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The Horse Soldiers Editorial Review:
John Wayne teams with William Holden and eminent western director John Ford for this frontier actioner "packed with laughter, romance and thrills" (The Hollywood Reporter)! Written by John LeeMahin and Martin Rackin, this faithful representation of one of the most daring cavalry exploits inhistory is both a moving tribute to the men who fought and died in that bloody war and a powerful, action-packed drama.Based on an actual Civil War incident, The Horse Soldiers tells the rousing tale of a troop of Union soldiers who force their way deep into Southern territory to destroy a rebel stronghold at Newton Station. In command is hardbitten Colonel Marlowe (Wayne), a man who is strikingly contrasted by the company's gentle surgeon (Holden) and the beautiful but crafty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who's forced to accompany the Union raiders on perhaps the most harrowing mission in the war.
Customer Reviews:
Not Anamorphic
Great movie, but the film really needs a proper restoration and an anamorphic release. Contrary to anything you may read, this film has never been released on DVD enhanced for 16:9 TVs. I'm watching it right now zoomed in in 4:3 Letterbox on a 42" Pioneer Elite plasma display, and it looks pretty awful.
Horse Soldiers
This has always been a favorite western movie of mine and this dvd transfer is excellent. No extras except for the trailer but again an excellent movie and well worth your time.
Great Western
At the time that "The Horse Soldiers" (1959) was made, co-stars John Wayne and Richard Widmark, were the #1 and #2 top box office stars, and director John Ford had already made such memorable films as "Stagecoach" (1939), "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949), and (my personal favorite) "The Searchers" (1956) and Ford had already won 4 Oscars ("The Quiet Man", "How Green was My Valley", "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Informer"), been nominated for "Stagecoach" (he lost to Victor Fleming for "GWTW"), had 3 DGA nominations with 1 win ("The Quiet Man") and 4 wins by the New York Film Critics.
(Interestingly enough John Ford never won a major award for a western, even though he once described himself simply as "I make westerns".)
"Horse Soldiers" tells the true story of Grierson's Raid in which a Union Colonel (Wayne) led 1700 cavalrymen across 600 miles in Confederate territory to disrupt railroad service to reinforce Vicksburg that was under siege. This action set the stage for the Union victory at Vicksburg and, some would say, the ultimate victory in the Civil War. Much of the film's military information is reasonably accurate, although Wayne's character had been a music teacher and not a railroad man as stated in the film.
John Wayne stars as the Union Colonel. Ford and Wayne worked together on 21 films, one of the most prodigious collaborations in film history. Their best work includes "The Quiet Man", "Stagecoach", and "The Searchers", all of which became film classics and top 100 AFI films. Wayne was twice nominated for an Oscar ("Sands of Iwo Jima" in 1949 and "True Grit" in 1969), and once as a producer ("The Alamo" in 1960). Though his best performances were under Ford's direction, he did perform well in a number of his other 140+ films, notably "The High and the Mighty" (1954), "Sands of Iwo Jima" (1949), and "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965). He gives his usual strong performance in this film, and one scenein particular will stand out where Wayne talks about the death of his wife.
"Horse Soldiers" is not in the top tier of Wayne/Ford collaborations, but it clearly leads the second tier and is far superior to films such as "Donovan's Reef" (1963), "The Wings of Eagles" (1957), "Rio Grande" (1950), "3 Godfathers" (1948), and "They Were Expendable" (1945).
William Holden co-stars as a Union physician sent to patch up the inevitable casualties that Wayne's troop will encounter. This was Holden's first and only film with Ford. Holden was a terrific actor, with such memorable performances as writer Joe Gillis in "Sunset Blvd" (1950), Sergeant Sefton in "Stalag 17" (1953), Lt. Brubaker in "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1954), Hal Carter in "Picnic" (1955), Shears in "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1967), Max Schumacher in "Network" (1976) and my personal favorite, Bishop Pike in "The Wild Bunch" (1969). He won the Oscar for "Stalag 17" and was nominated for "Network" and "Sunset Blvd". He won an Emmy for "The Blue Knight" (1973) and was nominated for a Golden Laurel every year from 1958 through 1964. Photoplay named him most popular male star in 1954 and 1955. AFI named him the 25th greatest screen legend. For his work on "Horse Soldiers" he received $775,000 plus 20% of the profits, the highest figure up until that date given to a film star.
