Errington_92 Reading previous reviews of The Plainsman, some are not impressed with its lack of historical accurately. As one member stated in reference to the narrative, "now that's eleven years that if you took this film literally compressed to about three months. I found that a wee bit too much to swallow". They seemed to have missed the point, The Plainsman was never made with the intention of being historically accurate, it was made as a piece of wild western fantasy as Cecil B. DeMille said "I make pictures for people, not critics". It is obvious from the opening credits which state, "the story that follows compresses many years, many lifes and widely separated events into one narrative". So the spectator watching The Plainsman should know it is not be a realistic portrayal of the individuals involved, just a grand spectacle of Western adventure which is one of enjoyment.At the core of the narrative is Wild Bill Hickok, played with rugged masculinity by Gary Cooper, who when thrown into a war against hostile Indians comes up against John Lattimer, the antagonist who has been selling unused rifles to Indians on behalf of military industrialist. Finding out about his actions, Hickok as the typical Western hero brands his sense of justice by taking on Lattimer. Confronting him for his actions Cooper gives to the character of Hickok a strong sense of certainness regarding his position, using his presence to intimidate the immoral Lattimer. Being the hero of The Plainsman, Hickok has a great essence of masculinity which he enforces to rightfully seek justice. The subject of masculinity is a recurring motif in many Westerns and The Plainsman is no exception.The masculinity element comes into play in the subplot of Hickok's friend Buffalo Bill attempting to settle down with his new wife, who is unfamiliar to the ways of the Wild West. Hickok from time to time teases Bill about his desire of modern living and when Bill is called upon to serve his country against war raged Indians he hesitantly does his duty to prove his masculinity. Yet even though masculinity is at the core of Hickok's personality he is also human in the ways of love. As in their previous venture in Frank Capra's Mr Deeds Goes to Town, Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur (as Calamity Jane) share a wealth of mesmerising chemistry that is a great dynamic to The Plainsman and each scene they share is of excellent standard in terms of drama, comedy and romance particularly their reunion scene with Calamity Jane kissing Hickok with such passion and with equal enthusiasm stating "you're not wiping it off, you're rubbing it in!".In battle sequences The Plainsman does not disappoint with the scenes delivered to the audience with fast pace and the music accompanying the scenes to such a degree that you become completely engaged with Hickok, Bill and others ferociously firing upon the enemy to save the day. If there is a downside to The Plainsman it is that of the typical portrayal of the Indians as simple idiots who may offer some comic value but is a worn out cliché, even by 1936.Despite this small negative criticism I still believe The Plainsman is an enjoyable piece of cinema which entertains us with its fast paced action and intimate character relationships in equal measure.

robert-temple-1 This Cecil B. DeMille epic of the old West contains what may be Jean Arthur's finest performance, as a hysterical, eccentric, incurably amoral, but devotedly doting Calamity Jane. She really pulled it off! Gary Cooper is at his most taciturn, but manages some occasional pithy sayings: 'The plains are big, but trails cross ... sometimes.' The story is a pastiche to end all pastiches. All the cowboy heroes of Western lore seem to be in there somehow except for Jesse James. Even Abraham Lincoln opens the story in person (or at least, DeMille would have us believe so). There is no room for anything so evanescent as subtlety, this is a 'stomp 'em in the face' tale for the masses. A remarkable thing about this film however is that it is a very early full frontal attack on what Eisenhower was eventually to name 'the military industrial complex'. It isn't just a story about gun-runners, but about arming anyone for money, and doing so from the heart of Washington. But let's not get into politics, let's leave that to DeMille, who can be guaranteed to be superficial. The chief interest of this film all these years later is that it uses the first film score composed by George Antheil, who has a lot to say about the job in his autobiography, 'Bad Boy of Music'. Antheil seems to have originated 'the big sound' adopted by all subsequent Westerns, whereby the plains sing out with the voices and sounds of countless cowboys in the sky, celebrating the open spaces and interweaving common melodies. That is why it does not sound at all unusual, because we have heard it a thousand times. But he seems to have been the first to summon up the combined rustlings of all the sage brush into this symphony of the open skies which has entered into American mythic lore, and given it a soundtrack which has never varied since then, corny as it may be, but doubtless appropriate. It is amusing to see Anthony Quinn in an early appearance as a Cheyenne Indian. Gabby Hayes is in there somewhere, but you miss him in the crowd. Gary Cooper overtops them all, looming large, - but when did he ever loom small?

kenjha Surely the only Western featuring Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, George Custer, and Abraham Lincoln! After a slow start, it hits its stride for a while but eventually runs out of ideas and seems to go on forever. Cooper tries hard to make Hickok come alive and Arthur brings her usual spunk to Calamity Jane but Ellison is over matched as Buffalo Bill. DeMille's direction is uninspired; it seems he was more interested in creating an epic than telling a good story. There is enough decent material here that a good director and editor could have turned it into an exciting movie of about 90 minutes. Sadly, Burgess, who plays Mrs. Cody in her film debut, died a year later at age 20.

ccthemovieman-1 I really wanted to like this western, being a fan of the genre and a fan of "Buffalo Bill," "Wild Bill Hickok," and "Calamity Jane," all of whom are in this story! Add to the mix Gary Cooper as the lead actor, and it sounded great. The trouble was.....it wasn't. I found myself looking at my watch just 40 minutes into this, being bored to death. Jean Arthur's character was somewhat annoying and James Ellison just did not look like nor act like "Buffalo Bill." Cooper wasn't at his best, either, sounding too wooden. This was several years before he hit his prime as an actor.In a nutshell, his western shot blanks. Head up the pass and watch another oater because most of 'em were far better than this one.