Little Big Horn

Saw this when it first came out and have seen it several time over the years. Still stands up and is worth watching.

The performances, story and production are tops and keep you glued to the screen through the entire movie.

The attention to detail of uniforms and other costumes is excellent, along with the horse handling.

It is well photographed and edited, with good lighting, especially the night scenes.

I haven't seen it in about 20 years, wish they would put it on television again.

Hope they at least bring it to my local video store.

Little Big Horn (AKA: The Fighting Seventh) is directed by Charles Marquis Warren who also adapts the screenplay from a story by Harold Shumate. It stars Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland, Marie Windsor, Reed Hadley and Jim Davis. Music is by Paul Dunlap and cinematography by Ernest Miller.

A small U.S. Cavalry unit snake their way towards Little Big Horn to warn General Custer of the mortal danger that awaits. But beset with inner conflicts and with the Sioux on their tails, chances of achieving their goal gets slimmer by the hour.

Low on budget but big on impact, Little Big Horn may just be the finest film to come out of Lippert Productions. With history as it is, the only thing going against Warren's film is that we know this band of men will not achieve their ultimate goal, but that's OK, for this is not about cheap heroics. Film is very grim, both in texture and thematics. With Warren and Miller painting a stark noir look to the visuals, story unfolds with futility the order of the day.

Heading the group are Capt. Phillip Donlin (Bridges) and Lt. John Haywood (Ireland), who we have witnessed at film's beginning forming a messy love triangle with Celie Donlin (Windsor). Captain Donlin is stickler for the rules, but are his motives clouded now? With the rest of the troop believing Haywood is a wife stealer, friction is palpable, yet Haywood keeps proving himself to be an admirable man, consistently doing things to make the troop reevaluate their feelings towards him. The group dynamic set up by Warren is first class, it crackles with intensity.

As the journey proceeds a number of potent scenes and scenarios come into play. A man staked up like a scarecrow as a trap, the drawing of cards to see who rides point - which the men know is almost certainly going to result in death - unmarked graves and wedding rings of the dead, these things really strike grim emotional chords. The Sioux are a constant threat out in the rocks or shadows, this troop, as we soon find out, are at the mercy of their better equipped enemy. There's a resignation residing within the group, yet it is that which binds them together. Arrows thud into bodies and blood pours from mouths, and then the finale comes storming in to close down this quite excellent film noir Western.

DVD packaged with Rimfire (1949) as a Kit Parker double bill of film noir Westerns, Little Big Horn is very much the better film. Both have the considerable visual skills of Ernest Miller to enjoy, but LBH is the more essential film on account of its across the board excellence. 8/10

Writing and acting! Acting and writing! Like another great little "Custer" film "Bugles in the Afternoon!" starring Ray Milland (and LBH's Sheb Wooley playing Custer!), the acting and dialog in this Cavalry classic is top notch. Everything just clicks making this film look as good as any classic Western with a much bigger budget.

The soundtrack is interesting. The "On the Little Big Horn! 1876!" sung by a chorus rings out loud and clear in the opening credits and sets the mood for the story. Must have been a thrill to the Saturday matinée kid cowboy crowd. It certainly adds to "larger than life" mood of this film.

The writers, by setting up this film with the well known history of the Custer defeat (or is it the Native American victory) at the Little Big Horn as a backdrop, helps make your imagination do what the well spent but inexpensive budget doesn't! (It is almost like a radio play in that way.) With the descriptions of sighting of thousands of Souix by the patrols in this film, you feel the intensity and importance of the mission. Also the suspense created by knowing there are a lot of Indians out there and the "Heart of Darkness" atmosphere as the troop advances further and further into Indian territory gives the ambushes that happen the right kind of life and death dynamic.

The story line is not that improbable. Gen. Crook, who had met in the Battle of the Rosebud just some of the Souix that would engage Custer a week or so later, did think of continuing with what was left of his command or some troopers to Custer and Terry to inform them of what happened. It didn't happen however. Still, the mission of trying to deliver a message at all costs to Custer gives this film the needed dynamic it requires.

Major or soon to be major actors give performances here that both their earlier and later "high budget" careers only enhance. The leads Lloyd Bridges (High Noon!, Sea Hunt, Hot Shots) and John Ireland (Red River, Spartacus, A Walk in the Sun) and supporting actors like the memorable King Donavan (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), the good spirited Wally Cassell (Sands of Iwo Jima), Jim Davis (Dallas!), newcomer Hugh O'Brien (TV's Wyatt Earp), Mr. beautiful baritone Reed Hadley, known for his narrations of Hollywood films (Guadalcanal Diary) and those Atomic Bomb documentaries by the US government plus all the rest of this ensemble do an outstanding job.

Bridges and Ireland are perfect as the hard nosed commander and the sympathetic Lt. always in conflict with each other. The film moves along without any real slow spots. It has good cinematography.

It has good production values and the good writing that make it seem like a bigger film than it really is. It has that "film noir" mood that never would have worked as well in color either. It is really a western that stimulates your imagination!

Many Kudos for this classic!

Perhaps the finest film to come from 'quickie' producer Lippert, this grim story of a band of calvary attempting to warn Custer holds up well after almost 50 years. Outstanding performances by a great supporting cast over-shadow what must have been a miniscule budget. Although the film claims to be based on a true incident, the curator of the Custer Battlefield Monument denies such an occurrence. Nonetheless, if you can find this one on video(not likely)or on the late show, it is well worth while.

When one looks at lists of all time great westerns, its not likely that you'll see "Little Big Horn" among them. It is nonetheless worthy of greater appreciation. Produced by the small independent Lippert Company and directed by first time director Charles Marquis Warren, it has a riveting storyline and contains some great performances.

Captain Phil Donlin (Lloyd Bridges) returns home from a patrol to find his wife Celie (Marie Windsor) in the arms of fellow officer Lieutenant John Haywood (John Ireland). Donlin accepts his fate (for the moment) and leaves on a three week patrol. On patrol, Donlin learns of the impending ambush of Colonel George Custer and his men at Little Big Horn. Still distraught over his wife's unfaithfulness, he decides to embark on a three day 250 mile journey to warn Custer of the oncoming attack.

Haywood meanwhile, has been ordered to call in all patrols from the field due to the Sioux threat. When he reaches Donlin's patrol, Donlin decides to "take the long way around" in obeying his superior's orders to return to the fort. As a measure of revenge, orders Haywood to accompany him on his suicide mission. Haywood decides to prove that he is a worthy soldier and not let the love triangle interfere with his duties.

One by one the patrol are being killed off by the Sioux as they press on toward their objective. The tension grows between Donlin and Haywood until the two finally come to blows. And then...............

Bridges, in one of his rare starring parts is excellent as the leader of the patrol. Ireland as well, stands out among the cast of familiar western movie faces. Reed Hadley plays S/Sgt. Grierson a former officer who had been a Major in the Civil War, Jim Davis as Cpl. Moylan, Hugh O'Brian as the card playing Pvt. DeWalt, Wally Cassell as Pvt. Zecca who is in and out of trouble, Sheb Wooley as the scout, Quince, Rodd Redwing and King Donovan and John Pickard as other members of the patrol.

Given the historical events of the Little Big Horn, the ending of the story is fairly obvious, but nevertheless, you'll find yourself rooting for the patrol that they will somehow achieve their objective.

Probably the best film to ever come from Lippert.