Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Film
Review: Anchor Bay Entertainment comes through again with an exceptional print. What a movie! This is one of the best Western Legends ever filmed. Robert Shaw is Custer giving his own interpretation to this American hero. The photography is thrilling and spectacular and makes this film one of the most underrated movies ever released. Anchor Bay is the best company making DVDs. They are always crisp and clear and better than the major companies. Look for their titles.
Rating:
Summary: Anchor Bay releases another quality product!!!
Review: Anchor Bay has released the ultimate version of this classic movie!!! Presented in both Full and Widescreen versions, this DVD delivers!!! The picture and sound quality is superb!!! A true classic!!! Five Stars!!! A+
Rating:
Summary: A Should Be Epic
Review: Early on in the pre-production stages CUSTER OF THE WEST was originally supposed to be directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was meant to be a biography of epic proportions combining both story and thrilling action sequences filmed in Cinerama. Eventually it was filmed in Spain in Super Technirama directed by Robert Siodmak. The production is still fairly ambitious but the screenplay by Bernard Gordon and Julian Halevy makes for a rather episodic tale lacking a narrative sweep that would have been very beneficial to this film. Part of this can be attributed to the producers' wishes to insert Cinerama-type effects (a runaway train, a downhill ride in an out-of-control buckboard, a soldier escaping down lumber jammed rapids, etc) into what should have been a straightforward biographical filming of General Custer and the historical events surrounding him. Robert Shaw gives a solid performance as General George Custer and beautifully creates another interpretation into the myth of the man. Shaw demonstrates none of the flamboyancy associated with Custer but instead concentrates on the virility and single-minded duty of his command. Through the entire film Shaw remains introverted and a somewhat enigmatic character. The viewer is never sure if Custer has a single humanitarian bone in his body because every time the question arises Shaw reverts back to his dutiful military facade. This is demonstrated in his scenes with Dull Knife (Kieron Moore) and Sergeant Mulligan (Robert Ryan) the deserter. This film contains other good performances. Jeffrey Hunter plays Lieutenant Benteen as a professional soldier but one who is sensitive to the plight of the Indians yet never lets his sentiments interfere with his duties. On a psychological level Hunter's somber character mirrors the feelings that Custer will never show the viewer. Ty Hardin plays Major Reno a hard drinking officer with a long family military history. Custer distrusts him and Reno will eventually let him down. Lawrence Tierney plays a gruff General Philip Sheridan and a somewhat indifferent Mary Ure plays Elizabeth, Custer's wife. However, Robert Ryan is the only actor that breathes some real life into this film. We all know from history what eventually happens to Custer. Ryan's character represents the uninhibited free spirit of all men. He shows up like a guardian angle to give Custer one last chance to change his destiny. This is one of the best roles of Robert Ryan's career. The photography by Cinematographer Cecilio Paniagua is very good. The frame compositions are well thought out. His camera traverses many landscapes of open plains, rushing rivers and rolling hills very beautifully in Technicolor. The music score composed by Bernardo Segall is very different in approach and sound for a film of this type. The Brazilian composer decided to build his score on an atmosphere of heroism, which he creates and builds upon. Segall essentially puts aside most references to the traditional Western and falls back on Civil War arrangements and orchestrations (especially in the film's opening) and further period influences. Added to this Segall also seems to have been inspired by the Spaghetti Western (in the film's more reflective moments), which was at its zenith at the time this film was made. In fact, much of this film seems to have been inspired by the Spaghetti Western in its look and feel. Even though this is a Spanish-US co-production it looks more akin to a Spaghetti Western. Art designs by Jean d'Eaubonne, Eugène Lourié and Julio Molina, Set designs by Antonio Mateos and Costumes by Laure de Zarate greatly contribute to the 'Spaghetti' and European look of this film.This film always intrigued me ever since it was released in 1968. In fact it hardly got released. It only showed at my neighborhood theatre in a 90 minute edited version. I remember reading in a newspaper at the time that the film was going to be released in a drastically cut version in the United States by Cinerama Releasing Corp. That was that! Now, thanks to Anchor Bay Entertainment this film has been released at this 141 minute length. Visually Anchor Bay produces the best DVDs. (You have really got to see Anchor Bay's DVD of Disney's ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD to really appreciate how good their product is.) That aside CUSTER OF THE WEST remains a good film and an epic in its own right. The rousing Civil War sequence at the beginning of the film is some of the best work ever put on film. Irving Lerner, not Robert Siodmak, directed this brilliant opening and shows us Custer a man driven by duty. Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn is perhaps not historically accurate but is very impressively staged and filmed and gives the viewer an idea of the scope of Custer's folly. Bernardo Segall's music at the denouement is very poignant. Above all, the brilliant Super Technirama photography effects are like a real roller coaster ride and are crisp and colorful as ever. This is a great DVD.
