University of Virginia Library

CINEMA

Last Of The Tired Westerns?

By Paul Chaplin
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

John Wayne is giving the bad
guys a run for their money again in
another film which pairs him with
director Howard Hawks. The new
effort is "Rio Lobo," which I
thought looked like an overgrown
"world premiere" for television.
The story is nicely divided into two
halves, the first dealing with the
Civil War background of the story
and the second part covering the
troubles of Rio Lobo.

George Plimpton and John Wayne in "Rio Lobo"

I am really disappointed that the
film looks so much like a television
show; you can even guess where the
commercials would go. The flow of
events that can make westerns
exciting is lost, but there are a few
other problems.

The dialogue is never consistent,
or rather John Wayne is never
consistent. I really couldn't tell if
The Duke was taking his role
seriously or not. This is not to say
that some of the lines are not
funny; Jack Elam is awfully funny
making smart remarks to Wayne,
and one character even gets a dig in
about Wayne's acting. Except for
the few laugh lines, the rest of the
script is pretty tired sounding.

I didn't care for "Rio Lobo,"
and I think the main reason was the
film's attitude towards John
Wayne. He could kid himself in
"True Grit" and get away with it.
just as Lee Marvin knocked the
pants off westerns in "Cat Balloo."
Unfortunately, Wayne is over the
hill, and the kidding wears thin. We
see his stomach hang over his belt
and the lines under his eyes. He
can't get the girl, he gets wounded,
shudders, and gets a little tipsy. I
wonder how many more times
audiences will see men like Wayne,
Marvin, Henry Fonda, and Jimmy
Stewart star in a western in which
by the last reel they realize they're
old men headed for the last
round-up in the sky.

There might be a solution. Since
westerns have pretty much stopped
being so incredible in presenting
what the hero can do, why can't we
have a few of the younger stars in
westerns? I'm speaking somewhat
prematurely, for the audience
response to Arthur Penn's "Little
Big Man," starring Dustin Hoffman,
is not yet available. That film,
however, is not a typical western,
nor is Penn a typical Hollywood
western director like Hawks or
John Ford. Maybe I'm sentimental
in hoping westerns can get now life
into them. I never go to them that
often, but they are one of
America's distinct contributions to
the language of the cinema, and
when pure escapism is wanted,
nothing can beat them.

(Now at the Barracks Road)