Far West

A majestically simple Cavalry Western concerning the savage and stirring story of the last of the Great Indian Wars . Dealing with West Point graduate Lt. Hazard : Troy Donahue taking on lax discipline , a loving triangle : Suzanne Pleshette , Diane McBain , and eventually fighting brave Indians in impressive battles . Pulitzer Prize Winner Paul Hogan's epic novel of Indians and Indian-fighters !

Raoul Walsh's last movie saddled with a regular storyline but with vivid pacing and action enough . Decent Western emerging as a sweeeping and spectacular cavalry story with noisy action , thrills , emotion and breathtaking battles . It displays astounding massacres before introducing the ordinary liberal message of the Sixties . An enjoyable cavalry and Indians film in which Raoul Walsh letting them to speak their own language , by using subtitles on screen . A little reminiscent of John Ford trilogy : "Fort Apache , She wore yellow ribbon, Río Grande" , in mood and manner. Although , the film relies heavily on the romantic complicaciones among three protagonists . Main and support cast are acceptable. Troy Donahue gives a colourless acting as the stiff-uper-lip officer , while Suzanne Pleshette and Diane McLean play well as his beautiful lovers . Along with the familiar secondaries as William Reynolds , Claude Akins , Kent Smith , Larry Ward , Russell Johnson and especial mention for James Gregory as the proud Maj. General Alexander Quaint .

It is brilliantly and colorfull photographed by William Clothier . Rousing and moving musical score by the classic Max Steiner , including attractive leitmotif . The motion picture was competently directed by Raoul Walsh. The laconic mastery here denies the aacusations of decline levelled at Walsh , even if many of his later movies were disappointing . Raoul Walsh was a prolific filmmaker who made a lot of films in all kinds of genres with penchant for adventures, Noir Film and Western , outstanding the following ones : " The Thief of Bagdag , Big Trail , The Roaring Twenties , They Drive By Night, Dark Command , They Died With boots On , Strawberry Blonde , High Sierra , Gentleman Jim, Desperate Journey, Northern Pursuit, , Background to Dager , Uncertain Glory , Objetivo Burma, Pursued, Silver River , The Enforcer, Distant Drums , White Heat , Along the Great Divide , The World in his Arms , The Lawless Bread , Blackbeard , Sea Devils , A Lion in the Streets , Gun Fury, Band of Angels The Tall Men The Naked and the Dead , Esther and the King" and many others .

This may have started out as an "A" production and its visual elements are certainly first-rate. The ever-reliable William Clothier contributes sparkling color photography which fills the wide-screen with some of the most impressive vistas you're ever likely to see in a western. Unfortunately, by casting Troy Donahue in the lead role, Warner Bros. indicated it was relegating this production to "B" status, and the result is just another cavalry-and-Indians movie. Suzanne Pleshette shows promise as "Kitty" but it's hard to do good work when one's leading man is of the Ken-doll variety. Diane McBain has little to work with as the fiancee and merely adds to the feeling that "A Distant Trumpet" is a spin-off from Warner Bros. stable of TV westerns. At least the cavalry soldiers actually get dusty in this movie, and there's a good scene of Bobby Bare being branded on the back for cowardice.

Is that a western from Lesley Selander, Sidney Salkow, or what? I can't believe that this however good western is from the fabulous Raoul Walsh, his last stand by the way. His last film. Let's be fair, it's a good western, but it's for Walsh the metaphor of THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, Custer 's last stand. But Errol Flynn is dead now, and Raoul Walsh's career faded out. So sad. The last film of a director is always touching for me. But imagine Troy Donahue as the lead in a Raoul Walsh's film...I did not weep but I feel some grief inside of me. But if you have not seen it yet, don't miss it. Imagine you are watching a Lesley Selander, Gordon Douglas or Sidney Salkow's western; the latest gave us SITTING BULL and GREAT SIOUX MASSACRE during the same period.

Bringing closure to the Apache hostilities on the Arizona frontier is the subject of this cavalry-Indian dust-up. William Clothier's wide screen CinemaScope camera captures the colorful vistas and expanses of the southwest where the battles take place. The casting of the picture is somewhat off-beat, from the heroic Matthew Hazard to the Latin-quoting General Alexander Upton Quait and finally, and tragically, to the cowardly Private Cranshaw. The Indian scouts serve the cavalry with bravery and dignity while their wild and fierce brethren ride the warpath a final time to hold on to their way of life. There is also a romantic triangle that complicates matters at the post. Director Raoul Walsh, an old hand at action westerns, serves up several Indian-trooper clashes and Max Steiner contributes a very nice score that is reminiscent of his earlier music in John Ford's legendary westerns.

The more I watch this, the more I like it. Great epic scenes with a huge cast of soldiers, Indians, and horses in real American West settings. The wide screen Panavision photography (with original release prints in IB Technicolor) is excellent. CGI may be fine, but I have yet to see anything surpass the look of hundreds of REAL men on horses in stunning REAL outdoor settings.

As for the story, while I thought the book was very good, the way the characters are handled in the film is better in some ways, and the ending of the film much more to my liking.

One thing they did have to tone down from the book was the sex element. It appears WB even adjusted one sequence after prints were made up. This appears in Reel Two, where Matt Hazard (Tro Donahue) and Kitty Mainwarring (Susan Pleshette) are in thr cave together overnight. With Pleshette's back to audience line (apparently later dubbed in) says "Good night Matt" and there is an ABRUPT cut to daytime and troops coming into the fort. 35mm and 16mm prints I have seen all contain this SLICED cut. And the original 35mm trailer containing the cave sequence does not contain the "good night" line". I believe that originally there was an embrace and kiss between Troy and Suzanne and a DISSOLVE to the next scene (or fade out & in).

In any event, as Westerns go, this has a good story and looks better all the time, especially wide screen.