The chemistry between Holden and Wayne is magical, enhanced in part by the fact that they were good friends as well as box office rivals in the 50s.
Constance Towers plays the female lead, a southern Belle who refuses to be cowered by the formidable Colonel. Towers was primarily a TV actress and is best known for her role as Helena Cassadine in "General Hospital". She worked with Ford on "Horse Soldiers" and again on "Sergeant Rutledge" (1960), but gravitated to TV. Though some critics didn't value her quirky performance, I thought she did a good job and showed the ambivalence in her feelings of admiration for the Union soldiers even while she hoped for their defeat.
Look for 67 year old Hoot Gibson in his last film appearance as Sgt Brown. Gibson appeared in more than 200 films and was one of the biggest silent film stars, where he made a number of films with young John Ford - "Cheyenne's Pal" (1917), "Rustlers" (1919) and "Action" (1921), the later was remade as "3 Godfathers" and co-starred John Wayne with Harry Carry Jr. whose father appeared in the 1921 version.
The film was shot in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, since it takes place in the South. Ford fans will miss Utah's Monument Valley which was the setting for 9 Ford films including "Stagecoach", "Fort Apache", and "The Searchers". William Clothier is the cinematographer. Clothier and Wayne worked together on 21 films, and with John Ford they worked on 4 films - "Fort Apache" (1948), "The Horse Soldiers" (1959), "Liberty Valance" (1962), and "Donovan's Reef" (1963). Clothier was nominated for two Oscars - "The Alamo" (1960) and "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964). Clothier's motto was "anything for a shot" and those low angle shots where the cavalry horses ride over the cameraman was one of his trademarks. Clothier is at his best in "Horse Soldiers" and the cavalry scenes are memorable. Also memorable is the fight in the city, which prefigures some of the modern photographic techniques used in films such as "Black Hawk Down."
"Horse Soldiers" includes a few of Ford's stock company regulars, like Ken Curtis (he played Charley McCorry in "The Searchers"), Willis Bouchey (the newspaper man in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"), Anna Lee (played the insane Mrs. Malaprop in "Two Rode Together"), and Hank Worden (played ol' Mose in "The Searchers"). But he was missing Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Olive Carry (Harry's mom, who played Mrs. Jorgensen in "The Searchers"), John Qualen (played Lars Jorgensen in "The Searchers"), Andy Devine (driver in "Stagecoach" ), Woody Strode ("Sergeant Rutledge" in 1960), Victor McLaglen (he died in 1959), and Ward Bond (he died in 1960).
This is the first time the great character actor Strother Martin appeared in a Ford film. Ford used him again in "The Deadly Companions" (1961), and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), although I remember Martin best for his role as one of the bounty hunters in Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969).
This film has many key Ford elements. We see the dynamic rivalry between the male leads (see John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter in "The Searchers", John Wayne and Henry Fonda in "Fort Apache", John Wayne and Victor McLaglen in "The Quiet Man"), the importance of family (e.g., the Southern belle's slave - played by Tennis star Althea Gibson - insists on accompanying her despite the obvious dangers, a mother rescues her young son from a troop of cadets who, improbably, go to fight the invading Yankees), and Ford's wonderful camera work, not only in the medium shot but in the action sequences. It's rarely mentioned, but Ford was a master at capturing the dynamism of horse soldiers in action, and this film provides one of his best examples.
The film was a commercial and critical success. Ford was nominated for an Oscar and the film earned $3.6 million in its first year. But it's not his best work, and it's possible to examine some of the reasons for this. First, the film's star makes no sacrifice for his beliefs.
- Wayne's boxer in "The Quiet Man" must give up his vow to fight in order to win the heart of the woman he loves (Maureen O'Hara, and who wouldn't love her).
