A Distant Trumpet is a Big Boring western with an excess of monotonous wide screen Calvary maneuvers. By the way I do so like a good western. In fact I appreciate some mediocre and cult "B" type westerns, but this movie was not even bad enough to be laughable; it was just boring.
It's like the director was making a big movie that was suitable for preschoolers; no sex, no realistic violence, no believable fighting, limited dialogue. In fact the plot and dialogue was so limited that preschoolers could have played the parts.
This was director Raoul Walsh's last film, he was 77 years old; maybe his age, health, mental and physical stamina had something to do with the lackluster result of this final production.
A Distant Trumpet totally lacks drama; screen writers/director seem to have purposely limited character development and dialogue. The Indians were just there; you did not fear or feel sorry for them. The Indian fights were not believable. The deaths and injuries were staged and not believable. Calvary life was not believable. The whole cast was stiff and unbelievable. Suzanne Pleshette is the only one who had a moment or two where the audience could connect. On the whole it was stiff and there was no connection. Throughout watching this production, you never forget that you are watching a movie. The director must have been allergic to close-ups. Even the bad whiskey dealer and prostitutes were mere caricatures. This is an extremely disappointing production.
It's like the director was making a big movie that was suitable for preschoolers; no sex, no realistic violence, no believable fighting, limited dialogue. In fact the plot and dialogue was so limited that preschoolers could have played the parts.
This was director Raoul Walsh's last film, he was 77 years old; maybe his age, health, mental and physical stamina had something to do with the lackluster result of this final production.
A Distant Trumpet totally lacks drama; screen writers/director seem to have purposely limited character development and dialogue. The Indians were just there; you did not fear or feel sorry for them. The Indian fights were not believable. The deaths and injuries were staged and not believable. Calvary life was not believable. The whole cast was stiff and unbelievable. Suzanne Pleshette is the only one who had a moment or two where the audience could connect. On the whole it was stiff and there was no connection. Throughout watching this production, you never forget that you are watching a movie. The director must have been allergic to close-ups. Even the bad whiskey dealer and prostitutes were mere caricatures. This is an extremely disappointing production.