Son of the Morning Star (1991)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

General Custer is one of the most controversial figures in American history. He is perceived by some to be an egotistical, murdering, glory hunting pariah but to others he is almost a saintly figure to whom history has been most unkind. The truth inevitably lies somewhere between the two. Custer was indeed egotistical and also very ambitious, but he most definitely was not a murderer. Custer was a man of his time, a professional 19th century soldier obliged to carry out the duties of his office. No matter what he personally (and a letter exists to prove that Custer was against an Indian war) felt about his orders. Son of the Morning Star makes the mistake many make when dealing with Custer. It places 20th century 'politically correct' sensibilities upon the events of his later years which distort the truth to an alarming degree. Custer did not 'murder' women and children at the Battle of Washita, evidence exists to prove that he did, in fact, prevent soldiers from such acts although many were killed before he could intervene. Custer did not 'leave some of his men to die' after the battle, he was forced to withdraw as a large army of Sioux approached his position and he was ill-equipped to deal with them. Custer was vigorous in his determination for Indian Agencies to supply the reservation tribes with the food etc that they were entitled to, risking his own career in the process. And finally, at the Little Big Horn, he did not go charging in without thought or rationale. He presumed (incorrectly) that the tribes were escaping and, after giving orders to his subordinates which they did not obey, went in pursuit. Unfortunately there were many more Indians to deal with than expected so he held a defensive position and waited for reinforcements which did not come, due to the failure of others. Consequently he and his men were annihilated. Custer was a complex man, something that this film attempts to touch upon but is let down by it's emphasis on debunking anythinhg positive to be said about him. it's about time someone made a 'real' film about Custer. One that portrays his fine record in the Civil War (he is still the youngest ever General in the US army) and how he was an inspiration to his men. How he displayed great tactical knowledge and extreme bravery under fire. People laugh at Errol Flynn's portrayal of 'Saint Custer' and indeed the latter stages of They Died With Their Boots On are laughable, but the depiction of Custer during the Civil War is (although heavily stylised) very accurate. The flamboyant uniform, the cry of 'ride you wolverines!', marching to Garry Owen - this stuff really happened. After the war Custer was given one tawdry job after another by the army. He disgraced himself on more than one occasion and was ultimately court martial-ed, but he performed his duty for his country and should be remembered for the role he played as a winner in the Civil War, not just as the loser at the Little Big Horn. Cinematically, the film is escellent, with good attention to detail and fine staging of the battle scenes. It's a shame it is flawed by a ha'porth of tarred scripting.

Having come late to this website I find that earlier comments have said everything I want to. My video-recording of the film is one of the very few I've bothered to keep.It appears 98% authentic, and a lot of effort seems to have been made to make those acting the junior officers look like the men themselves. I'm not so sure about Gary Cole, though; he looked like a sack of potatoes on his horse and he didn't seem too inspirational. But photos of Custer himself make him look a bit insipid - weak chin, droopy moustache - and apparently by 1876 he was beginning to go bald; Cole is a better likeness than Errol Flynn or Robert Shaw were, but we have yet to see a definitive screen Custer. David Strathairn has screen presence as Benteen. The voice-overs by Kate Bighead and Rosanna Arquette were remarkably similar in tone - almost dirge-like.

If somewhat long, this epic "western" tells the story of Custer´s last defeat and tries to show what kind of man he was. Cole gives a stunning performance and the film is made interesting when seen thru "2 pairs of eyes", the wife of Custer seeing it from a white point of view and the Indian girl telling the truth about a black chapter of America´s historyDefinitely worth watching!

This movie is history coming alive. Gary Cole IS George Armstrong Custer and Rodney A. Grant IS Crazy Horse. David Strathairn, one of the most underrated actors of our generation, is tremendous as the "oily" Captain Benteen, quick to bad mouth Custer after the disaster. The final battle scene is first rate. I do find falut, however, with the Kate Bighead character (Buffy St. Marie) who serves as the narrator. At times, it smacked of "political correctness". I don't need this character telling me right and wrong. Let the facts speak for themselves! Even with this major fault, I still recommend the movie. Every high school student in America should view this film as part of their American History course.