Movies Under the Stars

Red River (1948)
Film Screening

An NCPA & Film Heritage Foundation Presentation

Howard Hawks’ Red River has been described by renowned film critic Roger Ebert as “one of the greatest of all Westerns” often drawing comparisons to “Mutiny on the Bounty” in a western setting. The film stars John Wayne in one of his greatest roles as an embittered, tyrannical Texas rancher whose tensions with his adopted son, played by Montgomery Clift in his first screen role, reach epic proportion during a cattle drive to Missouri.

Fourteen years after starting his cattle ranch in Texas, Tom Dunston (John Wayne) is finally ready to drive his 10,000 head of cattle to market. Back then Dunston, his sidekick Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan) and a teen-aged boy, Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift), who was the only survivor of an Indian attack on a wagon train, started off with only two heads of cattle. The nearest market, however, is in Missouri, a 1,000 miles away. Dunston is a hard task master demanding a great deal from the men who have signed up for the drive. Matt is a grown man now and fought in the Civil War. He has his own mind as well and he soon runs up against the stubborn Dunston who won’t listen to advice from anyone. Soon, the men on the drive are taking sides and Matt ends up in charge with Dunston vowing to kill him.

Director: Howard Hawks
Screenplay: Borden Chase & Charles Schnee
Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru & Walter Brennan

Admission on a first-come-first-served basis. NCPA Members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm