Texas Focus: Red River
Texas Spirit Theater | NR | 133 min. | Action, Adventure, Romance
November 8, 2018 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Join the Bullock Museum for a screening and conversation about the Texas based film, Red River.
Thomas Dunson leads a cattle drive through Texas, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son.
Event Details
Red River, though filmed outside of Texas, captures the bravado and stubborn nature that defines part of Texas culture to this day. In Red River, John Wayne, perhaps the most iconic representative of this on-screen bravado, plays a cattleman and rancher who knocks heads with anyone who gets between him and his economic dreams.
A cinematic exploration of the Texas narrative, the Museum's Texas Focus Film Series highlights stories by, for, and about Texans. This season's selections center around classic ideas of Texas and Texans as viewed on screen. This evening's program is shown in conjunction with our Spirit Theater Gallery Texas Film Poster exhibition, and includes a film screening and Q&A with screenwriter and director, Alex R. Johnson and Professor in the Radio-Television-Film Department at the University of Texas at Ausitn, Dr. Tom Schatz. Come early at 6pm for a welcome reception.
Please note: Entrance for this screening will be at the IMAX lobby doors.
Educators: To receive CPE credit, email Education@TheStoryofTexas.com
Your ticket purchase supports the Bullock Museum's exhibitions and educational programming.
Rating: NR
Suggested age: 13+
Directors: Howard Hawks and Arthur Rosson
Writers: Borden Chase and Charles Schnee
Runtime: 133 min.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
Release year: 1948
Released at the onset of the golden age of the western (1940–1960s), Red River was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1990. Red River was also nominated for two Acandemy Awards, including for Borden Chase's writing. Chase is the author of the novel that the film is based on.
Alex R. Johnson is a screenwriter and director. His feature film Two Step premiered to critical acclaim at SXSW in 2014 and went on to become a New York Times Critic’s Pick. His screenplay Northeast Kingdom was selected for the 2016 Black List. It was acquired by Paramount Pictures for Platinum Dunes to produce, with Johnson attached to direct. In 2015, his screenplay Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You was selected by the Austin Film Society’s Artist Intensive lab. There, he spent three days working one-on-one with late director Jonathan Demme. Prior to writing and directing, Johnson was a seasoned NYC based commercial and documentary producer. He started his career at the legendary Maysles Films and then branched off to work with other directors. Johnson lives and works in Austin, Texas with his wife, son, and dogs.
Tom Schatz is Professor and Mary Gibbs Jones Centennial Chair in the Radio-Television-Film Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has been on the faculty since 1976. His books include Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking and the Studio System, The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era, and Boom and Bust: American Cinema in the 1940s. His writing on film has appeared in the New York Times, the LA Times, Premiere, The Nation, Film Comment, Cineaste, and elsewhere. His current book project, a history of contemporary conglomerate Hollywood, was awarded a film scholars grant by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Schatz also is the editor of the Film and Media Studies series for the University of Texas Press.
The Texas Spirit Theater located on the Bullock Museum's second floor is one of the most beautiful film experiences in Austin and features multi-sensory special effects such as lightning, rain, and other surprises.
Museum Members enjoy free unlimited IMAX® documentary films, discounts on feature film tickets, free exhibition admission, discounts in the Museum Store, and more. Learn More.
Learn about ticket prices, refund policies, and parking (free after 5 pm). For evening programs, please enter through the Bullock Museum IMAX Theatre.
Alcohol sponsorship for Texas Focus is provided by Austin Cocktails.
Promotional Support by Texas Film Commission
