"Rio Bravo" forms a loose trilogy with "Only Angels Have Wings" (1939) and "To Have and Have Not" (1944), which treats key Hawks themes of self-respect and friendship with exquisite subtlety, comedy and tenderness. "Rio Bravo", however, is the definitive rendition of these themes. For Robin Wood, it may be the greatest American film, the epitome of the collaborative art of the studio system, characterized by marvellous performances from Hollywood legends and relative newcomers alike; and by Hawks's complete understanding of classical filmmaking techniques.
Author Biography
Robin Wood is the author of many pioneering books on the cinema, among them Howard Hawks (1968/81) Hitchcock's Films Revisited (1969/2002) and Sexual Politics and Narrative Film: Hollywood and Beyond (1998).
