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Rating:  -
From time to time I've revisited this movie. Entertaining it is.
"El Dorado" has its hokey moments, James Caan going on and on about "ride boldly ride" in a poem about El Dorado, Maudie (John Wayne's love interest) taking up where numerous women in Wayne's movies have left off: "I'm not going to cry. I'm just going to buy a pine box, about 6-foot for you" and then the requisite speech about how men are dumb for fighting and women are saintly for waiting valiently for their men to come back home, blah, blah blah.
It has has a geezer sidekick (Arthur Honeycutt)who mimics Walter Brennen from "Rio Bravo," James Caan who mimics Ricky Nelson from "Rio Bravo" and Mitchum who mimics Dean Martin from "Rio Bravo" and, finally, Charlene Holt, who mimics Angie Dickinson in "Rio Bravo." See the pattern? "Rio Bravo" and "El Dorado" are essentially the same movie. A sheriff, his sidekick and John Wayne, his sidekick and his girlfriend. Formulaic.
Nonetheless, there is a good movie in here.
There are elements of Wild Woolly Westerns here.
Christopher George plays the bad guy gunslinger who nonetheless warms up to John Wayne's Cole Thornton and SPOILER ALERT! gets it in the end.
But there is a scene that is gold: George and his band of bad men walk into the bar to see the other bad guy/rancher Edward Asner.
As they walk in, tinkly piano music plays and they swagger in. It's straight out of a 1920s shoot-em-up.
It's not a work of art. But it will entertain. It will grow on you with subsequent showings.
John Wayne is the ultimate John Wayne with his John Waynisms. Mitchum is pretty much a bystander and goes through the motions.
All in all, entertaining and a poem to formula Cowboy movies.
Rating: -
This is one of those movies that has the old fashioned western feel from the beginning and all the characters do a terrific job of enhancing that sensation. Wayne and Mitchum are both on their game and play off each other like the pros they were. Since the plot is pretty simple, the characters get to show their stuff regularly throughout the movie. All parts of the movie provide fun and the old belief that the good guy should win and get the pretty girl. When you are through watching you have the feeling that the actors had as much fun making the movie as you had in watching it.
Rating:  -
This is a review of the 2009 2-disc Centennial Edition. If you're a fan of this movie (as I am), you probably already own the previous release (as I do), so the real question is: should you upgrade? The answer is unconditionally YES! The image quality of the new transfer is miles beyond the earlier version, and with an upconverting DVD player, it really looks fantastic. The bonus disk is enjoyable as well. Kudos to Paramount for doing a first rate job on this one. Although the movie itself may not qualify for classic status, it's great entertainment and, for my money, a better picture than its previous incarnation as "Rio Bravo." The easy camaraderie between John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, and the fun the director has with James Caan's character equals one good time!
Rating: -
I want to be clear as Amazon.com is mixing reviews for all of the editions of the movie of EL DORADO on DVD. This review is for the latest (2009) 2 DVD set Centennial Collection. Being an owner of the previous releases and a huge fan of the movie (probably in the minority who favor it to Rio Bravo)as far as the movie goes it looks stunning! The picture is crisp, the contrast brilliant and the color well saturated. If I didn't know better I'd think it was a VistaVision. The Second disc has some very entertaining and educational featurettes which kept me amused for over an hour themselves. James Caan is great in the film, Mitchum is ....Mitchum ..which is superb and Ed Asner brings a gravitas to his character. Oh...John Wayne is terrific and this is just a lot of fun.
Rating: -
In 1966, popular director Harold Hawks (1932's "Scarface", 1938's "Bringing Up Baby" and 1940's "His Girl Friday") known for directing popular romantic comedies back in the 1930's and 1940's returned with his second western titled "El Dorado".
Although Hawks was not a specialist in the Western genre, his film "Rio Hondo" was critically acclaimed and so, when he created his second Western "EL DORADO" (as part of his Western trilogy) eventually, his second film would be known for the unique pairing of western greats John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Two stars that would guarantee "EL DORADO" to become a box office hit.
The film also would feature actor James Caan, Ed Asner, Arthur Hunnicutt and actresses Charlene Holt and Michele Carey.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
If there is one thing to say about the Paramount "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" releases, many of these classic films have all been digitally remastered and look absolutely magnificent. These films containing the "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" moniker are the definitive versions to own as they tend to have more features added and overall, like how CRITERION COLLECTIONS have spotlighted on films worldwide and have given top treatment, Paramount has done the same with several of their classic films. With that being said, I can only wish that a Blu-ray high definition transfer is in the works for these classic films because if they have been through a process of remastering, one can only expect how phenomenal these will look via HD.
For now, "EL DORADO - CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" is only available via DVD but this new version is remastered, in widescreen and features Dolby Digital audio.
The picture quality for a DVD is actually quite clean for a film nearly 40-years-old. The film utilizes a good number of outdoor shots and video looks quite clean for an older film.
