User Reviews

I have recently seen again "Cheyenne Autumn", and, perhaps, I finally got it. In my opinion, this film represents the desperation of an artist, the director John Ford. Forget the usual stunning beauty of the cinematography, the accuracy in filming action scenes, the care for poetic details, and all Ford's trade-mark style. We readily see that "Cheyenne Autumn" is completely different from any other western movie, and not only from the remainder of Ford's work.

Compared with other western movies, the main difference and innovation is that here any killed man is a REAL tragedy, that exhaustion, famine, cold, violence are REAL sufferings for the miserable people on the screen (not just for the Cheyennes, even for the whites). And all that is shown us by Ford ruthlessly, uncompromisingly. The fact that the director stands for the Indians is not as much innovative as it seems. All along his career Ford showed respect and sympathy for them. In the finale, just after an apparent happy ending, we have again violence, again a murder, again a distressed mother: we almost feel the same grief of hers. It is somewhat ironic that in the same year the film was made, 1964, the fashion of Italian western movies invaded the world of cinema, with furious, acrobatic gun-fights and hundreds of shot-dead people, like in a sort of funny game.

The movie is split into two parts by a comic interlude, the episode placed in Dodge City, which is actually a farce. I think that Ford wanted to pay a homage and bid his personal farewell to the old silent western-movies of the 1920s, when his career started. The funny situations are deliberately over the top: see the sensational, licentious joke, when Wyatt Earp (Jimmy Stewart) realizes that he actually had met the girl in Wichita... In any case, a somewhat gloomy mood permeates even this comic part. The main characters are all aged, grey-haired and seemingly life-weary. And the episode is introduced by a particularly brutal, cruel murder.

I think that "Cheyenne Autumn" is a beautiful film, with a good story, great visual beauties, and, in particular, an excellent acting by the whole cast. But it is tough for me to face John Ford's desperate vision. After all, what I most like in the movie is to see, once again, Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr on horse-back, in their blue uniforms (by the way: why are they uncredited?). They are both aged and bulkier compared with their look in the great Ford's western-epics of their youth. Never mind: they are almost dearer to me for this very reason...

Historical and overlong movie recounting the legendary Cheyenne trek led by the Indian chiefs , Little Wolf and Dull Knife . The picture is an epic portrait of the historic story about celebrated Cheyenne (they are actually Navajo , telling dirty jokes in their native tongue) and their legendary feat leading the tribe on a journey to freedom , uprooting them from the Yellowstone and resettling them in distant Oklahoma . This majestic flick illustrates the callous disregard with which the government treated the Cheyenne in the 1880s as the US agency fails to deliver even the meager provisions due by peace treaty to the stubborn tribe in their stark desert reserve without proper supplies for survival ; then the starving Indians have taken more abuse than it's worth and break it too by embarking on a 1,500 miles trek back to their ancestral hunting grounds , being led by Little Wolf and Dull Knife (Ford was urged by producers to cast first stars as Richard Boone and Anthony Quinn , as both had Native American blood ; however , Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland, who were of Mexican descent , were cast instead) . Meanwhile , proud Cheyenne tribe square off US cavalry commanded by Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) who leads his army on a wild chase across the barren plains in this saga of the old west . Red Shirt (played by Sal Mineo , though John Ford would not allow him to speak any English dialog in the picture due to the actor's Bronx accent) , a rebel Indian does the first shot against cavalry . Captain Thomas Archer goes to deal with Secretary of Interior Schulz about the unfortunate Indians (Spencer Tracy was first cast , but had a stroke and was replaced by Edward G. Robinson, , including the background had to be done with screen process and whose scenes were entirely photographed in studios) , taking place a climatic meeting scene between Shultz and the Cheyenne chiefs . The tribe refuses to surrender in this chronicle of a bitter fight between the tribe and the US cavalry in the struggle for the west . Now the mightiest true adventure of all! Filmed by 6-time Academy Award winner John Ford...with a massive all-star cast! .1,500 miles of heroism and incredible adventure!

This sprawling epic film displays Western action , shootouts , drama and spectacular battles . It's a thoughtful piece for its time that had an original tragic ending and imbued with moments of sensitive poetry . This nice Western contains interesting characters , full of wide open space and dramatic moments . This classic , sturdy picture ranks as one of the most sentimental of John Ford's work . Thought-provoking , enjoyable screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface and suggested by Mari Sandoz in "Cheyenne Autumn¨ with screenplay by James R. Webb and based on a novel titled Last Frontier by Howard Fast who also wrote Spartacus . This excellent film featuring a magnificent performance by the whole main cast , including a top-notch supporting cast . Awesome Richard Widmark in a larger-than-life character along with a gorgeous Carrol Baker and a magnificent Karl Malden as deranged captain Wessels . In the film appears , as usual , Ford's favourite actors such as : Ben Johnson , Harry Carey Jr. , Mike Mazurki , George O'Brien , Mae Marsh , Patrick Wayne , Dolores Del Rio , Ken Curtis , Elizabeh Allen , Willis Bouchey , and , of course , James Stewart as obstinate sheriff Earp . Ford added the segment with Stewart in place of an intermission , in spite of the film was overlong , and so he came up with the Wyatt Earp segment , giving Stewart an awesome interpretation , as usual . Outdoors are pretty gorgeous and well photographed in Super Panavision 70mm by William H. Clothier , Ford's regular , and filmed on location in Moab, Utah ,Fort Laramie, Wyoming, Monument Valley, Utah , Gunnison Canyon , Colorado . Rousing and an impressive musical score by Alex North who composed other masterpieces as Spartacus and Cleopatra.