- Uncle Ethan must give up his secret plan to kill Natalie Wood in "The Searchers" and decide to return her to the bosom of her family.
- Captain Brittles in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" must accept his age and decline to go on "one last mission", choosing instead to retire gracefully (another example of Wayne's acting skills).
In these mythic westerns, events change even the firmest beliefs of the main protagonist. But in "Horse Soldiers" Wayne is pretty much the macho Colonel he starts off as, which is perfectly acceptable for almost any film, but it won't earn you mythic status.
Another missing element is the family focus. Although there are examples of family loyalty, pointed out earlier, the family is not the focus of the film, as it is in such classics as "The Quiet Man", "How Green Was My Valley", and "The Searchers". Even in some of his cavalry films (e.g., "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", "Rio Grande") Ford presents the troop as the family. The strength of the family against the harsh reality of the world was one of Ford's strengths and one of the building blocks of his mythic films.
Not being one of the top westerns ever made still qualifies "Horse Soldiers" for being the excellent film it is.The film will appeal to Ford fans and to any lovers of a good Western.
Possibly my favorite John Wayne flick
John Wayne's a bit before my time so I was late getting on The Duke wagon. At first, I admit, that I didn't really like him (I lean more to the likes of Eastwood, Heston, Rambo and Thomas Jane) but I slowly came to appreciate his unique presence & vibe.
Of the approximately 25 Wayne films I've seen some of my favorites include: "The Cowboys" ('72), "El Dorado" ('66), "North to Alaska" ('60), "The Shootist" ('76), "The Conqueror" ('56) and "The Horse Soldiers" ('59). Okay, I'm just jokin' about "The Conqueror" (LOL) but John Ford's "The Horse Soldiers" is definitely one of my favorites.
THE STORY: Loosely based on Col. Grierson's 1863 Cavalry raid behind Confederate lines, The Duke leads a cavalry force deep into rebel territory to cut off supply lines to Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was being attacked by Gen. Grant. Along for the ride is a medical officer (William Holden) who is at odds with Wayne. As their journey progresses they are forced to acquire a troublesome Southern belle (Constance Towers).
Although the film has some expected dated aspects, like the dreadful opening song (almost on a par with "North to Alaska"), "The Horse Soldiers" holds up well, highlighted by authentic Southern locations -- filmed in Mississippi, Louisianna and Texas.
What works best is the story and characters. The conflict between Wayne and Holden adds tension and is entertaining, but you just know they'll likely come out of this venture highly respecting one another. Needless to say, Wayne and Holden have great chemistry. Some complain about the Southern belle but she's a good touch and, really, there are no romantic dallyings to speak of (until the very end, that is).
"The Horse Soldiers" is one of those film you enjoy seeing no matter how many times you've seen it. It plainly shows the horrors of war but, somehow, it ultimately manages to be enjoyable and even uplifting.
This ranks with the best Civil War pictures, along with "Gods & Generals" (2003), "Glory" (1989), "Ride with the Devil" (1999) and "Pharaoh's Army" (1995).
True story, well-produced
About one year before John Wayne got his chance to produce a film based upon a true story, he made this interesting and colorful Civil War epic, which now begs for an oversized flatscreen and surround sound.
I have an old 19 incher or so, but the headphones jack came in handy, especially in the scene when the horse soldiers rode at full speed over that bridge. Fifty years John Ford got a better sound than what I hear on present day CDs by the big names.
It's been written that Ford ordered a "dry set", but that didn't stop Wayne in one of his greatest scenes: in an earlier great scene, he speaks to a dying Union man; he then reapirs to the bar and throws down, and throws away, shot after shot, mad at himself and at Doctors, in general. Holden could not help the boy, but the Duke relives his wife's suffering, as he watches him pass. Anyone who says JW was strictly a character actor, should reference this scene.
Found the Military School scene a bit vague...and Marlowe's confession of love a bit unconvincing. Thought that the final scenes were tired and that the fadeout should have been on John Wayne.
The movie remains a Classic to me, even with these minor issues.
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