L'honneur de la cavalerie

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.

I'm biased: I love horses; I love movies with and about horses. I've seen horse-related movies good, bad, & indifferent. But there was nothing bad or indifferent about In Pursuit of Honor. The first time I watched it, I cried like a baby and swore I'd never watch it again, it devastated me so. But it draws me back again and again, and I've watched the movie probably a dozen times. To my mind, In Pursuit of Honor is one of that rare breed: the perfect movie. The writing, filming, and acting all combine to create the kind of movie that, like a good book, you want to experience over and over again. And if nothing else, it showed me that Don Johnson is not the shallow, pretty face I'd always considered him; he gives a wonderfully restrained performance, as does Craig Sheffer. An entertaining, educational, historically accurate movie that my husband and I will enjoy at least another dozen times.

I saw this movie and was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect a "B-rate" movie to capture and keep my attention the way this one did. I happened to be skipping through channels when I saw the uniforms and cavalry and before I knew it, I had seen the whole movie. It's a good story about how a small group of soldiers went against the grain during a rough period in our country's history. I've seen Don Johnson in a lot of different roles throughout the years and I think this was one of his best roles. Its a simple storyline with a happy ending but I would definitely recommend anyone see it-especially if you are an animal lover.

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.

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.