“Red River” is a 1948 film directed by Donald Hawks, in this film John Wayne plays as Thomas Dunson, a rancher who builds a cattle empire with his adopted son Matthew Garth. Together they begin a massive cattle drive north from Texas to the Missouri railhead. However, on the way, new information and Dunson's tyrannical ways cause Matthew to take the herd away from Dunson and head to a new railhead in Kansas. Dunson, swearing vengeance, pursues. “Red River” was produced in 1948, during this time America was just a few years removed from being involved in World War II. We would experience many events that would impact our lives not only religiously, financially, and politically; we were also in the midst of navigating our way through the Cold War. A war that held possibly landscape changing ramifications due to the race for space and nuclear arms. Starting with the removal of religion from schools due in part to the …show more content…
However, Donald Hawks did a wonderful job of capturing the moment and setting the tone throughout the film. The stampede scene was set up perfectly for producing an adrenaline pumping moment. The silence, the restlessness of the cattle, and the lowered voices sets an ominous atmosphere all culminate to into an action-packed scene. Another scene that comes to mind is the eerie foggy night that Matt Garth experiences. The scene is packed with anticipation and anxiety as Montgomery Clift’s character is on edge throughout the night as he sees shadows through the fog. The only thing running through his mind is whether Thomas Dunson is back for revenge. Hawks also modulates Tom Dunson’s gradual collapse throughout the film. John Wayne is tall and steady in the beginning of the film, however by the end of the film his hair is gray and lank, his eyes are haunted; the transition is so gradual you may even miss that he’s wearing a white hat at the outset but a black one at the