Red River (1948; USA; B&W; 133m) ****½ d. Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson; w. Borden Chase, Charles Schnee; ph. Russell Harlan; m. Dimitri Tiomkin. Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, Coleen Gray, John Ireland, Noah Beery Jr., Harry Carey, Harry Carey Jr., Paul Fix, Chief Yowlachie, Hank Worden, Mickey Kuhn, Hal Taliaferro, Shelley Winters. A rancher is driving his cattle to Red River when his adopted son turns against him. Wayne is excellent in an unsympathetic role as the trail boss. Clift and Brennan are just as good in support. The photography captures the toughness of a long cattle drive and Tiomkin contributes a memorable score. Hawks handles the story perfectly through to its finale, which strikes the only false note in an otherwise top-class production. Filmed in 1946 but held for release for two years, in part due to legal problems with Howard Hughes who claimed it was similar to his THE OUTLAW. Borden adapted his own story. Remade for TV in 1988. [PG]