Rating:
Summary: This Anchor Bay version is the one to buy!
Review: Forget the horrible Simitar DVD of this film! Here is a version mastered in the correct aspect ratio with brilliantly rendered colors and a razor sharp focus! Even though this movie is not exactly a masterpiece, a good looking DVD such as this certainly makes it seem better than it is.
Rating: 
Summary: A Sad Review from a Cav Trooper
Review: I am a big fan of cavalry movies, from the ultra gung ho All American John Wayne's "The Horse Soldiers" to the anti war 70's "Soldier Blue" and have seen almost everything in between. I am also a big fan of Robert Shaw since his "Battle of the Bulge" fame. Aside from all these, even at bargain price, I would not recommend this movie! Despite everything that has been written and known of this extremely colourful American icon, despite the possibilities of portraying General George Armstrong Custer in many lights, "Custer of the West" representation came across as very wooden and 2-dimensional! There were very little depth at illustrating the love and relationship between George and his wife, someone who, in real life, played a very important role in the general's life. Then, if we were to ignore Armstrong's personal life and concentrate on his military career, there would still be tons of material to work from; unfortunately, this movie failed also on that aspect. We were treated to minutes of nonsensical Hollywood machismo showing Shaw's character running in circles, literally, at the parade ground, with his troops to demonstrate what, that he was just as tough, that he would not put his men through anything he would not do himself, that he could out last everyone of them or of his identification with his men? Yea, I have seen fellow officers, mostly West Pointers, who might do something like that, to prove one thing or another, but all in all, it would not have been exactly memorable nor something one would showcase or emphasize in a movie. In another word, the scene would not have served much purpose. As in another reviewer noted, the runaway mining cart scene was strictly Hollywood fabrication and technical eye candy. For a movie that involved the famed 7th Cavalry, they never once played the Irish bar song that Custer made famous as his regimental song, the "Garry Owen"! When such not-so-small details were overlooked, I dearly question how I could have better spend the few bucks I did on the DVD. The final Little Big Horn Massacre should have been the climactic moment of the movie, it was not. Granted that there were no survivors telling otherwise but overall, the battle was staged in a very lackluster and boring manner. The overhead circling shot from a helicopter might have serve somewhere else some other time but to portray the life and death of hundreds of soldiers, it failed miserably. The long shot served only to detach us further from this otherwise very uninvolving, boring and ahistorical movie.
Rating: 
Summary: MGM DVD Not Up To Par
Review: I bought this movie because I indulge myself in Custeriana. As history it is highly flawed as I suspected it would be. As in most Custer movies this one manages to capture some facets of a highly complicated life and personality. For contrast, I think that
Rating:
Summary: Epic Western that Fails
Review: I just recently purchased the widescreen addition of "Custer" and I have to say it's not too bad really. The only thing that annoys me is the poor Music score, it sounds so European, No melody nothing to compliment the Cinerama spectacle it trys to convey. Robert Shaw gives a fair performance, but not brilliant. Widescreen print is fair, sound is also average (stereo). A little dissapointed overall, as I remember this film being much better when I first saw it aged 7.
Rating:
Summary: Epic Western that Fails
Review: I just recently purchased the widescreen addition of "Custer" and I have to say it's not too bad really. The only thing that annoys me is the poor Music score, it sounds so European, No melody nothing to compliment the Cinerama spectacle it trys to convey. Robert Shaw gives a fair performance, but not brilliant. Widescreen print is fair, sound is also average (stereo). A little dissapointed overall, as I remember this film being much better when I first saw it aged 7.
Rating:
Summary: MGM, please keep in touch with the times!
Review: It seems hardly acceptable that in 2004 some studios still release widescreen DVDs without 16:9 enhancement. Well, this is the flaw that will bring my rating down to 3 stars. Too bad, because this DVD is otherwise nice-looking. And - oh yes, in case you're wondering - don't let the inaccurate mention on the jacket fool you: the film is presented in its correct 70 mm 2,20:1 aspect ratio, not in 1,85:1. Please MGM, also double-check your jackets!
Rating:
Summary: MGM has gone BAD!
Review: MGM is releasing older films in widescreen (which is good )but not Enhanced For Widescreen T.V.'s ( Anamorphic )which is very bad.Along with "Custer Of The West" titles include "Follow That Dream", "The Magnificent Seven Ride!", "Shalako" and "A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die". There are sure to be others. Why is MGM doing this? The only reason I can think of is to save money. If no one buys these DVD's maybe it would get through to them that this is unacceptable. If you feel the same way as I do send MGM an email.
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