. Similar differences in age between Cooper/Kelly and Wayne/Dickinson. The latter two kissing is just yucky. She was - is - 32 years younger. Grace Kelly was 'only' 29 years younger than Gary Cooper.
I have written something about High Noon somewhere (it was probably in a lecture). Kelly plays a Quaker - a pacificist. But at a turning-point in the film she shoots a man in the back while he is reloading his gun. ... There's no inquiry into any of the killings. The film ends with her and her husband (Cooper) driving out of town on the moral high ground.
Garry Gillard | New: 5 July, 2019 | Now: 18 June, 2020