This may not be Ford's best Western , as many would claim , but it's still head ad shoulders above most big-scale movies . You'll find the ending over-dramatic according to your tastes , though it's lovingly composed by John Ford who really picks up battle , drama and sensibility towards the ending . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching . The motion picture well produced by Bernard Smith was brilliantly directed by John Ford at his last film . This powerful movie will appeal to Indian Western fans .

This was John Ford's last Western and it is generally viewed as a weak film. It has been described as his "apology" to Indians for his allegedly negative portrayal of them in his earlier films. If you read the statement he made to Peter Bogdonavich, he doesn't actually use the word "apology". He says he just wanted to a make movie told more from the Indian point of view.

This makes more sense, because most Ford Westerns, with perhaps the exception of "Stagecoach" and "Rio Grande" dealt relatively fairly with Indian characters. I don't think he had much to apologize for.

This movie is underrated by critics. I'm not sure why. I thought it compared favorably with his better work.

Here are the positives about the movie:

• It may be Ford's most beautiful film. He lingers in Monument Valley far longer than the logic of the script would dictate. He knew this would be that last time he would shoot there. The results are spectacular.

• The film has a stately, almost regal pace with an excellent accompanying soundtrack. This matches the pace of the central plot element – a six month journey by foot.

• It manages to never be dull. This is quite an accomplishment since there is no real hero, no real heavy and very little violent conflict. It's an example of very fine low key storytelling.

• Although this is a strong Indian point of view movie, it never becomes condescending or maudlin. Both sides are presented with respect and complexity.

• I've read much criticism of the Dodge City comic relief interlude. I thought this was fantastic segment. What a pleasure to see old pros like John Carradine, James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy do cameos in Ford's last Western. Ford understood the importance of inserting comic relief into Westerns, which are normally tense dramas in need of counterpoint. This is even more effective in the fundamentally somber "Cheyenne Autumn".

• Almost all strong Indian point of view movies are relentless downers that include no comic relief. For example, "Devil's Doorway", "Broken Arrow", "Dances With Wolves". Ford doesn't compromise on his traditional heavy use of humor in this movie and he also includes a somewhat optimistic ending. The ending may seem unrealistically positive, but it is actually at least partly rooted in historical accuracy, from what I've read. Of course, in the big historical picture there was no happy ending for the Indians. The question is: who wants to watch a movie that is that depressing? Ford strikes a good compromise here.

• Carol Baker is an underrated actress. She has a great screen presence and is very good in this film. Her character was very credible, if maybe a little too good looking. If she's a typical 1880's Quaker chick, I would have had to rethink my religious affiliation.

Now here are some things that kept the movie from being better:

• Widmark looks great, but I wish his character had been a more active player in plot developments. It's not best for the male lead to be too much of an observer. Also, he is way too old to be Carol Baker's romantic interest.

• The Indians are poorly cast with the use of mediocre Hispanic actors. I can't believe those weird bangs are authentic hairdos either. If they are, I would have invoked artistic license to change them.

• The subplot with the split between the Cheyenne leaders and the final confrontation at the end was poorly drawn, poorly acted and pointless.

• There are a few plot holes. The only one that really bothered me was the Cheyenne somehow managing to smuggle 20 rifles into their holding facility in the fort in Nebraska.

• Finally, this isn't really a fault, but I wanted to mention that I'm torn about Karl Malden's character.

On the one hand, it seems very odd to introduce a German officer who's oppressing the Cheyenne because "he's only following orders." Do we have to implicate the Germans in our genocide? Don't they have enough problems of their own on this issue?

On the other hand, I guess the point was to draw a comparison between the Holocaust and the destruction of the American Indian population. This was probably a very aggressive and controversial idea in 1964, for Americans anyway. The Germans I've known over the years never had a problem mentioning it to me. In fact, often they would talk of little else.

