L'honneur de la cavalerie

I first saw this film completely by chance as I was shoveling my Dad's driveway the winter of 1996. I had turned on the TV in between breaks and went to HBO and it had just started and it was so well done that I watched the whole movie before I went beck out to keep on shoveling the snow. If the film's portrayal of MacArthur was true, he was a real Turd! And the treatment of the World War I veterans by our government shows that nothing much has changed over the past 80 years! But the film itself is a gem! If you love a movie with a corny old good guys vs. bad guys plot that will leave you feeling great at the end, and if you love animals, especially horses, you'll love this film. I have the video and will get the DVD as soon as they nake that - it's that good!!!

This is the first film I have seen that accurately depicts the U.S. Army Horse Cavalry during this time period.

My father was a trooper in the cavalry during this time period, as an orderly to General Patton (then colonel), another cavalry man.

My father's stories reflected this closeness of a trooper and his horse.

The film was also accurate in uniforms, saddles, and tack, along with the handling of the horses.

Don Johnson's roll of the Sergeant was remarkable, one of his best performances.

I would recommend this film to anyone interested in a missed part of our history, and to anyone just wanting to see a very good movie.

The actors (both human and animal) were well cast. The direction of this TV film was excellent. The movie depicted a humane aspect of the military.

The soldiers started out with some conflict of personalities and became a "team". They had one goal: SAVE THE HORSES. The horses selected for these roles were well trained and were magnificent animals.

Before watching this film, I had a high regard for General Douglas MacArthur. The information given in the film shows another side of the war hero; one not so favorable.

The compassion shown by the Calvery soldier to his partner (the horse) was extremely emotional. He was ready to give his life for his "partner". The soldier looked upon the mount as an equal and treated the animal with dignity. I was unaware that when the soldiers and horses went into battle, they were a team; one depending on the other for their survival. The horse was trained to manoeuvre and respond to protect his rider. This is a part of history that remains a secret to most people.

The film opens onto a flashback of one of the darker moments of history -- the destruction of WWI veteran camps outside the White House during the Depression. This sets the stage for how a few veteran calvarymen have a stronger sense of personal morale than their fellow men.

Then the present, with an adept young man whose father left a longlasting impression to many men he comes into contact with in a southwestern military base. It's a calvary stronghold, with around 500 horses and a fraction of that in men.

But the seeming low-action utopia ends when a Colonel retires and is replaced by a more ruthless replacement who carries out orders of Gen. MacArthur -- to disband the calvary's traditions [discontinuing sabers] and destroy the spare mounts in a brutal method that reminded me of the WWII concentration camp scenes of horror where Nazis would shoot Jews and bury them in mass graves on top of one another.

The start of this movie is a fast set-up for the rest of the film and does not leave much room for intermission. It's a long journey they undergo, and isn't without the harsh reality of the peril that the renegades face in their decision to rescue the horses.

I was attracted initially because of its history-base, which I'm interested in, and I've learned while being entertained at the same time of what happened within our own borders that might not have attracted everyone's eye, but was brutally savage all the same.

In conclusion, this made-for-TV movie scored an 8 with me and if any of this movie's main elements fascinate you it should be on your agenda to see.

A fine movie, good plot and solid acting. I enjoyed this TV movie on a Sunday rainy afternoon. I particularly liked Don Johnson's performance.The mere idea of destroying 500 hundred horses for economic reasons is simply disgusting, so viewers will easily take sides. The eternal discussion between blind obedience and common sense is frankly depicted here, and the debate reopens again. The note that states -at the end of the film- that no animal has been hurt while shooting this movie is fitting, because at times you get the feeling that the horses are enduring quite an ordeal and facing death in the hands of those who are trying to save them. I warmly recommend this film, it is good for all ages.