Howard Hawks is hardly a director who could be described as under-appreciated—few can so confidently lay claim to being beloved equally of audiences, critics, and filmmakers. Is there anyone out there who doesn't have a special place in their heart for The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, or His Girl Friday? But Hawks's output was so vast, varied and rich that merely scratching its surface reveals lesser-known but remarkable films languishing in the shadows of the acknowledged classics. This summer, Anthology focuses on what may be the most neglected period in Hawks's filmography, the films created in the twilight of his career. Made with an effortlessness that could only have come after more than three decades of perfecting his craft, these final films see Hawks at his most relaxed, serene, and self-confident. Largely dismissed upon release, they have been vigorously defended by critics, biographers and scholars in the years since. The series will span two weekends, with the second focusing on the trilogy of westerns Hawks completed in this last phase of his career—the peerless Rio Bravo, and its two quirky quasi-remakes, El Dorado and Rio Lobo—as well as his earlier Wayne western, and towering masterpiece, Red River (arguably not late-Hawks, but with a movie this great, why worry about technicalities?).

Featured Works:

Red River (1948); Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); Land of the Pharaohs (1955); Rio Bravo (1959, pictured); Hatari (1962); Man's Favorite Sport? (1964); El Dorado (1966); Rio Lobo (1970)

Program information:

Late Hawks

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Golden Years by Dan Sallitt posted Jun. 04, 2008