Rio Bravo

Rating:
Summary: Almost Gets the Job Done
Review: This was, apart from a few flaws, a very enjoyable book about one of the most enjoyable movies of all time. Wood's pleasure in "Rio Bravo" is apparent on every page. He points out the similarities between "Rio Bravo" and "Only Angels Have Wings" and "To Have and Have Not." He brilliantly demolishes the "High Noon" left wing- "Rio Bravo" right wing dichotomy that so many repeat without thinking. His analysis of key scenes is right on the money.

Yet there are flaws. There is a passage that compares Howard Hawks to Jean Paul Sartre that just didn't work for me. Likewise, Wood's discovery of a gay context between Dude and Colorado failed to convince. However, my biggest gripe is that Wood goes on and on about how Feathers is the most vulnerable and touching of Hawks' heroines, and he never mentions the fact that "Rio Bravo" was co-written by Leigh Brackett, who was a woman! Indeed, Wood seems supremely uninterested in the circumstances of how the film was made, which bothered me. It was as if everything just sprang from Hawks' forehead.

However, this didn't take away from the fun of the book, which reflects the fun of the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Gets the Job Done
Review: This was, apart from a few flaws, a very enjoyable book about one of the most enjoyable movies of all time. Wood's pleasure in "Rio Bravo" is apparent on every page. He points out the similarities between "Rio Bravo" and "Only Angels Have Wings" and "To Have and Have Not." He brilliantly demolishes the "High Noon" left wing- "Rio Bravo" right wing dichotomy that so many repeat without thinking. His analysis of key scenes is right on the money.

Yet there are flaws. There is a passage that compares Howard Hawks to Jean Paul Sartre that just didn't work for me. Likewise, Wood's discovery of a gay context between Dude and Colorado failed to convince. However, my biggest gripe is that Wood goes on and on about how Feathers is the most vulnerable and touching of Hawks' heroines, and he never mentions the fact that "Rio Bravo" was co-written by Leigh Brackett, who was a woman! Indeed, Wood seems supremely uninterested in the circumstances of how the film was made, which bothered me. It was as if everything just sprang from Hawks' forehead.

However, this didn't take away from the fun of the book, which reflects the fun of the movie.