Man of the people?

John Wayne, swaggering, macho, conservative. Think again. In the essay here, Charles Taylor challenges some of the standard images of Wayne - in particular, of his 'gung-ho cheerleading for American right and American might' - by offering an interpretation of Howard Hawks's masterpiece Rio Bravo as a celebration of democracy. The film was made by Hawks in self-conscious opposition to High Noon, in which Gary Cooper's sheriff is obliged to stand alone against those threatening the community. Rio Bravo, by contrast and as Taylor explains, shows a community in action on behalf of the wider community of the town, drawing on the courage and the talents, such as they are, of each individual member. 'If I were asked to choose a film that would justify the idea of America,' Taylor says, 'it would be Rio Bravo.'

Hawks seemed taken with the theme, going on to make two more Westerns, El Dorado and Rio Lobo, in which Wayne is at the centre of a group that stands up to those intent on doing ill.