I rediscovered "Cheyenne Autumn" recently and must confess to finding the temptation to hail it as almost the greatest of the John Ford Westerns irresistable. I say "almost" as I realise that the claim needs a certain amount of caution. When set beside the formal perfection of "The Searchers", "My Darling Clementine" and even "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", "Cheyenne Autumn" has a few weak moments and certainly some longeurs. And yet it has a monumental sweep that somehow outstrips them all. Ford's final Western is an apologia for the white Americans' treatment of the American Indian and his own depiction of them as the bad guys in so much of his previous work. Here the Cheyenne are the victims of White oppression, forced to live far to the south of their natural homeland and desperate to return. Depleted in number mainly through illness and starvation they set out on the long trek north, beset on all sides by alien landscape conditions and the American cavalry in pursuit. These pathetic remnants of a once noble tribe now consist of little more than a group of women and children - very few of the male warriors are left - accompanied by a white Quaker woman who has befriended them. One American cavalry officer (Richard Widmark in one of his best performances) recognises their dilemma and does all he can to summon official awareness of their plight. In a sense this is one of the finest of all road movies, the protagonists forced to face the long journey home across a seemingly endless wilderness. Only through an inner determination are the remnants of the tribe able to make it. It is also one of cinema's most powerful documentations of man's inhumanity to man, not light years away from "Come and See" and Ford's own "The Prisoner of Shark Island". The film is badly flawed by the intrusion of a semi-comic interlude depicting Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday more intent on card play in Dodge City than in what is happening around them. This only serves to slow the pace of a film that is often prone to encompass peripheral detail to the detriment of moving purposefully forward. But who can quibble when the end result encompasses one magnificent image after another in William Clothier's splendid 'scope photography and the only music score - by Alex North - that ever did real justice to a Ford picture. For once we actually get away from those endless medleys of sentimental hymn and folk melodies with an astringency of style that matches the serious content of the film.

Unfortunately, given the subject matter and the director, "Cheyenne Autumn" fails to achieve the greatness of its aspirations. Injustice to Native Americans has along tragic history, and the topic deserved a soaring film that brought those crimes to a broad audience. After years of depicting Native Americans as the villains, John Ford was certainly the right director to cast a sympathetic eye on their plight, and the film has many grand sequences that are reminiscent of Ford's finest westerns. The brilliant camera work of William Clothier captures the majesty of Monument Valley and often bathes the mountains and characters in the warm glow of sunsets.

For some reason, Ford felt that Latino actors were appropriate for the roles of Native Americans, and Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, and Dolores del Rio do achieve a measure of dignity as members of the long-suffering Cheyenne tribe. While Carroll Baker tries hard as a Quaker woman who accompanies the Cheyenne on an arduous trek back to their homeland, her bleached blonde hair, immaculate make-up, and voice undercut her efforts. The work of composer, Alex North, also sounds out of place. Best known for his scores for "Spartacus" and "Cleopatra," North's music here evokes Roman legions rather than the U.S. cavalry.

However, the biggest flaw in the film is a misconceived episode in the middle that features James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, and John Carradine. As Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Stewart and Kennedy perform a comedy routine that jars with the solemnity of the previous scenes. Indeed, the entire Dodge City sequence is a western comedy, and viewers would be justified in thinking that some film reels were mislabeled and an entire sequence from another film had been inserted accidentally. Whatever dignity and concern was established in the film's first hour are destroyed when the action moves from the Cheyenne to Earp and Dodge City.

"Cheyenne Autumn" was likely conceived as a follow-up to the successful "How the West Was Won." John Ford was one of the directors of that Cinerama film; Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, James Stewart, and Richard Widmark are featured in both films; and the ads for the two westerns are strikingly similar. Widmark anchors "Cheyenne Autumn" and provides a narration much as Spencer Tracey did for "How the West Was Won." However, the earlier movie was a rousing adventure with a great score and an uplifting theme of westward expansion. Despite an overture and intermission, "Cheyenne Autumn" is a small, sober tale of racial injustice that has been stretched out and embellished with a jarring music score and a schizophrenic mix of comedy and tragedy that lays waste to some fine epic moments.

The first half hour of Cheyenne Autumn promises a moving western akin to How the West Was Won. There's a great romance, family tensions, and a large promise broken to the Native Americans. When the white government officials promise to meet the Indian chiefs and discuss the terms of an already broken treaty, everyone in the tribe walks the great distance to the white settlement. They stand for hours in the sun, waiting in vain. It's very sad, but it starts off a compelling drama. Richard Widmark is in love with a Quaker schoolteacher, Carroll Baker, and he writes her an absolutely adorable marriage proposal on the chalkboard of her classroom. Since he loves her, he wants her to leave for safety instead of traveling with the Indians to the new territory.

The rest of the long movie really disappoints. I tried to forgive the bad casting of Carroll as a Quaker, but she certainly didn't act like an unworldly woman. Karl Malden gave his usual intense, penetrating stare, but little else. Ricardo Montalban and the remarkably well-preserved Gilbert Roland play Native Americans; you'd think that by 1964 Hollywood would stop putting dark makeup on actors. Sal Mineo, also playing an Indian, strutted around with his shirt off to impress a tribal girl - but that made no sense, since Native Americans always ran around bare-chested. Why were there blushes and giggles exchanged? And randomly, there was a chunk of time in the middle of the movie that included Wyatt Earp (played by James Stewart) and Doc Holliday (played by Arthur Kennedy) in a saloon playing poker. They don't add to the story, and there's no acting required. Jimmy throws a few winks among his jokes, and Arthur keeps up. I can't imagine why this comic relief section was included in this drama. Edward G. Robinson also has a small role in the movie. Can't imagine him in a western? He plays a government official, so no cowboy hat for him. Keep an eye out for cutie pie Patrick Wayne, though, which is fun.

