Howard Hawks was one of Hollywood's most respected directors of all time, mastering every genre under the sun. Whether he was directing a classic gangster film, facial scariconic music Men prefer blondesthe pioneering film noir big sleepor moving comedyChild rearingHawks had an uncanny understanding of storytelling on the big screen. Of course, his greatest cinematic contributions may lie in western Movie type.
After making Red River With John Wayne in 1948, Hawks continued to work with the Duke throughout their careers. However, the striking similarities between the 1959 Western Rio Bravo The West 1966 Eldorado This question has been raised among movie buffs – are the two films the same? Did Hawks and Wayne intentionally remake their previous film or was the similarity in story a coincidence? To find the answers, a side-by-side comparison between them is worth more attention.
What is Rio Bravo?
Rio Bravo It is an American Western film directed by Howard Hawks, from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman. Based on the short story Rio Bravo By BH McCampbell, The story revolves around Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne), who arrests Joe Burdette, the brother of a wealthy landowner in a small Texas town, on charges of killing an innocent bystander.Once Chance Joe is imprisoned, he is under siege by his powerful brother, Nathan Burdette.
To defend Nathan and his forces, Chance recruits drunken Dodd (Dean Martin), young cowboy Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), and disabled veteran Stampy (Walter Brennan). The four hide out in a makeshift prison where Joe is being held, and violently try to thwart every attempt to break into the building and break Joe out of prison. However, Two and a half hours Rio Bravo It's also a lazy, entertaining film, with long periods between shootouts allowing each character to develop and provide depth..
For example, those who have seen the film will never forget the scene where Dude, Ryan, and Stampy sing “My Gun, My Pony, and Me” while Chance proudly sways back and forth. It’s a stark reminder of Hawks’ masterful ability to blend genres and spark great on-screen chemistry between actors from different generations. At its core, however, Rio Bravo It is a Western film based on shooting, siege and protection, and it is a simple plot that has been recycled by Howard Hawks' disciples, including John Carpenter. Assault on District 13With such fertile land for farming, Hawkes also loosely remodeled it. Rio Bravo After seven years with Eldorado.
What is Eldorado?
Also written by Leigh Brackett, Eldorado Follows a similar path to Rio BravoSet in El Dorado, Texas, the story concerns police chief J.B. Harrah (Robert Mitchum), who rides into town on horseback to recruit his old friend and expert gunfighter, Cole Thornton (John Wayne). When Harrah Cole learns that wealthy landowner Bart Jason (Ed Asner) is forcing the McDonald family off their farm, they join forces to protect the family from a violent siege..
Pop star Ricky Nelson's choice in Rio Bravo Hawks' choice of young singer Johnny Crawford to play Luke McDonald in Eldoradoreinforcing the similarities between the Western films. Furthermore, Harrah is revealed to be a drunkard, a hallmark of Dodd in Rio Bravo. The biggest difference is that in EldoradoMitchum plays the sheriff while Wayne plays the gunman.Aside from that, the plots of the two films are very similar, with Wayne leading the efforts to defend a group against a violent attack in one location.
while Eldorado It expands a bit beyond the single site that Rio Bravo The film revels in its almost identical story rhythms and characters. Howard Hawks made a point of drawing parallels between the two films, something writer Leigh Brackett objected to during the film's production. Eldorado.
How are Rio Bravo, El Dorado and Rio Lobo parallel to each other?
Aside from the similar four-syllable title, the same writer and director, and John Wayne playing evolved versions of himself in both films, Eldorado and Rio Bravo They share more common traits. According to an interview with Brackett, she felt that her original screenplay for Eldorado It was the best work she had ever done. However, Brackett told the interviewer, “The more we got involved, Rio Bravo My illness got worse again, because I hate repeating things. I kept telling Howard that I did it, He'll say it's okay, we can do it again.“.”
Hawks did not insist on simply recycling the basic structure of the plot. Rio Bravo in Eldoradobut He also incorporated story elements into his final film, Rio Lobo. in Rio LoboWritten by Leigh Brackett, the film stars John Wayne as a small-town law enforcement officer who defends his district from a violent siege. However, Rio Bravo It remains the best in its class, and Howard Hawks' filmmaking brilliance lies in that, Despite the repetition and over-repetition, Eldorado and Rio Lobo There are still worthwhile efforts and they don't feel like boring repetitions..
Eldorado Powerful, especially thanks to the chemistry between Mitchum and Wayne, not to mention the young James Caan who shines as the vengeful Mississippi. When asked about his involvement in Eldorado“When Howard called me, I asked him, 'What's the story?' He said, 'No story, just characters,' and that's how it went. I shot one scene, then put it away, then shot another scene, then put it away,” Mitchum told Time Out.
There is no story, just characters. Hawks's admission proves that there was no need to add narration to make the story more interesting. EldoradoInstead, a simple retelling of a single beat. Rio Bravo It will be enough as long as the characters are convincing.With John Wayne leading the way, the trick worked well enough to be repeated with Rio LoboHawks' final film caps a legendary career. Meanwhile, John Wayne won his only Oscar for his role in True courage In 1970, the same year Rio Lobo He was released.
Rio Bravo & Eldorado The series is available to stream on Apple TV+. Watch the trailer here.
