In 1950, the great director John Ford concluded his trio of Western military films with "Rio Grande." As in the other two films, this one had John Wayne, this time as a retiring miltary officer of a fort on the rims of the desert mountains in the Western United States. The sense of a lifetime of duty to his men and his warm bonds with the older members of his troop and the compassion shown to the younger soldiers mark this as an autumnal movie. Victor Young catches this mood perfectly in the film, writing with an understanding hand the various characters and the situations John Wayne's character finds himself as gets ready to ride off in the sunset. The fine haze that permeates this score defines this as one of the best efforts by Victor Young.