This movie is very long, and at times it does drag. The middle section is uneven, and after a while, you forget how the beginning even started. If you watch it, it won't hurt you, but it's not as good as it seems.

Watched this movie after reading Tony Hillerman's Sacred Clowns. The portrayal of any historical fact is not really in this movie. Which is the attraction to watching the movie because it portrays an obvious bogus narrative. A comedy for any Cheyenne or Navajo to watch as well as heartache. Hard to say what John Ford was going for in his last western, but the movie lacks integrity just as the Government portrayed lacks integrity with Native American values. Monument Valley gives most any movie five stars, and Ford knows how to shoot it better than any. I've lived in the southwest most of my life and been to M Valley a few times. One of Fords greatest Monument Valley movies for sure, but one of his worst movies overall. I give it a six for being an obvious upside down history movie that has other qualities to the people.

Made in 1964, this was one of a number of movies from the 60s and 70s that were sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans in the 19th century. It portrayed how the U.S. government never kept its promises or treaties with Native Americans, how the government was influenced and controlled by land speculators, mining interests, buffalo hunters, railroad builders, and others. In showing how the Cheyenne suffered and ultimately endured on its 1,500 trek from a barren reservation to their native lands in the Yellowstone area, the movie was successful in bringing their story as originally told in Mari Sandoz novel to the screen.

As a movie, however, the film had some disappointing and awkward moments. The major one was the abrupt change of scene to Dodge City, where Wyatt Earp, portrayed by James Stewart, gets the best of a quartet of Texas cowboys (who had just ambushed, killed and scalped a young Cheyenne scout and were bragging about their exploits in the saloon where Earp was playing poker). Following this divergence from the main story the film returns to the plight of the Cheyenne and we never see nor hear from Earp again. Needless to say, it's not surprising when the film's credits prominently feature Jimmy Stewart, even though his role was a cameo at best.

Another awkward scene is when representatives from the Army (Richard Widmark as Capt. Archer) and the Secretary of the Interior (Edward G. Robinson as Carl Schurz) are negotiating with the Cheyenne in the majestic Monument Valley country. Behind these people we can see soldiers and horses lined up in formation waiting for the outcome of the negotiations. But wait! Not a single soldier or horse is moving, even breathing. It's so obvious the background is a photograph and the "negotiators" were filmed on a sound stage with a blue screen background.

This film shows just a bit of the tragedy of Northern Cheyenne. The film or John Ford did not show that they initially fought together with Sioux led by Sitting Bull war in 1876 and were partially massacred by Custer. Later they fought once again and were defeated at McKenzie compelling them to surrender. Two years later, the prisoners Dull Knife, Wild Hog, and Little Wolf were brought down as prisoners to Fort Reno, from where they escaped and were later killed without mercy. Part of the survivors were killed later when they tried to escape from Fort Robinson, Nebraska, and the others finally confined to a reservation in Montana. Probably Ford wanted to show this story softly giving some feeling of justice to Captain Archer (Richard Widmark), but at the end the film became an approximate story of the reality. Cheyenne, either northern or southern were expelled out from their natural areas, they missed bull hunting and their ancestral traditions. Beside this historical considerations, one must admit that Ford had a very good cast for the film with Widmark, Carroll Baker, always efficient Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden and others. The only thing difficult to understand was the scene with James Stewart (as Wyatt Earp) together with the veterans Arthur Kennedy and John Carradine, which in my opinion was out of the context.

Some people believe that Westerns are not more of use in Hollywood. I believe that some westerns giving real stories of what happened with the Indians are very much necessary to understand the history of the real American people. Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Dull Knife and others were not criminals, they were only defending the land where they were born and raised. So their lives should be brought fairly to the screen in the coming future.

This was John Ford's last Western before 7 WOMEN and his retirement, and compared to many of his movies, is weak and loses steam after the first half.

The first part of the movie concerns about the Cheyenne population that since is tired that their treaty with the US government is broken, they migrate for 1,500 miles towards their ancient grounds. Cavalry Captain Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) has to retrieve them, but ends up respecting them and helping them.

As many consider it even today, this is a misfire by a great director. Despite a cast that includes Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, Sal Mineo, Dolores del Rio, Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland and even Edward G. Robinson, the movie has two flaws. Half-way in the movie we have a pointless cameo by James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy and John Carradine (as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and a Major) playing poker in a saloon until Elizabeth Allan passes by. Was it necessary having three major stars in such a pointless and awkward cameo? Second, in the second part, especially before the ending, the movie drags a bit. I have nothing against long movies, provided that they engage the viewer until the very end. I honestly think that if they would have chopped at least 30 minutes the movie would have been better to digest.

