Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

 Not the disaster it's often painted
Common wisdom has it that Cheyenne Autumn is a well-intentioned failure, and while his last Western is certainly far from John Ford's best, it is one of those films that becomes more impressive on repeated viewings. Although seen by many as an apologist epic made as an act of contrition by Ford for so many decades of stereotyping Native Americans, he always denied this, and it has to be said that, Two Rode Together apart, his Westerns generally had a more respect for the various tribes than his contemporaries. Instead its appeal seems partially as a good yarn, albeit one compromised by budgetary concerns, and one of his sporadic shots at an important message picture with a social conscience. Although it's not an unqualified success, his often spectacular retelling of the Cheyenne tribe's epic trek from their rundown reservation back to their original homeland has a lot to recommend it. While it's hard today to see the main Cheyenne characters played by the likes of Sal Mineo and a predominantly Latin-American cast - Ricardo Montalban, Dolores Del Rio and Gilbert Roland among them - and have most of the film seen through the eyes of white characters like Richard Widmark's conflicted cavalry officer, Carroll Baker's school ma'am and many familiar faces from the Ford stock company (including a surprisingly unbilled Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr in virtual reprises of their Rio Grande roles), it was a major achievement at the time to even tell a story about the callous treatment of the Native American tribes: feelbad epics had never been a good bet at the box-office.

Certainly at times you get the feeling that Warner Bros. were trying to save money wherever possible. Many of the more dramatic incidents of the real trek were cut from the script to save money, one key section is obviously shot on a soundstage rather than on location and there is some crude backprojection at the end (perhaps necessitated by having to replace Spencer Tracey with Edward G. Robinson), often leaving the film looking rather disjointed. The biggest misstep is the Dodge City sequence, which was Ford's idea of a comic relief intermission. While mildly amusing, it's a massive shift of tone that adds nothing to the story aside from an opportunity to add a little starpower with James Stewart's comical Wyatt Earp and cronies Arthur Kennedy and John Carradine and which could easily be removed from the film entirely without anyone noticing (indeed, it was cut from many prints after the film opened to get more shows in). Nonetheless, there are still many powerful sequences, from the Cheyenne standing all day in the baking sun to welcome a Senate Committee that can't be bothered to travel the dusty road to the reservation to a prolonged episode in a fort when Karl Malden's self-aggrandizing and ambitious commander sees them more as an opportunity than as starving and freezing human beings. There's certainly much to like, from William H. Clothier's fine widescreen photography of Monument Valley (this would be Ford's last film in his favorite location), a good score from Alex North and a nicely underplayed proposal scene in a schoolhouse. If it never quite gels, it's still a noble attempt at popularising difficult subject matter.

Warners 2.35:1 widescreen DVD is the fully restored version of the film, including a vintage 20-minute documentary on the real trek, the theatrical trailer and an often amusing audio commentary by Ford biographer Joseph McBride - apparently the extras can often be heard swearing in their own language secure in the knowledge that none of the crew had a clue what they were really saying!
December 30, 2007

 john fords lament
veteran western director john ford has killed hundreds of indians in his stories over the golden days of hollywood westerns, so maybe it was fitting that he should be the one lamenting at the passing of one of the proudest tribes in western history. CHEYENNE AUTUMN (Warner Bros) is the actual story of the long, hard trek of the Cheyenne people to what they were told was a better life. The story stars the ever dependable Richard Widmark as the sympathetic cavalry officer who is assigned to oversee the journey. He is assisted on this quest by Carroll Baker as a teacher who has taught the young indians, and has become trusted among them. This film, although maybe a little overlong, is a sprawling addition to the epic western genre. Beautifully photographed by the great William Clothier, it also stars Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland as the two main chiefs, who seek peaceful harmony with the whites but are constantly wronged by their warring relation Sal Mineo.(not a very convincing indian). The film also has an interval with James Stewart as Wyatt Earp and Arthur Kennedy as Doc Holliday in a comedy sketch, which should really have been left on the cutting room floor. CHEYENNE AUTUMN rates 4 out of 5 with me because it is a little too long but when it sticks to the story it is good entertainment. September 19, 2007

 A journey through time portal"
First saw this great classic during my childhood years at the Drive-In in South Texas back in the 60's, and ever since then i've regarded this film as one of the greatest Indian classic movies. The cast for this epic, to include the supporting cast of the Navajo Indian Nation really delivers 5 stars. It also serves as a History lesson on Indian injustices committed by men who believed in the great manifest destiney, but also men who saw and tried to correct the wrong committed against Native Americans. September 2, 2007

 Breakthrough Treatment of Native Americans
This is a grand sentimental epic that no doubt tries the patience of know-it-alls who want their liberal heart strings pulled with historically accurate depictions of suffering. John Ford, a myth-maker, was not the man for the job, but this fictionalized account accomplishes what many if not most documentaries would have failed at, namely, initiating the revision of white America's image of itself as a good people. Here we see what by now is part of every school teacher's curriculum, but 30 years ago, this was a radical retelling of how the West was won. Now we are depicted as the Cossacks, now we are seen as the bad guys, now we are shown to be the ruthless,heartless killers that the 'Indians' had always been accused of. Here we see the American cowboy brutally shoot an Indian in the back and then scalp him for fun. It is a daring, brave film made by a great movie director who loved the land and the people in it. July 23, 2007

 uggg! terrible movie!
historically inacurate. about only thing correct are the names of the 2 chiefs and also they had horses. not much else is correct. they bolted from the reservation area in Oklahoma, near fort reno, not the desert sw?? also contained unneeded silliness with James Stewart's segment as the marshall of dodge city ks. May 21, 2007

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