The leaders of the French "New Wave", especially Godard, admired such famous directors as John Ford, Howard Hawks and Nicholas Ray. He felt that was the real film language. Bazin is also not stingy with praise, and believes that Westerns are destined to be an unsurpassed genre. Not only them, but even big directors such as Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman, etc., have always liked the films of these famous Western directors, although their image styles are quite different.
Indeed, in "Red River" (1948), co-directed by Hawks and Arthur Rosen, we not only saw how the vast West of the United States went from desolation to galloping cattle, but also saw cowboys. The joys and sorrows, the unbreakable inner struggle, and the squeeze of the years on each other's emotions. With the magnificent nature as the background and the harsh real living environment, it presents the irresistible temptation and eccentricity of human nature. This is also the common characteristic of these western films.
The narrative of "Red River" can be described as magnificent and extremely subtle. From Dawson leading a cow and a bull, all the way north, it settled in the Red River at the junction of Texas and Oklahoma. To more than 10,000 head of cattle, which lasted 15 years. During the dry season, they have to keep moving their cattle to the prairies of Kansas and Missouri. Most of the background of the film is about the process of Dawson and his adopted son Groot leading a group of people to drive the cattle back to the Red River in Texas after untold hardships. The two depended on each other for life, and eventually they had to part ways because of Dawson's insistence. It can be said that the film lightly incorporates a strong lingering nostalgic memory, or Dawson would not have taken so much effort to return to Texas.
The pioneering freehand brushwork in "Red River", the warmth of the cold night, the melancholy of the sunrise and sunset, are amazing. Cattlemen slept and slept all the way, miserable, there were always people who left the team, and there were always people who rebelled. The guy who stole candy in the middle of the night touched the pots and pans, ding dong, and thousands of cattle ran wild. This night, they lost thousands of cattle, which made Dawson and the others very sad. But his sternness and his inhumanity led to everyone's detachment. Even Groot, who has always been loyal, couldn't help but lead the crowd to make Dawson's rebellion, leaving the injured him alone and taking the bull with him. The herd continued south, and after reaching the Red River on the Texas side, they sold all 9,000 cattle to a big buyer from Kansas.
The wonder of the movie is that, just like we often see the final duel in western movies, when life and death are unknown, this couple, old and young, who are in love with their father and son, but because of a young woman's scolding, obediently put down their guns and became Buddhas on the spot. . Dawson gave Groot a D and a W on the ground, with a red river in the middle. This kind of separation made everyone convinced, and it was a hundred. The movie finally returns to human nature, saying that men's weaknesses are good, they all love beautiful women, they see her as an angel. Interestingly, Dawson's last order was to let Groot marry her. At this time, the two really completed the real transformation of the roles of father and son, as well as the emotional return.
But real life is far more bloody and unfortunate than the intensity of this movie. It breaks my heart to speak of the tragic life of Montgomery Clift (1920-1966). He has been living in the shadow of his mother. It can be said that his life depends entirely on the arrangement of his mother. Such a wealthy home may not lack anything, but it may lack relaxation and freedom. After Montgomery starred in "Red River", he immediately became the new idol of young people in Europe and America. How many women adore his refreshing heroic spirit on the screen, like the kind that does not eat human fireworks, and is completely free of impurities and greasy, even the female star Ao Livia de Havilland also fell for him and invited him to appear in "The Heiress" by name.
But he is always depressed, and he rarely smiles, whether on screen or in life. His eyes were so clear, but his heart was unusually chaotic. The control of his mother undoubtedly brought a heavy shackle to his life, making him unable to live and face everything freely. The 17-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, who starred with him in "The Heart of a Man", fell in love with him at first sight, but he rejected her, and the sad Taylor also played an almost perfect sad image in the film.
After starring in "Summer Horror", Montgomery began to decline, and alcoholism began to destroy him a little bit, because he did not love women, but even in the United States at that time, "homosexuality" was not allowed and accepted. Worst of all, his memory has deteriorated due to chronic alcoholism. In 1961, he participated in "The Nuremberg Trials", and he can't remember the lines. In 1962, in "The Misfits", he joined forces with the equally devastated Monroe to play the cowboy again. He was on the verge of collapse until his death four years later. It can be said that Montgomery's life is a complete tragedy. If there are not so many realistic factors, I believe that he will play more and more wonderful roles. It is a pity that life has not come all over again.
Whenever I think of his melancholy and somewhat frightened eyes, whenever I see that he likes to lower his head gently and remain silent, and his faint smile disappears quickly, and when confronted with hysterics, he hurriedly backs away. It turns out that his movies are all about interpreting the unknown secrets and thoughts in his heart. But no matter how time passes, we will remember his pure eyes and his rare smile, just as we can't forget James Dean's rebellious look for no reason. Life is a family dream, I hope we all still have a heart of loyal soul in troubled times.
2019､6､26
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