In substance, not a great movie but not a terrible one either. Just a prime example in how even the best directors can have their misfires.

The Cheyenne nation has been gathered on their desert reservation waiting for supplies. The people are starving. Captain Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) is sympathetic but powerless in the face of government indifference. Deborah Wright (Carroll Baker) is a Quaker trying to help the Cheyenne. Chiefs Little Wolf (Ricardo Montalban) and Dull Knife (Gilbert Roland) lead over 300 Cheyenne from their reservation in the Oklahoma territory to their traditional home in Wyoming. Archer is forced to stop them. The media exaggerate army casualties. Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz (Edward G. Robinson) resists political pressure to increase the conflict.

This starts off well with the vast landscape and compelling story of the Cheyenne mistreatment. Director John Ford is able to give dignity to the movie. Even with the mostly Latinos portraying Cheyennes, it isn't that badly done. There is some good action. It's set up for a serious compelling western. It is a somewhat long march. It's meandering and struggles to keep up the pace. Then it takes a bad comedy detour in Dodge City. Other than having James Stewart play Wyatt Earp, there is nothing worthwhile in that section. The tone is all wrong and breaks down the realism of the movie once and for all.

This film is the perfect counterpoint to early John Ford films such as Stagecoach. In Stagecoach every indian was painted as a bloodthirsty savage, out to menace all of the civilized folk. Cheyenne Autumn, on the other hand is a very revealing film... behind it all you can almost feel John Ford questioning himself and his previous views on American history. In this film it is the US soldiers who are painted as the brutal savages, and the indians are the civilized folk. It's amazing to see Ford, who practically built his career glorifying the chivalry of the western hero, do a complete 360 to end up de-glorifying it. I have the feeling that this was a very personal film for Ford and in that light it really does make him one of the great auteurs of cinema.

Mari Sandoz' sympathetic account of the flight of the Northern Cheyennes from Oklahoma's Indian Territory to their historical homeland in Wyoming is the basis of John Ford's final western adventure. The usual emotional mistreatment of the Indians, with broken promises, lies, the disrespect shown to their chiefs, indifference to the tribe's well-being, lack of proper nourishment and education by their white custodians sets in motion their northward trek. The Cheyenne migration comes to the attention of the War Department in Washington with orders to stop the Indians and return them to their reservation. The film has several hit-and-run skirmishes, with the fighting prowess of the Cheyennes keeping the pursuing soldiers at bay. Richard Widmark, a cavalry officer and Carroll Baker, a Quaker who wants to educate the Cheyenne children, are sympathetic towards the Indians' plight, in stark contrast to Karl Malden's Russian martinet who imprisons the Indians at Fort Robinson and vows to send them back to the arid Oklahoma territory. The film's measured and deliberate pace is in keeping with the plodding progress of the tribe's move north. The Dodge City sequence, which features a comical poker game, is a pointless twenty minute detour from the film's narrative and adds nothing to the plot. The wide-screen cameras of William Clothier capture the beautiful scenery of Monument Valley, director Ford's favorite shooting location. Gilbert Roland, Ricardo Montalban and Dolores del Rio are excellent in various Cheyenne roles.

One of the interesting minor themes of the movie is the concern with a soldier's duty in following orders. This is a broad preoccupation within the decades following the Holocaust and the Nuremberg trials. One wonders how deliberate the casting of a German (Karl Malden) as the commander of Fort Robinson (the native people's Auschwitz) was. It must have been a considered choice, as was the ethnicity of the casting in general. (Which opens up another set of questions well-covered in other reviews you'll find on this site.) The German commander is empathetic with the Indians' plight, and disagrees with his superiors' orders, but stops short of open resistance. The moral lesson is that empathy is not enough. When he emerges from his barracks to view the devastation of the attack, he is subjected to the scorn even of one of the worst of the Indian-haters, who says (more or less paraphrased), "What do you say about your orders from authority now?" This sub-plot at Fort Robinson, where the doctor finally seizes command from his superior officer, bears more than a passing similarity to the plot of the Caine Mutiny, and suggests that in America a moral authority will always strive to prevail over a 'de facto' one.

In one scene, a very affecting one given that I'm not an American, the 'Secretary of the Interior' contemplates Abraham's Lincoln portrait wondering how his mentor would have handled the situation. Until quite near the end the narrative of the movie is fairly believable, but the movie strikes a positive note at the end that is just too improbable. Other than concession to a Hollywood ending, Ford strikes the correct cynical tone given what we now know of the American natives' history. Indeed, one has the feeling Ford is holding back - that he senses the reserve of the soldiers in this movie who withhold the facts from their command and also from the American people. Ford could not risk making the American army look as bad as the Nazis, with WWII not that far in the past.

