This is iconic director John Ford's only film set during the Civil War. On the plus side it's loosely based on real events and manages to eschew a surfeit of obligatory battle scenes.
The narrative follows a Union Calvary Brigade's mission into the Deep South led by Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne), a railroad construction engineer in civilian life prior to the war.
The main conflict has Marlowe butting heads with his unit's regimental surgeon, Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) who immediately provokes the ire of his commanding officer by excusing a few of the men due to illness (Marlowe believes in pushing his men to the limit).
It's brought out later that Marlowe has a general antipathy toward physicians after his wife died due to what amounted as a blatant case of medical malpractice. It's a bit refreshing to have at least one character question the medical profession which is typically placed on an (undeserving) exalted pedestal in most American films.
The Union soldiers here hardly come close to the reputation of General Sherman's troops-the cruel, vengeful petty tyrants who burned Atlanta to the ground. Holden's Kendall is perhaps the saintliest of the bunch who in addition to his surgical skills in amputating limbs, utilizes holistic Native American remedies in attempts to stave off infection.
What's more Kendall assists a poor black woman as she gives birth after being summoned to a cabin on the side of the road in which the union troops are traveling on. Marlowe again is not pleased with Kendall diverting his attention from his own troops.
I suppose when Kendall loses a man after attempting to amputate his leg, he's not shown as perfect. But his decision to stay and help the wounded at film's end-in which he is shown voluntarily being captured by Confederate enemy troops, pegs him as a little too much of a saint in my eyes.
After a skirmish with some Confederate irregulars, we break into Act 2 with the brigade's encounter with the mistress of the Greenbriar Plantation, Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) and her slave/servant Lukey (introducing tennis star Althea Gibson in the role).
Towers is good as the sassy Confederate sympathizer who gets into trouble by intentionally overhearing Marlowe and his command discuss battle strategy in the room below. Leave it to Kendall to discover what Hannah is up to and instead of being shot as a spy, Marlowe (the gracious gentleman that he is) decides to take the two Southern females along with them.
It should be noted that Althea Gibson objected to some demeaning language in the script which called for Lukey to talk in "slave language." The often recalcitrant and controlling Ford gave in and agreed to script changes so Gibson continued in the part.
There's more interesting stuff to come including the scene in which Marlowe extracts some crucial information from two low-life criminals who are then turned over to the local constable as well as a bunch of cadets attempting to take on Marlowe's battle-scarred veterans.
The big battle scene focuses on the capture of Newton Station, Mississippi, in which a group of Confederate soldiers disembark from a train in an attempted ambush but end up basically committing proverbial suicide when Marlowe and his men are ready for them. The way Confederate property is destroyed-especially how the Union troops tear up the railroad tracks and destroy the trains-is reflective of the "scorched earth" policy initiated by the Union commanders during the Civil War.
I wasn't convinced by Hannah falling in love with Marlowe as John Wayne to me is hardly a romantic leading man (it probably would have been more realistic if Holden's Kendall turned out to be the love interest).
The film's abrupt climax was not unintentional. After one of Ford's stunt men died on the set, Ford called it quits and returned to California. Instead of the troops triumphant entry into Baton Rouge, the ending had Marlowe and his men blowing up a bridge and escaping with Kendall and Hannah left behind as the Confederates moved in.
The Horse Soldiers is a bit contrived-especially the idea of bringing two women along with the troops into battle as well as the nature of Marlowe's brigade itself-a little too "soft" in comparison with much more hardened soldiers who fought in the actual Civil War.
Nonetheless, Ford's effort has enough "curve balls" in it to keep the inveterate cinephile fairly interested to the end.
The narrative follows a Union Calvary Brigade's mission into the Deep South led by Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne), a railroad construction engineer in civilian life prior to the war.
The main conflict has Marlowe butting heads with his unit's regimental surgeon, Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) who immediately provokes the ire of his commanding officer by excusing a few of the men due to illness (Marlowe believes in pushing his men to the limit).
It's brought out later that Marlowe has a general antipathy toward physicians after his wife died due to what amounted as a blatant case of medical malpractice. It's a bit refreshing to have at least one character question the medical profession which is typically placed on an (undeserving) exalted pedestal in most American films.
The Union soldiers here hardly come close to the reputation of General Sherman's troops-the cruel, vengeful petty tyrants who burned Atlanta to the ground. Holden's Kendall is perhaps the saintliest of the bunch who in addition to his surgical skills in amputating limbs, utilizes holistic Native American remedies in attempts to stave off infection.
What's more Kendall assists a poor black woman as she gives birth after being summoned to a cabin on the side of the road in which the union troops are traveling on. Marlowe again is not pleased with Kendall diverting his attention from his own troops.
I suppose when Kendall loses a man after attempting to amputate his leg, he's not shown as perfect. But his decision to stay and help the wounded at film's end-in which he is shown voluntarily being captured by Confederate enemy troops, pegs him as a little too much of a saint in my eyes.
After a skirmish with some Confederate irregulars, we break into Act 2 with the brigade's encounter with the mistress of the Greenbriar Plantation, Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) and her slave/servant Lukey (introducing tennis star Althea Gibson in the role).
Towers is good as the sassy Confederate sympathizer who gets into trouble by intentionally overhearing Marlowe and his command discuss battle strategy in the room below. Leave it to Kendall to discover what Hannah is up to and instead of being shot as a spy, Marlowe (the gracious gentleman that he is) decides to take the two Southern females along with them.
It should be noted that Althea Gibson objected to some demeaning language in the script which called for Lukey to talk in "slave language." The often recalcitrant and controlling Ford gave in and agreed to script changes so Gibson continued in the part.
There's more interesting stuff to come including the scene in which Marlowe extracts some crucial information from two low-life criminals who are then turned over to the local constable as well as a bunch of cadets attempting to take on Marlowe's battle-scarred veterans.
The big battle scene focuses on the capture of Newton Station, Mississippi, in which a group of Confederate soldiers disembark from a train in an attempted ambush but end up basically committing proverbial suicide when Marlowe and his men are ready for them. The way Confederate property is destroyed-especially how the Union troops tear up the railroad tracks and destroy the trains-is reflective of the "scorched earth" policy initiated by the Union commanders during the Civil War.
I wasn't convinced by Hannah falling in love with Marlowe as John Wayne to me is hardly a romantic leading man (it probably would have been more realistic if Holden's Kendall turned out to be the love interest).
The film's abrupt climax was not unintentional. After one of Ford's stunt men died on the set, Ford called it quits and returned to California. Instead of the troops triumphant entry into Baton Rouge, the ending had Marlowe and his men blowing up a bridge and escaping with Kendall and Hannah left behind as the Confederates moved in.
The Horse Soldiers is a bit contrived-especially the idea of bringing two women along with the troops into battle as well as the nature of Marlowe's brigade itself-a little too "soft" in comparison with much more hardened soldiers who fought in the actual Civil War.
Nonetheless, Ford's effort has enough "curve balls" in it to keep the inveterate cinephile fairly interested to the end.