Joanne Dru
Occupation
Actor
Red River Review
Very Good
John Wayne stars in one of his most acclaimed films, Red River, opposite a young Montgomery Clift. Wayne is the tormenting rancher, driving his 9,000 head of cattle to Missouri to avoid bankruptcy; Clift is his adopted son, who grows increasingly antagonistic against dad's slave driving. Eventually, the cattle drive approaches a situation of mutiny, pitting father and son against one another.Filled with beautiful black and white photography, especially for its era, Red River is an atmospheric ride a la Unforgiven, where it's hard to find a white-hat hero and a sense of dread surrounds the proceedings. Unfortunately, the film is hampered by a lame hoedown score, typical of 1940s Westerns, not to mention an atrocious "happy" ending that belies the emotion in the rest of the picture.
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All The King's Men Review
Excellent
Broderick Crawford is no Orson Welles, but this meditation on the underbelly of American politics is at least in the same league as Citizen Kane. Also a Best Picture winner, the film traces the rise of populist local hero Willie Stark, as he moves through the American political machine like a juggernaut, chewing up anything in his way. His compatriots (a newsman turned publicist, various lovelies and heavies) stick by him as Stark becomes corrupted en route to the top. The direction by Robert Rossen (The Hustler) isn't inspired, but he does get the job done with reasonable aplomb.