No Western onscreen feud surpasses the fiery father-son conflict between John Wayne’s tyrannical Thomas Dunson and Montgomery Clift’s groundbreaking performance as independent-minded Matthew Garth in Howard Hawks’ 1948 masterpiece, Red River. But nestled within the film’s enduring legacy there is a secret in its saddlebag — an alternate ending lost for years and only recovered decades later. During production, dissatisfied with the pacing, Hawks and editor Christian Nyby crafted a 133-minute version, longer than the 127-minute theatrical release, featuring book-style transitions and a more contemplative tone. This version of the film was initially available but soon disappeared with legal battles and studio interference contributing to this longer version’s vanishing.
Loosely based on author Borden Chase’s original serialized story in The Saturday Evening Post titled “Blazing Guns on the Chisholm Trail” about the historical first cattle drive from the South to the North after the Civil War, Red River explores the hardships faced by Southerners post the war, who, like John Wayne’s Dunson, a successful Texas rancher, lost their market for livestock. Facing bankruptcy, Dunson embarks on a perilous journey northwards to sell his ten thousand cattle, imploring his fellow ranchers to join him. Among his trusted companions is his adopted son, Montgomery Clift’s Matt, who survived an attack that claimed Dunson’s girlfriend. Despite their close bond as father and son, mentor and mentee, Dunson and Matt hold contrasting views on life.
In real life, the two actors playing the two roles also held equally opinionated political views that they decided not to discuss politics on the set of Red River. Wayne was known for his conservative Republican stand while Clift was a liberal Democrat. In the film, Wayne’s Dunson’s dictatorial and unyielding personality clashes with Matt’s democratic spirit and concern for the followers’ needs. Red River marked a turning point for John Wayne, marking his first portrayal of a complex, hero-villain figure. Peter Bogdanovich describes Wayne’s role in Red River as the toughest of his career and one that prompted John Ford to remark that he hadn’t realized Wayne possessed such an acting range. Wayne’s performance in Red River, Bogdanovich states, in turn, paved the way for Ford and Wayne’s unconventional collaboration on The Searchers, where Wayne further explored his dark side.
‘Red River’s Alternate Ending Has a Longer Fight Sequence
The theatrical version of Red River, familiar to audiences, sees Wayne’s Dunson and his adopted son Matt reconcile after a fiery fistfight, in a Tess-mediated conflict. Tess is played by Joanne Dru. Dunson returns home, humbled but unbroken, his legacy tarnished but with glimmerings of redemption. This contrasts with the source material, which explores a bleaker ending. In it, Dunson, defiant and unyielding, dies alone in the desert after being shot by Valance (played by John Ireland in the screen adaptation), and Matt carries his body for burial to their Texas ranch. The alternative version is much longer, providing a brutal contestation between a father and his foster son. In this ending, Wayne’s Dunson appears as the ultimate villain, with a much less redeeming redemption arc. The differences go beyond mere survival.
The theatrical version, though showcasing Dunson’s flaws, allows him to acknowledge his mistakes and earn a measure of forgiveness. The lost ending, however, offers no such leniency. It lays bare the brutal consequences of Dunson’s tyranny, painting him as a tragic figure consumed by his own ambition. But it also offers an elongated fight, with Wayne’s Dunson provoking Matt several times before their violent encounter. Dunson asks Matt to draw his gun, which he declines and eventually shoots at Matt, causing him a facial injury, but Matt doesn’t react until Dunson eventually hits him after taking away Matt’s gun. Then, the two men engage in a fierce fistfight, to Nadine Groot’s (Walter Brennan) refreshing amusement.
The differences also extend to the emotional impact. The theatrical version provides a sense of closure, albeit bittersweet. Dunson’s return, while marked by loss, suggests the possibility of rebuilding relationships and legacies, providing Matt the much-deserved recognition at his ranch. The lost ending, however, lingers in the air, leaving a chilling uncertainty and a reminder of the price of unchecked power. There have been arguments on which of the two endings director Hawks preferred, with Bogdanovich, who interviewed Hawks in his later years, stating that the director preferred the released version, while another historian Gerald Mast argues that Hawks preferred the 133-minute lost version.
Another marked difference between the two alternative endings to the film is that the lost version had numerous book pages from some diary as transitions. In contrast, Groot, whose character provided hilarious relief amid the film’s melodrama, romance, and action, narrated over the transitions. In the theatrical version, Groot narrates over actual scenes with reaction shots. The lost version also explores Matt’s sleeping issues after surviving the earlier Native American attack. In the scene, he is seen disclosing to Groot his traumatic fears of being constantly watched by attacking Native Americans. This version could be considered to prefigure the exploration of PTSD in today’s cinema. Moreover, the lost ending casts a new light on Montgomery Clift’s Matt. His quiet strength in the face of Dunson’s tyranny takes on a deeper meaning. He becomes not just a son seeking redemption, but a symbol of resilience, choosing moral clarity even in the face of a father consumed by ambition.
The Production of ‘Red River’ Was Marked By Controversies
The production of Red River, while ultimately birthing a Western great, was anything but smooth sailing. Delays and legal battles, fueled by accusations from Howard Hughes, the director of Jane Russell’s bra-controversy film The Outlaw that Hawks copied the film’s climax scene from their previous collaboration, threatened to derail the film before it even reached the silver screen. Following the conflict, Red River, which was filmed in 1946, was not released until September 1948. Despite the turbulence, Red River became a critical and commercial success, garnering two Academy Award nominations.
While John Wayne, like John Ford, may never have received the well-deserved matching Oscar recognition for his Western persona, Red River is a monument to his nuanced acting range. The film’s alternate ending, a dark, unflinching portrayal of Dunson’s downfall, reveals a depth rarely seen in Westerns. Though lost for some time amid legal battles and artistic disagreements, its recovery whispers a counterpoint to Dunson’s redemption – a chilling reminder of the price of unchecked ambition and the potential hidden within a cinematic masterpiece. Whether the theatrical ending of reconciliation or the ghostly alternative, Red River remains a testament to how films can be used to explore the full spectrum of human experience, leaving audiences to ponder the complexities of family, legacy, and the shadows that lurk even in the heart of the Wild West.
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