Overall, this movie is well worth watching. It's unlikely that this story could be told as well today, given the cast, the co-operation of the Navajo Indians, the shots of the steam trains, and the incredible on-location footage of Utah's Monument Valley. One tip. The movie is a little too long, but that can be easily remedied. When you see Jimmy Stewart, fast forward until you don't see him anymore. (Nothing personal here - he's had a lot of great roles, otherwise). You'll save 20 minutes and won't miss a beat out of the storyline. The so-called comic relief is as out of place here as the Three Stooges would be in Stalag 17. Finally, does Sal Mineo's character have to die in every movie he's in? The tacked-on epilogue seems like it was designed just to make sure he will.

I have seen a lot of movies made in many different decades and I think this is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I have ever seen. John Ford always filmed his westerns well in Monument Valley, but he reached his peak with this one in my opinion. The vistas are magnificent and the shots of the cavalry riding across the desert landscapes are unparalleled.

My criticism is that this movie is too long, well over 2 1/2 hours. While I am a big fan of Jimmy Stewart , it seems as if his whole Dodge City act should have been cut. It simply doesn't fit with the rest of the movie. That would have cut 20 minutes right there.

While the movie is a little heavy-handed at times, it makes its point without being as politically correct as a more recent film might.

Overall, good movie, beautiful to look at, compelling story, but a bit long.

John Ford once again shows that not everything is black and white. And not every western (movie) was treating the Indians with disrespect or had trouble showing them as more than mere villains. That does not mean, that you will understand their actions or condone them. But at least you will get more background on how and why they did things. Every human has his dignity. Some cherish it more than others.

While it tries to shine light on all sides and put everyone on the spot, you might feel that the human side does not get considered as much as it should. But you would be wrong to assume that. Of course it cannot give us a full explanation of everything going on (or why some people decide to do certain things), but it still is true to its goal. And while not perfect (tonally) it does achieve quite a few things

Contrary to some belief, Cheyenne Autumn is not the film vehicle John Ford used to make it up to the American Indian. Fort Apache was a film in which Ford showed the Indian as the wronged party. But Cheyenne Autumn is the one where the Indians are given equal time with the white soldiers. The action of the film is about 45% with the soldiers, 45% with the Cheyenne, and that 10% being that famous comic interlude in Dodge City.

In 1878 a band of Cheyenne, tired of the conditions on the reservation in Indian territory that they were enduring, broke the reservation and started north to their native homelands in what would be Wyoming. They were led by their three chiefs played by Victor Jory, Ricardo Montalban, and Gilbert Roland. Jory dies along the way.

The army goes after them and Captain Richard Widmark takes command after Major George O'Brien is killed. Widmark has another reason for pursuit. It seems as though Quaker school teacher Carroll Baker is with the fleeing Cheyenne.

Baker's not there because of being forced. She elects to go, considers it her Christian duty to be with them. She was a school teacher on the reservation and the kids need some looking after. She's a great Christian lady who obeys her conscience and walks the walk in her religious beliefs.

Widmark too is a man of conscience and in the course of the film makes a potentially career ending decision in dealing with the Cheyenne. Of course his association with Baker helps him see the light. There are other people of conscience here in this film, Sergeant Mike Mazurki, Army Doctor Sean McClory and real life Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz played by Edward G. Robinson.

Robinson came into Cheyenne Autumn after Spencer Tracy bowed out due to ill health. Fortunate I think because Robinson captures the real Carl Schurz who was something of a crusader in his day. He was a German immigrant from a liberal tradition who fled Europe after the 1848 revolutions.

It's a stunning film, but so tragic in its story that John Ford realized that their had to be some kind of comic relief so the sequence where the fleeing Cheyenne set off a panic in Wyatt Earp's Dodge City. James Stewart got on the list of a whole group of distinguished players who've been Wyatt Earp on the big screen. In playing Earp, Stewart dusts off the character of Guthrie McCabe, the mercenary marshal he played for Ford in Two Rode Together. Arthur Kennedy plays Doc Holliday here and Judson Pratt is Dodge City's famous frontier mayor Dog Kelly. Harry Carey, Jr. in his book Company of Heroes said that Ford had the scene because he just wanted to work with these actors again. In Kennedy's case it was a first and only time in a Ford film. I think the idea was to give the audience a break from the tragic plot line of the main story. The Dodge City interlude could be released as a short comedy film on its own.

Another view of Cheyenne Autumn comes from a recent biography of Sal Mineo who played Gilbert Roland's son. Ford could be a sadistic bully on the set and apparently chose Mineo as his target here. He constantly belittled him and continually called him 'Sol." Mineo himself was going through some angst about some bad career choices and his own sexual orientation.

Cheyenne Autumn is beautifully photographed in Ford's last visit to Monument Valley. It didn't do well at the box office, today it is a classic. The story is probably better suited for a TV mini-series. Still it gets a great recommendation from this writer.

Being British, my knowledge of Native American history is very limited, so I can't comment on the accuracy of the film, but being Hollywood, I would trust the authenticity about as much as the move "Braveheart". What I can say is that I found it a gripping and tragic story, well acted with good direction. Very few US westerns show the mistreatment of Native Americans, it makes a change.

