Hamlette's Note: Thanks for writing this post for the John Wayne Blogathon, Ekaterina!
Rooster Cogburn -- a review by Ekaterina
The movie is about Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn), a religious missionary always preaching about God, and Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne), who is not very religious to say the least. Most of the movie is about how Marshal Cogburn, Miss Eula, and Wolf (an Indian boy) chase a group of outlaws, who have also killed Miss Eula’s father and friends. The movie mainly focused on the characters played by John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn.
Some things I loved about this movie was the relationship between John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn. They were both witty, and they were both strong characters that worked well together. I liked how their friendship and how they didn’t end up in a romantic relationship. Although I do like watching romantic movies, I don’t think I would have liked the movie if John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn ended up in a romantic relationship. This movie does have a similar plot line to African Queen, but I like this movie more because of the chemistry between Wayne and Hepburn.
There was also a slight emphasis on the Civil War in this movie. Miss Eula was a Yankee, who grew up in Boston, and Rooster Cogburn fought for the Confederacy. I’ve found it interesting how they often made remarks on it. I like it when westerns make references to the Civil War because you really get to see how the war impacted ordinary people, which is why I liked this part of the movie.
Whenever I watch a movie, I usually go to IMDB to look up some fun facts about the movie because the movie becomes richer and more interesting. So here are some behind the scenes facts you might want to know.
- “During filming John Wayne was injured teaching his eight-year-old daughter to play golf, but fortunately his eye patch concealed the mark. He had been working on one lung for the past ten years and had great difficulty breathing due to the high altitude, often needing to breathe through an oxygen mask.”
- “Jon Lormer, who plays Katharine Hepburn's father, was only one year older than her.”
- This was the last movie directed by Hal B. Wallis. Wallis had produced other films such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, True Grit, and Sergeant York.
If you liked True Grit, you will probably also like this movie.
I don’t like giving out too many spoilers, so I’ll end this post, and you will have to go watch the movie. ☺
I do think that Miss Eula was a much better contrast to Cogburn than Mattie Ross was (True Grit). Maybe its just because Kate was a much better actress, I don't know. Enjoyed the review.
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DeleteI have to agree. I liked Miss Eula with Cogburn compared to Mattie Ross with Rooster Cogburn. Perhaps it was because Kate was a better actress. I hadn't thought of that before.
DeleteI'm glad you liked the review. :-)
The similarities between Rooster Cogburn and Hepburn's 1950s feature The African Queen tend to hold me back from fully loving this movie. Although, with time, I am starting to just appreciate seeing the great Kate and the wonderful Duke together.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that African Queen tends to hold you back from fully loving this movie. Do you like this movie or African Queen more?
DeleteOh how cool! I'll have to try it!
ReplyDeleteWhen you watch the movie, I hope you enjoy the it!
DeleteI agree that the chemistry between John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn is terrific.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize this was the last film Hal B. Wallis directed. Not a bad ending to his career.
I didn't realize this was Hal B. Wallis's last film either until I looked on IMDB. I had heard and seen his name before, but I also didn't realize he was the producer for Casablanca.
DeleteThis was the very first John Wayne movie I watched. And I liked it! I'm not a huge western fan, so it surprised me how much I liked it. The best part was how funny it was. I remember laughing and laughing. John Wayne and Katherine Hepburn have the best chemistry!
ReplyDeleteJohn Wayne and Katherine Hepburn do have some of the best chemistry I have ever seen in movies. I've also laughed a lot during this film just watching the two of them bantering with each other. :)
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