"EL DORADO: CENTENNIAL COLLECTION"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING John Wayne as COLE THORNTON Robert Mitchum as SHERIFF J.P. HARRAH James Caan as MISSISSIPPI Charlene Holt as MAUDIE Paul Fix as DR. MILLER Arthur Hunnicutt as BULL HARRIS Michele Carey as JOEY MACDONALD R.G. Armstrong as KEVIN MACDONALD Edward Asner as BART JASON Christopher George as NELSE MCLEOD Not Rated Studio: Paramount Directed by: Howard Hawks Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Coinciding with Paramount’s Centennial Collection release of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” Howard Hawke’s classic 1967 western “El Dorado” is also getting the two-disc special edition treatment. John Wayne plays Cole Thornton, a hired heavy who refuses to work for a greedy land baron named Bart Jason (Edward Asner) when he’s asked to run an innocent family off their land.
Years after a confrontation, Thornton returns to town to help his old friend J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum), the sheriff of the town who has fallen into alcoholism, keep peace in their section of the wild west. Along for the ride is young gun Mississippi (James Caan), whom Thornton saved from an ambush with Jason’s men.
WHAT I LIKED
Unless you’re more inclined towards the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, you’ll find everything you’d expect from a classic western in “El Dorado.” John Wayne plays his stand-by character of a tough guy helping out the little man. Robert Mitchum is spectacular as the drunk sheriff who needs a little help from his old friend. And James Caan has an awesome major film debut as the eager but somewhat green gunfighter.
People from my generation were raised on science fiction movies and video games, so westerns were more a thing of the past for us. They were what our fathers and grandfathers watched, and if we would consider the genre, it would be something like “Silverado” or “Young Guns.” It’s films like “El Dorado” that can serve as a reminder that westerns were an exciting – and at times very humorous – set of films.
Like “The Man who Shot Liberty Valance,” “El Dorado” was directed by a classic director near the end of his career. Both films left an indelible mark on American cinema, even though they were both very different movies. While “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” was a more contemplative film with only a smattering of violence, “El Dorado” was a hard-hitting action piece filled with gun fights and action.
Unlike many films of the 1960s, “El Dorado” has a timeless feel and didn’t get lost in the murkiness that left me confused with era classics like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Odd Couple,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Casino Royale.”
Even looked at with today’s eye, “El Dorado” is a thrilling movie with great characters and a brilliant image of the mythical old west.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Aside from the conventions of the time it was made, “El Dorado” is an extremely well constructed film. Sure, the cinematography is relatively static and steady, but this is how it was with other films of the day. Likewise, the somewhat cheesy dialogue and situations may seem unrealistic by today’s standards, but they work in the context of this film.
DVD FEATURES
Like other releases in Paramount’s Centennial Collection, “El Dorado” comes with two discs. The first includes the film with two commentary tracks, one featuring Peter Bogdanovich and the other featuring critic and film historian Richard Schickel with actor Edward Asner and author Todd McCarthy.
Disc 2 features an hour-long seven-part documentary called “Ride, Boldly Ride: The Journey to El Dorado.” This takes the viewer through the development of the picture, including what it was like working with Howard Hawks and screen legend John Wayne.
Two featurettes are included, one from 1967 called “The Artist and the American West” and the other called “Behind the Gates: A.C. Lyles Remembers John Wayne.”
The second disc is rounded out with the original theatrical trailer along with a lobby card gallery and production still gallery.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Classic western fans and anyone who likes John Wayne or Robert Mitchum.
