Little Big Horn (1951)

What a beautiful movie!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This was my all time favorite Western. I loved at the end when John Ireland says "Sacrifice a few to save many"..And the bugler says "some on has to lead the charge" with Ireland "make it loud for the one's we left behind. So many great actors in this movie. John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Reed Hadley, Hugh O'Brian, Marie Windsor ( she is always great playing the other woman), Sheb Wooley (there was a one eyed one horn flying purple eater) also a regular in "Raw Hide" Jim Davis a another great western cowboy. Another western I enjoyed with John Ireland was "The return of Jessie James" with Reed Hadley as Frank James * Hugh O'Brian and Henry Hull as the Younger brothers.

The appearance of "B" movie queen Marie Windsor in the opening scene sets up the feud between two American Army officers (Lloyd Bridges and John Ireland) preparing to go off to warn the unseen General George Armstrong Custer that the battle against the Sioux Indians is a lost cause. She's married to Bridges, but his extended absences have caused her to fall into the arms of Ireland, and when Bridges finds them together, he coldly wishes them well before heading off to possible death. When Ireland shows up leading a troop of messengers, he is forced by Bridges to remain on "just in case" something should happen to him. But is Bridges calculating Ireland's own death with the Sioux tribe having hundreds of scouts out keeping an eye (and even executing) any scout the Americans send out? It certainly seems that way. Individual character elements are added through the tales of various soldiers, including one young man who admits to having a difficult time keeping his food down but insists he isn't afraid of a confrontation with the ruthless Sioux, another one preparing to meet his mail order bride from Canada (which of course ends sadly), the arguments of others (which includes Jim Davis of "Dallas" fame) of Bridges' methods, and finally, how various incidents bring Bridges and Ireland to an understanding if not a peace. This well-made historical western changes the real names of its leading characters (a fact we learn in the film's ending sequence) which makes no sense but provides some insight into why men feel they must go on even if the odds look grim and why others suddenly run away from danger.The excellent performances of the two leads is aided greatly by the ensemble surrounding them. Windsor only has two scenes, the second one a flashback which is basically a re-tread of the opening scene where Bridges discovered her and Ireland together. Bridges' character is as close to a villain as he probably ever played. Even his character in "High Society" (who betrayed old pal Gary Cooper because of his own inner fears) wasn't as dark as this one is. He is even more brooding here than in some of the film noir/crime dramas he was also doing at the time, and he makes every effort to create a very complex man who may or may not be a David plotting to kill his second in command. He's obviously a character who gets the worst kind of personal bad news at the worst possible time, so in heading into an unknown territory of a dangerous wilderness, he seems to feel that he has nothing to lose, even if his soul is in jeopardy. Ireland's character is slightly more noble, and certainly more courageous, because he is aware of what his nemesis may or may not be plotting. One disturbing scene has one of the scouts, injured by a Sioux attack, left to die, and as the troop heads out, a shot of Indians approaching the dying man is shown. A gunshot rings out when the camera cuts back to the troop and they stop only long enough to acknowledge the obvious conclusion. Some of the battles are pretty graphic. Arrows hit in the most obvious painful of places, and one of the characters gets it several times. While they never make it to Custer's Last Stand, this troop is certainly brave in heading that way. In the world of the early 1950's where the future looked grim, the face of courage on screen gave male audiences heart that they could face whatever obstacle America faced with the same grit and determination that got the U.S. out of two world wars with victories both times. On the other hand, you can't help but feel that with natives being bombarded with the white man going west, their own world was changing and they would need to fight to preserve what had long been theirs. So it's a mixed fight overall where truly nobody ended up the winner.

This western from B picture studio Lippert Productions is one of the best films to come from that small budget outfit. If you're expecting a telling of the defeat of General Custer by the Sioux and Cheyenne at Little Big Horn that would require a far bigger budget than Lippert ever spent on its films.What this story is about is a small patrol headed by Captain Lloyd Bridges and Lieutenant John Ireland who hear of the big four figure number Indian war party out to meet Custer and they ride hard to try to warn him. A daunting task under normal circumstances.But these circumstances are far from normal. Lloyd Bridges is married to Marie Windsor who's been two timing Lloyd with Ireland. And everyone knows about it especially those on the patrol and the men are taking sides as well. Doesn't make for a good command structure to say the least. They've even got a sergeant major along in the person of Reed Hadley who thinks he could do better than both of them. He was an officer in the Civil War, but it was one of those brevet promotions and when the army shrunk after the war, Hadley like thousands of others was reduced in rank if he wanted to stay in the army. If you'll recall that happened to both the Henry Fonda and Ward Bond characters in the John Ford classic Fort Apache.Some others on the patrol include Wally Cassell, Rod Redwing, Jim Davis, and Hugh O'Brian and these guys would not be at home in John Ford's conception of the cavalry. Still they go on this mission which they know may be sheer futility.In its slightly less than 90 minute running time Little Big Horn gave us lots of action and some of it not for the Saturday matinée kiddie crowd and some finely etched character studies. Since they don't make B westerns any more we can really say they don't make them like that any more. But Little Big Horn is a great example of how to make a good B western.

Charles Marquis Warren directed some tough westerns like Arrowhead, Seven Angry Men, Hellgate and Trooper Hook, and in the same style, this one. This film has a lot in common with Warner's Rocky Mountain, which was released in 1950,almost at the same time, both excellent films that deal with a small group of soldiers facing almost certain death. Lloyd Bridges is Captain Philip Donlin, who at the beginning of the movie catches his wife Celie (Marie Windsor) in the arms of Lt. Haywood (John Ireland). Just after that he commands a mission to warn Custer about the attack he is going to face at Little Big Horn. Through the somber mood of the film we get to know each character and feel for him. There must have been a huge difference in the budgets between this picture and Rocky Mountain, but Lippert achieved the same quality level.