Estrela de Fogo

I had never seen the entire edition of Flaming Star, but I've got to say Elvis did a pretty good job!. I caught the very beginning with the song session in the house and I thought, just another Elvis singing vehicle.

The real surprise came for me with the plot and the action sequences. Wow!. If Elvis could have chosen some better parts, I think he could have transitioned himself into a decent actor.

Too bad this type of performance is far and few between.

Basically, Elvis does not sing much in this one. It is a dramatic role in which he plays a half-breed youth, raised in his father's white world, but now caught in the midst of an Indian war.

This film is a sad statement of what might have been. Here we glimpse the natural dramatic talent that was never allowed to blossom. There would be no "From Here to Eternity" for Elvis as there was for Sinatra. Contracts later forced him in to the musical-comedy roles that he grew to hate. He was told you will do these movies with this starlet or that starlet, sing this bad music with ducks or cows in the background, play the race car driver, the speed boat driver, the motorcycle racer, or you won't work at all.

The truly sad thing is that if this part of Elvis' talent had been cultivated, if his musical career had been kept separate from a dramatic acting career, perhaps his life would have traveled a very different road. It is a horrible thing to know that you have talent & to want to be able to use that talent, but be forced to waste it. IMHO, it was something that gnawed at him and played no small part in his own self-destruction.

Clair Huffaker was a master story teller. His westerns are still read by true western aficionados. "Flaming Star" was Elvis's opportunity to act and to prove to the world that he could. Unfortunately the Colonel didn't want the world to know. This is one of Hollywood's best kept secrets. Maybe the fact that Elvis knew that he had actual talent for acting broke his heart, and those stupid Hall Wallis "sillies" must have driven Elvis crazy! Huffaker writes a good story of an interracial family harassed by prejudice and bigotry of the small western town. It is the struggle of two brothers in love with the same woman. It shows the love of a husband to his Indian wife. This film has enduring story.

The film tells about Burton family formed by the father (John MacIntire), his second Indian wife (Dolores del Rio) and two sons , one (Steve Forrest) of the first wife and another (Elvis Presley) results to be a half-breed . The latter will have to choose sides when the battles between white men and Kiowas (Rodolfo Acosta) go on the warpath . Burton family splits loyalties , the confrontation will be violent and lethal .

It's an interesting western with an exceptional interpretation by Elvis Presley who only sings two songs at the beginning of the film . He's a mestizo who along with his mother will be excluded for both races . Originally planned as a vehicle for Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift ; however , the picture is considered to be Presley's best western and along with ¨King Creole¨ (directed by Michael Curtiz) and ¨Jailhouse rock¨ (by Richard Thorpe) his greatest movies . Andy Warhol's famous diptych of Elvis Presley as a cowboy came from a shot in this movie . Steve Forrest (Dana Andrews's brother) as his kind brother is very fine . Dolores del Rio as his affectionate mum and Rodolfo Acosta as Kiowa chief , repeat well their usual Indians roles . Barbara Eden as a wonderful youngster who helps protagonists is enjoyable and enticing , though Barbara Steele walked off the picture after an argument with director Don Siegel , she then was replaced by Eden . Besides , in the secondary cast appears Richard Jaeckel (Dirty dozen) , L.Q.Jones (Peckimpah's habitual) and Karl Swenson . Glittering and shimmer cinematography is perfectly reflected on spectacular outdoors and colorful interiors by cameraman Charles Clarke . Lively as well as atmospheric musical score by Cryl Mockridge . The motion picture was professionally directed by Donald Siegel (Dirty Harry) . The flick will appeal to Elvis Presley fans and Western genre enthusiasts.

One of Elvis's best films. Legendary film director Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry) gets the most out of Elvis and the King proves here that when he had something of substance to work from, he was more than capable.

This film not only has a gripping and tragic storyline, it looks and feels authentic enough in dealing with an important chapter in American history. The film is packed with emotional moments and action and an all round good cast. If Elvis had gotten more film roles like this one, he could have become one of the great movie stars. 8 out of 10.