The Horse Soldiers

Rating:
Summary: The DUKE rides again!
Review: A wonderful picture of the war between the states, "Horse Soldiers" follows the story of Wayne leading his troopers in an attack deep into enemy territory. Loosely based on a factual event, the Union must cut off the supply lines to Vicksburg. DUKE leads the raid.

This is a fantastic transfer, as others have mentioned. I spotted literally one damaged frame, with a "V" shaped crease in it. The colors blaze off the screeen, and although there are no booklets, inserts, or extras (other than the original trailer), the disc is a real keeper.

Although many see this picture as "Ford-lite," there are several classic Ford touches throughout the film. The opening shot of the calvary marching in a sundown silhouette is stirring. The charge of the child soldiers is a great moment (you see Wayne tip his hat to them as he rides off).

For me, I like the subtle, "hidden" Ford touches in all of his films, which reveal telling information about characters without the overbearing, in-your-face, and just plain heavy-handed direction in today's movies.

In "Horse Soldiers", the dyed-in-the-wool Southern patriot Hannah Hunter has spent several days as prisoner of the Union soldiers. At one point, in order to make her feel better, a soldier gives her a candle for light. Another offers her a fragment of a looking glass. The soldier holds up the broken mirror, and when she looks at her reflection she can see the soldier's Yankee cap over the top of it, as if she wore it herself. That's Ford telling us she's been converted, without slapping us in the face or dumbing it down for us.

You'll see familiar Ford faces pop up here and there, too. Jack Pennick is in just about all of John Ford's westerns. Hank Worden and Ken Curtis will be instantly familiar to fans of "The Searchers". Ken Curtis was also in "Rio Grande" and "The Quiet Man", and is probably best known as Festus on "Gunsmoke".

O.Z. Whitehead was in "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Walter Reed was in "Sergeant Rutledge" and "Cheyenne Autumn".

Bing Russell, who plays Dunker, is the man gunned down in the saloon in another DUKE movie, "Rio Bravo".

Of couse, other familiar faces include Storther Martin and Denver Pyle as a pair of Confederate deserters.

This is a really solid cavalry film, with The DUKE in the thick of the action. William Holden is a good match as a foil for DUKE.

For those who say DUKE couldn't act, DUKE has a great scene in the Newton Station bar when he reveals why he doesn't like doctors.

"Horse Soldiers" is an overlooked gem from Ford, only because his more famous films shine that much more.

Rating:
Summary: The Duke does the Civil War and beats all comers
Review: Based upon the historic raid of Grierson's cavalry expedition into Mississippi in early 1863, this is the only Civil War film in which The Duke played a major part (though he did appear briefly as Gen. W. T. Sherman in "How the West Was Won"). Concentrating as it does not upon set-piece battles but upon the kind of behind-the-lines action that probably played a much greater part in the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy, it brings to life aspects of the Great American Conflict that ordinarily tend to be ignored as un-cinematic by filmmakers, and in the process contrives to prove how wrong they are.

Reviewers who take this film to task for the presence of Constance Towers as Hannah Hunter might do well to keep in mind that the Civil War took place literally in the back yards (or at least the back fields) of many a Southern household, and that more than one Union soldier stayed on afterward, forgetting a sweetheart (or even a wife) back in Yankee-land in preference to a newly-encountered Southern belle. As for William Holden, his presence is probably the chief reason I give it four stars rather than five: his character is somewhat less than sympathetic and his conflict with Wayne not as well done as it might be. Still, there are definitely some splendid moments in this movie, most notably the entire sequence involving the calling to arms of the cadets from a Southern military academy to attempt to block the retreat of Wayne's company (watch for the mother who drags her protesting drummer-boy son back into his yard by the ear!). With little gore and more than a sneaking hint of sympathy toward the Southern side, it's a movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family, and shows that John Ford was more than "just a director of Westerns." Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Did anyone else notice
Review: Did anyone besides me notice that the soundtrack sounds the same as the cockpit in Dr.Strangelove? Manipulative,stereotypical John Wayne garbage.Hose down your set and read a book.