Was Ford on drugs when he thought that scene with Jimmy Stewart added value to the movie? When I saw he was cast as Wyatt Earp, I was curious because Henry Fonda was outstanding in that role in My Darlin Clementine and I thought Ford would channel that vibe. Basically I was expecting Anthony Mann version of Stewart, that tough, abrasive gritty personal he carried off so well. I guess Ford doesn't see Stewart like that, instead we get that folksy, aw shucks act, which we saw in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. A persona I hate in Stewart by the way. The scene was horrible, pointless and insulting to the actual theme of the movie.

I have other comments about the film, but I'm just focusing on what I hated the most about it.

From director John Ford comes this moving tribute to the Native American. Unlike his early films where they were seen as uncivilized savages, this film " Cheyenne Autumn " depicts them as they really are. Natives Americans who long wish to return to their Homeland. Set against the beautiful, panoramic landscape, these noble people set out across the open desert. Although it's 1,500 miles and in the mists of sub-zero winter, they struggle to reach their sacred ground where they wish to live with their children. Along the way, their every encounter with the White man is met with racial hostility and murder. Their most threatening adversary is the American Press which decries the Indian as everything from blood-thirty barbarians to a marauding hoard of renegades. The inner story is of sympathetic Capt. Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) a Calvalry Officer who understands their plight and attempts to see the Sect. of the Interior (Edward G. Robinson) to correct a grievous injustice. Within the Cheyenne Tribe are two brothers, Little Wolf and Dull Knife (Ricardo Montalban, Golbert Roland) who wrestle with conflicting methods as to how to win their ultimate victory. This is difficult as Dull Knife's son (Sal Mineo) is seen as dishonorable for coveting Little Wolf's wife. With a plethora of Hollywood stars like Mike Mazurki, Karl Malden, James Steward, Patrick Wayne, Arthur Kennedy, Carroll Baker, John Carradine, Victory Jory and Ken Curtis, this film nearly becomes top heavy. Instead the entire cast makes for a tremendous effort to establish what has come to be known as a John Ford Classic. Excellent film. ****

Cheyenne Autumn is directed by John Ford and is a "Hollywood" telling of the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1877/9, where the Northern Cheyenne, fed up with lack of food and poor facilities, tried to return to their one time home in the North after having been located in the Southern Reservation by the United States Army. It stars Richard Widmark, Caroll Baker, Dolores del Rio, Karl Malden, Gilbert Roland, Ricardo Montalban, Edward G. Robinson, James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy. Music is scored by Alex North and cinematography by William H. Clothier. It is photographed in Super Panavision 70, in various Utah locations, predominantly Monument Valley.

Does it ever matter who fired the first shot?

John "Pappy" Ford's penultimate film, and his last Western, is epic in scope and production and seen as an honest attempt to redress the balance for years of misrepresentation of Native Americans in Hollywood, though not necessarily his own since he, I believe, isn't on record as saying that to be the case? Thematically it's important and doesn't back off from being sympathetic to the Cheyenne's plight, we root for them and rightly so. Yet it always feels like a film shot through the vision of a white man's eyes, you find yourself wanting more from the Cheyenne perspective, for them to dominate the narrative. It would have been nice to know some of the big players involved in the heroic and tragic trek back to Wyoming. It's also annoying that Ford or the studio chose to interrupt the flow of the story with the pointless light relief section at Dodge City. Which comes across as just an excuse for James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy to play Wyatt Earp & Doc Holliday respectively. And sadly, they are not very successful in doing so either.

As has been noted by many critics over the years, the film ultimately rounds out as an honourable misfire from the great John Ford. The cast, away from the loud and brash Dodge City collective, are mostly fine. Widmark proves to be a watchable axis as the reluctant Captain tasked with returning the Cheyenne to the barren reservation. Baker does a nice line in sexy Quaker, Robinson adds a touch of class late in the day, while Montalban & Roland are excellent as Cheyenne chiefs Little Wolf & Dull Knife respectively. But all pale in the shadow of Clothier's magnificent photography, stunning vistas that dominate the screen, the colours so rich and splendid, Monument Valley an iconic character of nature observing the Cheyenne desperately trying to get back to home comforts.

It's unmistakably a John Ford picture, with some inspired filming techniques, but the heart of the story is lost due to a too long run time, a daft mid point sequence and much extraneous nonsense. 6/10

This honestly needed a page one rewrite. Apparently born of some college research Richard Widmark did and offered up to John Ford years before, the story of the Cheyenne trek from the Southwest back to the Dakotas is a movie without a center. The actual story belongs to the Cheyenne making the trek, but I would assume that studio executives balked at the idea of funding a Western epic with only Cheyenne characters as the main characters, or maybe Ford felt like he couldn't tell the story of the Cheyenne himself. He needed a crutch in the form of a cavalry officer through which to see the story. Whatever the reason, though, the central point gets muddled to no end, eventually introducing some thematic ideas about duty to orders made from ignorance that would have also been a nice central idea. Instead, it's a split film, never able to fully dedicate itself to a single concept, but at least Ford still knew how to make a movie.

