T H E N A I V E F I L M M A K E R

In sunshine and shadow,
from darkness till noon
Over mountains that reach from the sky to the moon
A man with a dream that will never let go Keeps searching to find El Dorado

So ride, boldly ride, to the end of the rainbow Ride, boldly ride, till you find El Dorado

The wind becomes bitter, the sky turns to grey
His body grows weary, he can’t find his way
But he’ll never turn back, though he’s lost in the snow
For he has to find El Dorado

So ride, boldly ride, to the end of the rainbow Ride, boldly ride, till you find El Dorado

My Daddy once told me what a man ought to be
There’s much more to life than the things we can see
And the godliest mortal you ever will know
Is the one with the dream of El Dorado

So ride, boldly ride, to the end of the rainbow Ride, boldly ride, till you find El Dorado

I was one of millions of lucky children who were able to grow up with a VHS tape of The Road to El Dorado (Bergerson, Katzenberg, Paul, 2000). The much loved Dreamworks cartoon is still held in high regard among those who watched it, and upon occasion will be referenced by people in my life. It is the perfect family film, an adventurous cartoon for the kids, with witty and intelligent humour for the grown-ups, not to mention the valuable lessons on Spanish mythology.

However, I was one of what I can only assume to be, a far smaller demographic of children for whom this film was not the go to thought when “El Dorado” was brought up. Another VHS tape that sat in our collection was El Dorado (Hawks, 1966). John Wayne for many men my father’s age was a hero and the face of Western films that they grew up watching. My father did his best to instil in us a love of westerns, with varying degrees of success. But El Dorado was a film we all got excited about! Being the tiny people that my brother and I were, we didn’t understand the full complexities of the film, we didn’t have the historical knowledge of American Carpet Baggers, the fight to hold on to land in the frontier or the other range of social issues of the time that Hawks explored in one of the last westerns of its kind. However there were three facets that kept us hooked to the film. Cowboys! Shootouts! And most importantly, The opening song that we would all sing along to, loudly and without holding a tune.

The musical score composed by Nelson Riddle/John Gabriel relies a great deal on this beautifully performed song, making it the opening song and part of the recurring soundtrack. It takes some inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “El Dorado”. But for the most part is completely original in its words. The existential nature of the song elevates it above the standard studio western and makes El Dorado something far more thought provoking.

An analysis…

In sunshine and shadow,
from darkness till noon
Over mountains that reach from the sky to the moon
A man with a dream that will never let go Keeps searching to find El Dorado

These lines are the most referential to the original poem, about a “gallant knight” who spends years of his life searching for the Golden City of El Dorado. It is a poem about a search for riches wasting a life that didn’t realise until it was too late that true riches are only in heaven and that life is for living. While it’s probably that the references to the poem were only for the namesake of the film’s fictional town, there are similarities between the gallant knight and Cole Thornton (Wayne). A gun for hire who’s decision to refuse worldly riches over doing what’s right by the MacDonald family.

The wind becomes bitter, the sky turns to grey
His body grows weary, he can’t find his way
But he’ll never turn back, though he’s lost in the snow
For he has to find El Dorado

The words of the song could again be a reference to the Knight’s futile quest to find El Dorado, but it in my mind I think it’s equally representative of the leading man’s new quest, to face down a seemingly indestructible foe. Despite lacking resources and dealing with a serious spinal injury, his quest to do the right thing has become his own El Dorado.

My Daddy once told me what a man ought to be
There’s much more to life than the things we can see
And the godliest mortal you ever will know
Is the one with the dream of El Dorado

This is the most meaningful verse to me, not just because I’m a sucker for any reference to family! But because it’s an admiration of Thornton himself, what you see in him is very little, an aging, disabled man in a cowboy’s hat. Likewise, Sherriff Harrah (Mitchum) is a drunk and so far not very competent lawman, and Maudie (Holt) is a hot headed woman who keeps getting in the way.

They’re not an impressive team, however as the song suggests, they are all Godly, not because of what they appear to be, but because of their mission, their El Dorado, in facing down the evil in their town. El Dorado is a film about good triumphing over evil and this song alludes to that in many ways!

So ride, boldly ride, to the end of the rainbow Ride, boldly ride, till you find El Dorado

The chorus of the song is in many ways a call to action, it’s about persevering and being brave. Taking on the challenges ahead and eventually finding you way to “El Dorado”. Not the city of physical gold, but instead far greater treasures.

There are lessons to be learned from Hawks’ Western film, but if westerns aren’t your speed, then you can find those lessons in the short opening song. It’s a song for all of us. While the world no longer resembles the Old West, people are still very much the same and while as the song tells us, we are to the naked eye an unimpressive bunch, we’re full of Godliness when chasing righteous dreams, especially with unlikely allies. In my case, those allies are the out of tune singers that watched this film with me!