Rating:
Summary: John Ford At His Best
Review: Director, John Ford, seemingly never made a bad movie and the list of his really good ones is long. "The Horse Soldiers" is one of his best. Ford portrayed the cavalry exceptionally well, capturing in near perfect detail the equipment, the formalities and drill, and all of the realities of this long defunct service. His "Cavalry Trilogy", set in the West during the Indian Wars will never, I suspect, be equalled. "The Horse Soldiers", based on a true Civil War event, is very close to the Trilogy in richness of story and characterization. It follows a raid by a large force of Union cavalry deep into the heart of the Confederacy. Wayne plays the role of Col. Marlowe, whose stern dedication to duty and the realities of operating behind enemy lines brings him into conflict with the regiment's idealistic surgeon, played by Willaim Holden. The only negative aspect of this film is the love interest, which was required in films of that time. Constance Towers is a "fifties girl" placed in the middle of a Civil War movie, and it is more than a minor distraction. Modern films like "We Were Soldiers" and "Black Hawk Down" don't have this element because girlfriends don't suddenly appear in the middle of a battle. Be that as it may, this is still a highly entertaining movie. If you like John Ford's work or would like to know why his films are still highly regarded, see this film. Similarly, if you are looking for a good story well told, you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: John Ford At His Best
Review: Director, John Ford, seemingly never made a bad movie and the list of his really good ones is long. "The Horse Soldiers" is one of his best. Ford portrayed the cavalry exceptionally well, capturing in near perfect detail the equipment, the formalities and drill, and all of the realities of this long defunct service. His "Cavalry Trilogy", set in the West during the Indian Wars will never, I suspect, be equalled. "The Horse Soldiers", based on a true Civil War event, is very close to the Trilogy in richness of story and characterization. It follows a raid by a large force of Union cavalry deep into the heart of the Confederacy. Wayne plays the role of Col. Marlowe, whose stern dedication to duty and the realities of operating behind enemy lines brings him into conflict with the regiment's idealistic surgeon, played by Willaim Holden. The only negative aspect of this film is the love interest, which was required in films of that time. Constance Towers is a "fifties girl" placed in the middle of a Civil War movie, and it is more than a minor distraction. Modern films like "We Were Soldiers" and "Black Hawk Down" don't have this element because girlfriends don't suddenly appear in the middle of a battle. Be that as it may, this is still a highly entertaining movie. If you like John Ford's work or would like to know why his films are still highly regarded, see this film. Similarly, if you are looking for a good story well told, you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: RATES AS ONE OF WAYNES' BEST
Review: Excellent directing and script writing. two fine, fine performances by screen legends john wayne and william holden makes this one of my favorites.supporting cast is both talented and entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Lost Opportunity
Review: I am a Civil War nut, and have seen this film several times, actually. For a Hollywood movie, this is about as authentic as it gets. Yes, the character representing Benjamin Grierson has both a name and civilian occupation difference, and there was neither a commander/doctor conflict nor a romance on the Grierson raid (at least that we know about), but John Ford went a long way to try to make this movie look somewhat accurate, at least. First of all, it was filmed in the approximate areas where the actual events took place. Secondly, it shows the Union commander (Col. Marlowe) splitting his forces and making some of them turn back north to try to deceive rebel forces - which also actually happened. Thirdly, the film uses many black extras who were "local citizens." My only real problems with this movie were its presenting the Grierson raid as having a bit more battle action than it actually did, and that the movie left the "romance" nuts (of which I am also one) wondering whether Col. Marlowe and Hannah Hunter ever did get back together after the war was over. In this sense, I have always wished that John Ford had seen fit to make a sequel, but then I also realize that when it came out, it barely broke even at the box office - so I understand why any director would be reluctant to do a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Lost Opportunity
Review: I am a Civil War nut, and have seen this film several times, actually. For a Hollywood movie, this is about as authentic as it gets. Yes, the character representing Benjamin Grierson has both a name and civilian occupation difference, and there was neither a commander/doctor conflict nor a romance on the Grierson raid (at least that we know about), but John Ford went a long way to try to make this movie look somewhat accurate, at least. First of all, it was filmed in the approximate areas where the actual events took place. Secondly, it shows the Union commander (Col. Marlowe) splitting his forces and making some of them turn back north to try to deceive rebel forces - which also actually happened. Thirdly, the film uses many black extras who were "local citizens." My only real problems with this movie were its presenting the Grierson raid as having a bit more battle action than it actually did, and that the movie left the "romance" nuts (of which I am also one) wondering whether Col. Marlowe and Hannah Hunter ever did get back together after the war was over. In this sense, I have always wished that John Ford had seen fit to make a sequel, but then I also realize that when it came out, it barely broke even at the box office - so I understand why any director would be reluctant to do a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite John Wayne Movie
Review: I am an unabashed fan of John Wayne movies from "Stagecoach" to "The Shootist." Among them all, "The Horse Soldiers" is my personal favorite.

John Ford captures, in vivid, robust color, the pageantry of the Union and Confederate cavalries. With flags flying, horses pounding, and bugles blaring, Ford and Wayne create sheer movie entertainment. The musical score by David Buttolph perfectly captures the varying moods of the film and complements the stirring visual images. From "I Left My Love" to the "Bonnie Blue Flag," the music accents the film's emotions. William Holden and Constance Towers are well-cast as Wayne's nemesis. The supporting cast is bolstered with many Wayne regulars, including Ken Curtus (Festus from "Gunsmoke").

Many criticize the factual inaccuracies in John Wayne films. So what! He didn't intend to make documentaries, he intended to make rousing, entertaining movies. I will always believe this was his best...

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite John Wayne Movie
Review: I am an unabashed fan of John Wayne movies from "Stagecoach" to "The Shootist." Among them all, "The Horse Soldiers" is my personal favorite.

John Ford captures, in vivid, robust color, the pageantry of the Union and Confederate cavalries. With flags flying, horses pounding, and bugles blaring, Ford and Wayne create sheer movie entertainment. The musical score by David Buttolph perfectly captures the varying moods of the film and complements the stirring visual images. From "I Left My Love" to the "Bonnie Blue Flag," the music accents the film's emotions. William Holden and Constance Towers are well-cast as Wayne's nemesis. The supporting cast is bolstered with many Wayne regulars, including Ken Curtus (Festus from "Gunsmoke").

Many criticize the factual inaccuracies in John Wayne films. So what! He didn't intend to make documentaries, he intended to make rousing, entertaining movies. I will always believe this was his best...