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Cheyenne Autumn
1,500 miles of heroism and incredible adventure!
A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyenne.
- Original title
- Cheyenne Autumn
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $4,200,000
- Revenue
- $10,980
John Chard
Apr 26, 2014 · via TMDB
A Cheyenne is a soldier from the first slap on his bottom. 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
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Richard Widmark
Capt. Thomas Archer
Carroll Baker
Deborah Wright
Karl Malden
Capt. Wessels
Sal Mineo
Red Shirt
Dolores del Río
Spanish woman
Ricardo Montalban
Little Wolf
Gilbert Roland
Dull Knife
Arthur Kennedy
Doc Holliday
James Stewart
Wyatt Earp
Edward G. Robinson
Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz
Patrick Wayne
Second Lieut. Scott
Elizabeth Allen
Guinevere Plantagenet
John Carradine
Jeff Blair
Victor Jory
Tall Tree
Mike Mazurki
Sr. First Sergeant
George O'Brien
Major Braden
Sean McClory
Dr. O'Carberry
Judson Pratt
Mayor Dog Kelly
Ken Curtis
Joe
Harry Carey, Jr.
Trooper Smith (uncredited)
Ben Johnson
Trooper Plumtree (uncredited)
Mae Marsh
Woman (uncredited)
Denver Pyle
Sen. Henry (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson
Jessie (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward
Trooper (uncredited)
Al Bain
Townsman (uncredited)
Walter Baldwin
Jeremy Wright (uncredited)
Bill Borzage
Townsman (uncredited)
Willis Bouchey
Colonel at Victory Cave (uncredited)
Rudy Bowman
Townsman (uncredited)
Jeannie Epper
Entertainer (uncredited)
Shug Fisher
Skinny (uncredited)
James Flavin
Ft. Robinson Sergeant of the Guard (uncredited)
William Forrest
Senator (uncredited)
William Henry
Infantry Captain (uncredited)
Harry Hickox
Bartender (uncredited)
Harry Holcombe
Senator (uncredited)
Nancy Hsueh
Little Bird (uncredited)
Michael Jeffers
Bartender (uncredited)
Ted Mapes
Trooper (uncredited)
Mathew McCue
Townsman (uncredited)
Philo McCullough
Man (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn
General (uncredited)
John McKee
Trooper (uncredited)
Charles Morton
Bartender (uncredited)
Zon Murray
Colonel (uncredited)
James O'Hara
Trooper (uncredited)
Joe Phillips
Townsman (uncredited)
John Qualen
Svenson (uncredited)
Walter Reed
Lt. Peterson (uncredited)
Bing Russell
Braden's Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
Charles Seel
Newspaper Publisher (uncredited)
Dean Smith
Trooper (uncredited)
Cap Somers
Soldier on Train (uncredited)
Harry Strang
Bartender (uncredited)
Carleton Young
Carl Schurz's Aide (uncredited)
Dean Smith
Stunt Double
Chuck Hayward
Stunts
Chuck Roberson
Stunts
Cliff Lyons
Stunts
Dean Smith
Stunts
Jeannie Epper
Stunts
John McKee
Stunts
Loren Janes
Stunts
Neil Summers
Stunts
Ted Mapes
Stunts
John Ford
Director
John Ford
Producer
Alex North
Conductor
Alex North
Music Arranger
Alex North
Original Music Composer
Howard Fast
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Oct 3, 1964
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Dec 22, 1964
Dec 30, 2012
Film Society of Lincoln Center
