Far West

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.

Raoul Walsh's last movie and a western at that! He produced unforgettable classics of the genre such as " Colorado's territory" and "pursued ".

The movie suffers from a desultory script which mixes the Indian's plight with bland love affairs.The lead,Troy Donahue ,lacks charisma and is not very credible as a tough lieutenant .Diane McBain is as expressive as a Barbie Doll ,and only Suzanne Pleshette rises to the occasion.

There's a good use of the wide screen,a superb score by Max Steiner (with trumpets),a general who loves Latin quotations Julius Ceasar style (Veni Vidi Vici) That said,there's never a dull moment with Raoul Walsh .This is not his best or among his best ,but it's always good value.

This last Raoul Walsh film has to be assigned the status of a hot mess but since it is a Walshian mess there are, of course, some nuggets to be found within the detritus. Chief among these is one of the finest cavalry/Indian battle scenes you are likely to see, a nearly fifteen minute affair complete with well orchestrated charges, strategic retreats, feints and ambuscades. Nice to see this finest of action directors go out with at least one great action sequence under his belt. Also notable are good performances from Suzanne Pleshette and James Gregory. Plus, the Arizona location shooting is awesome (thinking especially of those extensive, terraced rapids next to War Eagle's camp). And Max Steiner's half stirring, half mocking musical score, one of HIS very last, rises to the occasion, as well.

Because I am a huge Walsh fan I will deal with the two main flaws as quickly as I can and assign them to others. One is a florid, clunky screenplay with a too hasty and historically inaccurate denouement and stiff, melodramatic dialogue from messers John Twist (known mostly for gal weepies and it shows), Richard Fielder and Albert Beicht. The other is Troy Donahue's performance in the lead. Put simply, it sucks. When he's with good thesps like Pleshette and Gregory you don't notice as much but when he's paired with a similarly crappy actor like Diane McBain it's like watching rejected scenes from "Surfside 6".

Bottom line: If you're a Walsh fan you'll like it, if you're a Pleshette fan you'll put up with it and if you're a Donahue fan, may I suggest therapy? Give it a C plus.

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.