Image supplied by Eureka!
Eureka! has got in touch in regards to their upcoming release of Rio Grande, John Ford’s excellent John Wayne-led movie from 1950. The release is part of the distributor’s ‘Masters Of Cinema’ series and will arrive later this month.
Wayne is Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke, attached to the Texas frontier in 1879 to protect settlers from attacks by Apaches. When Yorke’s son – a West Point flunkee turned Army private – is assigned to his father’s regiment, tensions flare upon the arrival of Yorke’s estranged wife Kathleen (O’Hara), who wants their teenaged son out of Yorke’s unit. After Apaches attack, the stakes of Yorke’s mission escalate, and he must journey to Mexico where the Apaches are hiding out. With his son and two old recruits (Ford/Wayne regulars Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr.) as accompaniment, Yorke faces his toughest battle.
The film is the final entry in Ford and Wayne’s “Cavalry Trilogy,” following their hits Fort Apache (1948) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949). Yet it also marks the first of five appearances Wayne made with actress Maureen O’Hara, three of which were directed by Ford.
Here is the box art followed by the planned bonus features.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- Limited Edition O-Card (2000 units only)
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray, from a new transfer completed by Paramount’s preservation department in 2019
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Brand new and exclusive feature-length audio commentary by western authority Stephen Prince
- Scene specific audio commentary with Maureen O’Hara
- A video essay on the film by John Ford expert and scholar Tag Gallagher
- Along the Rio Grande with Maureen O’Hara – archival documentary
- The Making of Rio Grande – archival featurette
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: a collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by western expert Howard Hughes; a new essay by film writer Phil Hoad; transcript of an interview with John Ford; excerpts from a conversation with Harry Carey, Jr.
Watch the new release trailer below. The Blu-ray is available from 20th April.
