What makes Howard Hawks’s films “some of the most purely pleasurable movies in the history of cinema”? In this introduction, critic Imogen Sara Smith explores the Hollywood legend’s approach to improvisation, blending genres, overlapping dialogue, and keen interest in human behavior and interaction.
Up Next in Directed by Howard Hawks
-
Red River
Directed by Howard Hawks • 1948 • United States
Starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter BrennanNo matter what genre he worked in, Howard Hawks played by his own rules, and never was this more evident than in his first western, the rowdy and whip-smart RED RIVER. In it, John Wayne found on...
-
Ball of Fire
Directed by Howard Hawks • 1941 • United States
Starring Gary Cooper, Barbara StanwyckBarbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper make sparks in this snappy screwball take on the Snow White tale. She’s a burlesque queen with a colorful vocabulary who needs to lay low for a while as the police close in on ...
-
Rio Bravo
Directed by Howard Hawks • 1959 • United States
Starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky NelsonBoth one of the essential westerns and one of the all-time great hangout movies, this classic tale of friendship and camaraderie is pure Howard Hawks in its wonderfully relaxed, loose-limbed look at a ...