In Oklahoma Territory, the remnants of the Cheyenne nation await a delegation from Washington DC to negotiate the terms of the treaty that was broken and left the Indians fifteen hundred miles from their home. When the DC delegation doesn't even bother to show up, their chief, Tall Tree (Victor Jory), makes the decision to simply take his people back. Ordered to bring them back is Captain Thomas Archer (Widmark), an officer who feels sympathy for the Cheyenne and their plight. There's also a Quaker woman, Deborah (Carroll Baker), who has been teaching the Cheyenne orphans to read and speak English who decides to go with the Cheyenne when they sneak out in the night.

Once the Cheyenne cross the river that marks the northern boundary of the reservation, Archer, encouraged by his commanding officer, Major Braden (George O'Brien), must attack the Cheyenne position. However, when Braden is killed in the fight, Archer takes command and loses the ensuing battle when his lieutenant Scott (Patrick Wayne) launches an unauthorized and ill-advised attack on the left flank that the Cheyenne easily fight off. This gives the Cheyenne the time to get away, starting a hundreds mile chase through the wilderness of the West up through Nebraska.

One of the interesting ideas that simply doesn't get enough screentime (indicative to me of a story trying its best to include as much of the history as possible whether it fits the story dramatically or not) is that the newspapers of the day operated on rumor, conjecture, and outright lies to help either incite or encourage sympathy for people. We get little vignettes further back east with newspaper men angrily shouting that they're changing their coverage simply to be different from everyone else to help sell more newspapers.

And then there's what could simply be described as an extended comedic sketch set in Dodge City, Kansas where Wyatt Earp (Jimmy Stewart) plays cards with Doc Holliday (Arthur Kennedy) and Jeff Blair (John Carradine), talks with people about the news of the Cheyenne, tries to remember if he had actually ever met the pretty Ms. Plantagenet (Elizabeth Allen), and then organizes a loosely knit band of militia when news reaches them that the Cheyenne were heading towards Dodge City with every intention of raping and pillaging. Earp takes them in the exact opposite direction to comedic effect. This was apparently designed by Ford as a sort of Intermission since the film was already kind of long (though without it, the movie would probably only be about 140 minutes which isn't that long).

Then the film gets serious again as the Cheyenne must get through an army blockade around a railroad, and the nation splits in two in the snow as the two heirs to Tall Tree, after his death, decide on different paths. Little Wolf (Ricardo Montalban) wants to keep going to the Dakotas and their ancestral home while Dull Knife (Gilbert Roland) wants to give up at the nearest army fort to find food and shelter from the wilderness. This conflict of visions would have been a great thing to build this whole movie on, you know?

We end up following Dull Knife to Fort Robinson, commanded by Captain Wessels (Karl Malden, complete with odd accent that seems to be Russian). Archer shows up immediately afterwards, and then we get another idea that would have been great to build the film on: the question of following orders from those with no real knowledge of the facts on the ground. Wessels has orders to put the Cheyenne under restraint, so he locks them all up in a warehouse. Archer sees this as inhumane, especially when combined with the idea that Wessels will follow his orders strictly and send them right back south in the middle of winter, all but guaranteeing their deaths. Archer takes two weeks leave to go to Washington where he meets the Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz (Edward G. Robinson), to let him know of the situation.

The finale of the film is the set up to a battle between the Cheyenne who have escaped and met up with their other half further north and the army, stopped by the sudden arrival of Archer and Schurz. They negotiate a peace that allows the Cheyenne to stay. Oh, and then we have a finale where Little Wolf kills Dull Knife's son because he had stolen one of Little Wolf's wives, and then Archer and Deborah probably get married because, why not?

Really, this did need a page one rewrite. Focus on either the Cheyenne or Archer, or extend this at least another half hour (sans Wyatt Earp comedic interlude), and give it the full epic treatment while finding a way to contrast the duty of Little Wolf to his people and deceased leader with the duty of Archer to his government.

Also, recast Archer. I really dislike Richard Widmark as a leading man. He's a charisma vacuum with a single scowl that represents the outer edges of his acting range. He has no affable charm like John Wayne. He's just grating. The rest of the cast is largely quite good, though. Malden, for all his silly accent, really just needs more time with his character, going somewhat mad with his orders bumping up against his conscience. Baker is soulful and concerned as the good Quaker woman dedicated to the most vulnerable of a vulnerable population. Montalban plays Little Wolf with an inner strength appropriate to a character who refuses to break. It's also nice to see some of the reliable acting troupe of Ford's popping up like Harry Carey Jr. And Ben Johnson as a pair of troopers. Edward G. Robinson brings gravitas to his role as the Secretary, even if his health forced the final negotiation to look fake because he couldn't go on location.

The end result, the movie I actually have instead of the one I imagine in my head, is a mixed bag of half-formed and abandoned ideas with beautiful cinematography, largely solid acting, and a couple of exciting action sequences. Also, for how starkly the Wyatt Earp sequence clashes with the more serious film around it, it is pretty amusing.