Custer of the West

Rating:
Summary: Flustered in the West
Review: Next to Little Big Man, this is one of the worst films made on the Custer subject.
Rent it (don't buy it!) for typical european western fun, but history is thrown to the four winds here, Folks!

Rating:
Summary: Good to average spectacle; Terrible pan-scan DVD transfer
Review: Not historically accurate movie. However, the widescreen specatacle is impressive. Often cut, this version is almost complete running 136 minutes. The original Cinerama release version was 140 minutes. The brief US release in 1969 was 120 min. The print utilized for this Simitar DVD is torn and tattered. It is pan/scan, probaly a worn TV print. This movie needs better source materials and a wide screen transfer. Don't waste your money on Simitar junk.

Rating:
Summary: Second string telling of the Custer story.
Review: This is an example of what happens when a British film company makes a movie based on a legend of American history. The Custer story has been told in many films for many years. The various depictions are generally amusing in their fabrications, half-truths, historical inaccuracies, and outright lies. This film is essentially a Grade "B" movie given a '60s "Cinerama" treatment that stresses visual presentation over substance. There is one long scene, for example, of a man escaping danger by riding down a miner's sluice. This segment is noticeably protracted, and one suspects it's only there to demonstrate Cinerama's camera technique. Custer (Robert Shaw, with Scottish burr intact) is depicted heroically. Reno (Ty Hardin) is disparaged as a drunken coward who failed to come to Custer's aid. The complexities of Custer's personality and the doubtful integrity of his motivations as an Indian fighter are not explored. The only Indians mentioned are the Cheyenne. The scriptwriters didn't know (or care?) that the Native Americans at the Battle of Little Bighorn also included a major contingent of Sioux. Historical inaccuracies aside, the movie falters as an action-adventure film. The climactic battle is disappointingly lethargic. As Custer movies go, "Son of the Morning Star" is more historically accurate, and "They Died With Their Boots On" is better as an action-adventure film. Let this version of the often-filmed story fade quietly into the sunset. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Second string telling of the Custer story.
Review: This is an example of what happens when a British film company tackles American history. The Custer story has been told in many films for many years. The various depictions are generally amusing in their fabrications, half-truths, historical inaccuracies, and outright lies. This film is essentially a B movie given a '60s Cinerama treatment that stresses visual presentation over substance. There is one long scene, for example, of a man escaping danger by riding down a miner's sluice. This segment is protracted, and one suspects it's only there to demonstrate Cinerama's camera technique. Custer (Robert Shaw, with Scottish burr intact) is depicted heroically. Reno (Ty Hardin) is disparaged as a drunken coward who failed to come to Custer's aid. The complexities of Custer's personality and the doubtful integrity of his motivations as an Indian fighter are not explored. The only Indians mentioned are the Cheyenne. The scriptwriters didn't add that the Native Americans at the Battle of Little Bighorn also included a major contingent of Sioux. Historical problems aside, the movie falters as an action-adventure film. The climactic battle is disappointingly lethargic. As Custer movies go, "Son of the Morning Star" is more accurate, and "They Died With Their Boots On" is better as an action-adventure film. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Good transfer, but where's the stereo soundtrack?
Review: This little-known Western epic from 1968 is flawed as biography, but is an action film first and foremost. Originally presented in 70mm Super Cinerama as a roadshow, this transfer begs the question - what happened to the 6-track stereophonic soundtrack? And, where are the overture and intermission? The picture is from 65mm negative/70mm print and is fairly sharp and clear, as befits the enlarged negative, but without the stereo sound, it becomes a hollow-sounding Western wannabe spectacular. Snaps to MGM/UA for actually releasing the full 141 minute version at all, but why not include all the accoutrements of the original presentation? The film was created for huge screens, and needs the support of the full-bodied original soundtracks to do the visuals justice. And those of us who love film always want the overture and intermission if the film was first presented that way!

Rating:
Summary: Historically inacurate.
Review: Yes, there was a Custer. Yes, there were Indians. Yes, there was cavalry. Any other similarity to the time and the event is totally missing. Any student of the battle will either laugh or cry at this feeble attempt to portray the Custer myth. Custer is presented as somewhat Godlike. Inacuracies occur all over the place. The attack on the Washita seems to originate from Fort Lincoln. Benteen, Reno and Custer seem to actually get along. The biggest farce is the battle at Little Big Horn. Reno never attacks the village, or retreat to the hill, and when Benteen shows up they're still in the middle of the river and retire to the trees. Custer and an Indian scout are the last men standing. He never went near the river. His scout is killed. The chief (or whoever)tells Custer he can go, but naturally Custer dies on the battlefield. There are no names mentioned other than Custer, Benteen, Reno, Sheridan, Libbie and some minor soldiers. The Indian leader is never identified, except to suggest that he may be Cheyenne. For anyone who knows about the battle, this film is painful to watch. For anyone else, this is just another Western with some stilted acting. END