Uriah43
It's 1877 and gold has been discovered in Wyoming. The problem is that the Sioux, Crow, Arapaho, Blackfoot and Cheyenne inhabit this prime piece of land. Naturally, where there is gold there are those who are willing to risk their lives to get their hands on it. And whenever a person has gold there are whiskey peddlers, prostitutes, and gamblers who want to acquire it from those who have it. Yielding to considerable pressure, the United States decides to relocate the Indian tribes off of this land. After extensive negotiations all of the tribes agree to move south. Except for the Cheyenee. They are still considering whether or not to defend their land to the death. Into this volatile mix rides a young surveyor named "Josh Tanner" (Robert Wagner) who has been hired by businessmen to map out a new town for settlers. This leads him into direct contact with both the United States Army and the Cheyenne. Filmed in color this type of movie was a staple for audiences during the 50's. However, unlike many westerns made before it this film tries to depict the Native American view as well. There is plenty of action and everything flows pretty smoothly for the most part. One thing I didn't care for was the way Josh Tanner knew what the Cheyenne were thinking practically before they did. I could understand that if he had been a trapper or an Indian scout perhaps. But for someone fresh out of St. Louis it just didn't seem plausible. I also didn't care for the ending which I thought was a bit too hokey. But fans of western movies will probably like it. All thing's considered I suppose it was okay and I give it an average rating.
philipdavies
This is a truly epic Western - epic in the moral sense: It operates as a great ceremony, a funeral ode for a great people, and the Homeric nobility of their doomed warrior heroes. The whole film sweeps majestically along with the native Americans to the bitter end of their doomed civilisation, and all the distracting side-plots are merely adumbrated at the margins of the action. The U.S. Cavalry, too, is given its due meed of admiration for the honest professionalism of its best soldiers, and the finest representatives of its military tradition. In this, Webb's film is reminiscent of a John Ford Cavalry Western. But it has something else: The awareness of a 'great game' - almost in the sense this term was applied by the English to their Imperial adventure being played out with mutual honour and respect, even admiration and fondness, between the great rivals for possession of an entire Continent.This is a truly great film, unblemished by the jittery special pleading of Hollywood that bespeaks the unacknowledged guilt of the American White Man. This is a sincere film - not a film of gestures: It is, as I began by saying, a grand Ceremony. And in the Ceremony is the aching sense of the loss of a Great Game which conferred greatness upon all who were brave enough to participate on equal terms.
vitaleralphlouis
From the era of wide screen CinemaScope comes this fine western about dealing with the Cheyenne Indians in Wyoming in 1870.The film benefits from having a good script that keeps things tense, good acting, and excellent cinematography (which was far superior 50 years ago compared to today's movies).There's no sense retelling the plot, but female viewers ought to love Robert Wagner in this role, as well as Jeffrey Hunter (showing lots of tan skin) in his Indian makeup. Speaking of skin, the lovely and usually clothed neck to toe Debra Paget gets to show some neck, shoulders and back -- however briefly.But the main thing is the tense story. Without much gunfire the film provides almost no opportunity for a snack bar break. Please take the other low ratings with a grain of salt. Liberals and their intrusive and annoying PC mantra will no doubt be annoyed by the frequent use of the word "Indian" as well as having whites cast as Indians. Oh the shame! This despite the positive view of Indians reflected in the film; herein they even have a healthy sense of humor. Humor, that's just not liberal. At least nobody smokes a cigarette.
garp15-1
Good western, it does show the Indians having some dignity. But don't let that lull you into the now too-typical "All Indians Good--White Man Evil". As far as what we did to them, it was truly appalling. But as the late historian Stephen Ambrose stated in his last book, "What should have happened?" And as far as stealing land goes, I once saw some Crow Indians talking about the Souix with great disgust on how they had stolen Crow land. Besides, people are still stealing land under the same principle-- eminent domain. happens every day. The US Supreme Court just upheld it last year.Still, a good western worth watching. We can only guess at what the secret Ann has. I figured she must have had a baby out of wedlock, been caught with another man in bed, or something like it. It's kind of hinted at when we first see her, disheveled in the back of the store.
AD
