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El Dorado | 
 enlarge | Director: Howard Hawks
Actors: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Paul Fix
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.21
You Save: $5.77 (58%)
New (46) Used (19) from $4.21
Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 3927
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: PARD066254D
ISBN: 0792160800
UPC: 097360662542
EAN: 9780792160809
ASIN: 6305754969
Theatrical Release Date: June 7, 1967
Release Date: March 21, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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Amazon.com essential video
El Dorado doesn't quite have the scope or ambition of Howard Hawks's greatest Westerns, Red River and Rio Bravo. But this relaxed picture, made near the end of Hawks's marvelous career, still shows the steady, sure hand of a master. Hawks reunites with John Wayne, playing a hired gun mixed up in a range war; Robert Mitchum is Wayne's old pal, now a sheriff in the midst of a hopeless drunken bender. James Caan, in one of his first sizable roles, plays a kid who can't shoot straight and wears a funny hat (every character in the movie makes fun of this hat). As the plot moves along, it begins to resemble Rio Bravo rather closely ("I steal from myself all the time," Hawks was fond of admitting). But in El Dorado the heroes are a bit older, their powers a bit weaker; at the end Wayne must revert to a bit of subterfuge in order to get the drop on the steely gunslinger (ice-cold Christopher George) he needs to put down. As relaxed as the movie is, Hawks and Wayne and company are in good spirits, with plenty of broad humor and easy camaraderie on display. Hawks and Wayne would make just one more film, the disappointing Rio Lobo, before ending their fruitful partnership. --Robert Horton
Product Description
Legendary producer-director Howard Hawks teams with two equally legendary stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, in this classic Western drama. Mitchum plays to perfection an alcoholic but gutsy sheriff who relentlessly battles the dark side of the wild West, ruthless cattle barons and crooked "businessmen." The Duke gives an equally adept performance as the sheriff's old friend who knows his way around a gunfight. Filled with brawling action and humor, "El Dorado" delivers the goods. James Caan and Ed Asner co-star.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 78 more reviews...
 "You tryin' to tell me I'm in the same boat as you were!?" --Wayne to Mitchum November 28, 2008
Bobby Underwood (Bakersfield, California United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"They laughed at him, Mississippi. That'll make the difference." -- Wayne to Caan regarding Mitchum
Director Howard Hawks once again hooked up with John Wayne to revisit the moral codes and deep loyalty of good men to others who live by this code. As in nearly all films made by this great director, the theme of women being the downfall of good men who still cannot live without them remains prominent. This remake of Rio Bravo is fabulously entertaining and as such stands as one of the truly great films in the genre.
Wayne may indeed be marvelous here in one of his best performances, but he has stiff competition from Robert Mitchum and a very young James Caan. The mere fact that Hawks could assemble such a cast is in itself astounding. To have Robert Mitchum and John Wayne together is tantamount to having Gable and Tyrone Power share the screen at their zenith, or Garbo and Sherarer appearing together. Whereas many great films might have one larger than life star whose character you can't take your eyes from, this film has two and a half.
The half is for a young James Caan, whose charming and magnetic performance showed his niche in films, and catapulted him to the upper ranks in the minds of many. There is a bit more backstory than in Rio Bravo, as Hawks shows the relationship of gunfighter Cole Thornton (John Wayne) to his old pal, Sheriff J.P., (Robert Mitchum) who have a long and storied history of riding the trail together. They are two of the four best guns in the west, but the different paths they've chosen has not diminished their friendship or loyalty to each other because they live by the same moral code.
Cole inadvertently becomes involved in a range feud in El Dorado over water and gets shot by spunky and very pretty Michelle Carey as Joey, a member of the MacDonald family J.P. is protecting from rancher Bart Jason (Ed Asner) and his hands. Though it doesn't kill him, the bullet cannot be removed, and the spasms it brings to his gun-hand on occasion will come into play when months later he runs into one of the other four fast guns who is heading for El Dorado to work for Jason. Since J.P. has become a drunk and the laughingstock of the town, it seems an easy task.
Two of Hawks' favorite themes immediately appear at this juncture; the moral code which binds good men together and the women that can make them crawl into the bottle. James Caan is used for the former as a young riverboat brat avenging the death of the gambler who raised him. He attaches himself to Cole as he heads back to El Dorado. Simply called Mississippi because his real name is of such length and formality, he lives by the same moral code so instantly knows Cole will be heading for El Dorado after hearing about his pal J.P. from slick and dangerous gunman, Christopher George.
It is a conversation between George and Wayne which brings out the latter theme; Cole knowing even before George tells him that a woman was the only thing which could have derailed J.P., even knowing the type he would have been such a fool over. Though Rio Bravo had some humor, and a great performance from Dean Martin, El Dorado has more, and it is quite fun for the viewer watching Cole sober up J.P., with help from Mississippi's concoction, and J.P.'s old Indian-fighter pal, Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt).
There is the usual stuff here we've seen many times, but here it is done in such entertaining fashion we can't wait to see the outcome. The conversation near the end between J.P. and Cole, who may have reversed roles due to lovely Charlene Holt as Maudie, is a riot! Also hilarious is Mississippi's inability to shoot straight, even with a shotgun! Almost lost in the male camaraderie and bonding is the smaller role of Marina Ghane as Maria. She was quite lovely, however.
Hawks seemed to return to these themes again and again in his films, albeit in westerns or crime dramas. This is truly one of the great westerns. It does not get touted like some because there is no hidden symbolism; it is straightforward and everyone can see what Hawks is saying. For my money, however, I prefer Hawks to the more heralded western makers like John Ford. A nice western score by Sinatra arranger Nelson Riddle, of all people, and some great western art by Olaf Wieghorst used for the opening credits add to what is already one of the most fascinating films in the genre ever filmed. A must have film for fans of Hawks, Wayne, and Mitchum.
 The Over the Hill Gang. , widescreen November 9, 2008
Claxon,Bill
Mitchum(Baby,I don't care) seems to be having the most fun in playing the part of the drunken sheriff; his performance seemed most convincing.( Overall Dvd quality is good and with fine opening credits.)If they played this for farce,they may have gotten away with it. 2 Spitoons...just for Bob. (This was a big hit when it opened way back when so I guess they DID get away with it)Your move.
 Fan Of john Wayne August 16, 2008
Martha G. Leonard
I wanted this movie for my John Wayne collection. I saw it when it can out in the movies and needed to add it to my DVD collection. This is one of the best of Waynes's Movies.
El Dorado April 24, 2008
Marilyn Kamann (Chipley, FL.)
A comical and serious movie. Robert Mitchum and John Wayne together were really good.
 Great western April 9, 2008
John E. Marcucci (Omaha, NE USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
They just don't make movies like this anymore, which is why I like these westerns more and more as time goes by. Good guys and bad guys, horses and guns, Robert Mitchum and John Wayne! What more could you ask?
Oh,and lets not forget the scene where commie-lib Ed Asner gets pistol-whipped by Robert Mitchum. That alone makes it worth buying.
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