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| Special Features: |
Full frame format
Chapter selection
Original restored audio and enhanced original restored audio
Scene-specific commentary with Maureen O'Hara
Featurette: "The Making of Rio Grande"
Featurette: "Along the Rio Grande with Maureen O'Hara"
Trailers.
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| Video Format: |
Full Frame (1.33:1)
[SS-DL]
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Enhanced English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
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| Subtitles: |
English.
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| Captions: |
Yes
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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"Rio Grande" was the final installment in John Ford's Calvary Trilogy. Ford made "Rio Grande" reluctantly. He was told to deliver another Black-and-White Western before Republic Studio would allow him to make "The Quiet Man." For a film made under protest, "Rio Grande" is a fine Western and a worthy addition to the trilogy begun with "Fort Apache" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon." "Rio Grande" is more deliberately paced than its predecessors. This is not to say the film doesn't deliver the action...it does. "Rio Grande" is a more personal film that the earlier episodes. "Rio Grande" delivers a strong romantic subplot with the action.
 Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke (John Wayne) is an aging Army officer. He trains recruits in a God forsaken outpost in New Mexico. Col. Yorke's charges are training for war against the Apache nation. One of his new recruits turns out to be Trooper Jeff Yorke (Claude Jarmin Jr.), Col. Yorke's son who he hasn't seen in 15 years. Col. Yorke has to deal with the underlying tension between his son and himself along with his duties as the post's commanding officer. To further complicate matters, Col. Yorke's estranged wife, Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara) shows up to take her son home. Kirby and Kathleen find that they are still attracted to each other. They try to see if its not to late to salvage their relationship. Trooper Jeff will have to decide for himself what path he will take.
 "Rio Grande" has many of John Ford's trademarks: beautiful Western vistas filmed in Moab, Utah, strong performances by his regular group of actors, rousing action sequences and incredible stunts by Yakima Canute. "Gunsmoke" will be surprised to discover that Ken Curtis is an amazing singer. There are several songs in "Rio Grande" (written by Dale Evans among others) which are sung by the "Sons of the Pioneers." Ken Curtis, best known as the scruffy Festus on "Gunsmoke" is the lead singer. I was unaware of his singing background before watching this film. Ken Curtis replaced Frank Sinatra as Tommy Dorsey's lead singer when Old Blue Eyes left the orchestra!
Classic Western by John Ford given the respect it deserves by Artisan Home Entertainment. Great movie, picture, sound and extras. All for only $19.98!
 Picture Quality: 10/10
Beautiful restoration! The picture looks as fresh and clear as it must have on screen at the premiere. No artifacts or pixilation. Outstanding Black-and-White photography. Great variation of tones through the gray scales. Some of the best "Day for Night" photography of the era. No delineation problems. Some of the best "Blacks" I've seen on DVD.
Sound Quality: 8/10
The enhanced track sounds much fuller than the unenhanced track. Both of the tracks have been restored. The sound is in mono, but it still is crisp and clear. Good sound for a movie this old.
Menu: 8/10
Very nice interactive menu design. Great use of scenes and stills from the movie. Easy to navigate.
Extra Features: 10/10
"The Making of Rio Grande" is a 20-minute look at the history of this John Ford classic. Hosted by Leonard Maltin, "The Making of Rio Grande" provides detailed insight into the development and filming of the third episode of John Ford's Calvary Trilogy. Included are many stills, clips and interviews with the film's cast and crew including Oscar winning actor Ben Johnson.
"Along the Rio Grande with Maureen O'Hara" is an 18-minute featurette. Ms. O'Hara shares her memories about the making of the movie. Her mind is as sharp, and her memories fresh. The featurette is wonderful, especially if you love an Irish accent! Great stories about director John Ford, John Wayne and the rest of the crew.
The selected audio commentary by Maureen O'Hara is outstanding. Ms. O'Hara stops occasionally to watch the movie with the viewer. Her commentary is interspersed throughout the film. She gives many historical insights into the background of the movie. I enjoyed her telling about the hidden Irish meaning behind one of the songs sung by Ken Curtis.
The DVD includes trailers for this and two other Republic pictures being given the grand treatment by Artisan.
The Final Word:
A must have DVD from Artisan. Please support the companies who take older films and give them to the "Special Edition" treatment. If DVDs like "Rio Grande," "High Noon" and "The Quiet Man" are supported by movie buffs, then maybe Artisan will continue to bring other classics to DVD in "Special Editions."
Rusty White
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