For audio, I tested the audio on my receiver set at "Dolby Digital Mono". What can I say....the gunshots really come alive in the sound department. Granted, the film is primarily dialogue-based but I realized how pronounced those gun and rifle shots sound on my home theater system.
Overall, "EL DORADO" has been given special treatment and fans of the film will not be disappointed.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"EL DORADO - CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" comes with two discs. Here is what to expect on both discs:
DISC 1: The first disc includes the original film but also contains two commentary tracks.
* Commentary by Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich - Peter Bogdanovich ("The Last Picture Show") was good friends with Director Howard Hawks and for this commentary, Bogdanovich who is very familiar with westerns, talks about the people on the set and any tidbits of the film which Howard Hawks have told him.
* Commentary by Critic and Film Historian Richard Schikel, actor Ed Asner and Author Todd McCarthy. - The men talk about Harold Hawks, the talent and their overall thoughts about the film.
DISC 2: This second disc contains the special features
* Ride, Boldly Ride: The Journey to El Dorado 7-Part Featurette - (total run time: 41:50) This special feature is quite lengthy and focuses on Howard Hawks, the talents of "El Dorado" and much more. The documentary is broken up into seven parts:
- CHAPTER 1: THE PARADIGM OF AN ENTERTAINER - (5:32) A featurette discussing how unique Howard Hawks was. How he has had a constant run of smash hits durin ghte 30's and 40's and has an adversarial role with the movie studios.
- CHAPTER 2: STEALING FROM HIMSELF - (5:18) This chapter talks about how "EL DORADO" was somewhat a remake of "RIO HONDO". How "EL DORADO" Borrowed heavily, the Western elements of "RIO HONDO".
- CHAPTER 3: A TACITURN MAN - (4:15) People who knew Howard Hawks, his friends talked about how he was taciturn and self-contained.
- CHAPTER 4: PROFESSIONAL COURTESY - (11:39) This film features interviews about Howard Hawks, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum and those who worked with the men.
- CHAPTER 5: SPOTLIGHT - JAMES CAAN - (5:02) James Caan worked previously on a Howard Hawks film titled "Red Line 7000 and was later casted for a Western with John Wayne. Interview with James Caan and
- CHAPTER 6: THE DUKE, THE GREY FOX AND PAPPY - (6:58) Howard Hawks and John Wayne working together. Also, Howard Hawks having to say goodbye to John Ford.
- CHAPTER 7: AN OLD-AGE MASTERPIECE - (3:37) How "El Dorado" was filmed in 1965 and came out in 1967 and the challenges of media behind-the-scenes.
* The Artist and the American West (1967) - Vintage Featurette - (5:28) a classic (and very aged) featurette about the American West and also some commentary on the film "EL DORADO".
* Behind the Gates: A.C. Lyles Remembers John Wayne - (5:32) A.C. Lyles (a movie producer for Paramount, especially the Westerns that were in theaters during the 1950's and 1960's) talks about his friend John Wayne and offers us behind-the-scenes of a variety of films that the Duke has worked on. From the winning of his award to his earlier and later career.
* Theatrical Trailer - (3:05) The original 1996 theatrical trailer.
* Galleries: These photo galleries contain Lobby Cards and Production
Included with the set is an 8-page guide about the talent in the film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"EL DORADO" is rather a fun, action film that knows when to balance its seriousness with its humor. On one side of the spectrum, you get movie greats John Wayne and Robert Mitchum together. But on the other side, it's about character development which "EL DORADO" is very much strong in showcasing.
The film features two legendary actors in their own right but then you start adding more talent such as James Caan as Mississippi, a character that brings the comedic element to the film. And then you have two beautiful women, Charlene Holt (Maudie) and Michele Carey (Joey MacDonald) who are women that are not weak, in fact they are independent thinkers who do things on their own. Considering that women were not exactly featured in equal footing, to see these women as strong and independent, this was quite rare in a film created at that time, especially for a Western.
Overall, "EL DORADO" was an entertaining, humorous but really enjoyable Western. I absolutely enjoyed the scene as Cole and Mississippi make a concoction to help the sheriff sober up and then you have scenes where Mississippi goes to check on a shooter that is hiding near the sheriff's station (which turns out to be Joey) and he tries to apprehend her. And of course, the natural banter between Wayne and Mitchum that seem natural and real.
This is the first Western release for the "CENTENNIAL COLLECTION" and is #9 in the series. The DVD actually provides some interesting tidbits as Director Peter Bogdanovich who was good friends with Hawk, was at the set during the filming and is able to give his personal insight about Hawks and the various talent for the film. So, Western fans will definitely find some enjoyment with what is included on the two discs. There is a good number of special features that will definitely keep the viewer busy for a few hours.
Overall, "EL DORADO" is an enjoyable Western. Definitely not as superb as "RIO HONDO" but because the film manages to effectively use the talents of John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan and Charlene Holt effectively, made this film quite appealing. If you are a John Wayne or Robert Mitchum fan or even a fan of this classic 1966 film, definitely check out "EL DORADO - CENTENNIAL COLLECTION". This is the definitive version to own on DVD!
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