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The Horse Soldiers (1959)
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Overview
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Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
12 June 1959 (USA)
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Tagline:
John Ford's Thundering Spectacle more
Plot:
A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail/supply centre...
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Awards:
1 nomination
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User Comments:
Under-rated American Civil War movie.
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | John Wayne | ... | Col. John Marlowe |
 | William Holden | ... | Maj. Henry 'Hank' Kendall (regimental surgeon) |
 | Constance Towers | ... | Miss Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar |
| Judson Pratt | ... | Sgt. Maj. Kirby |
| Hoot Gibson | ... | Sgt. Brown |
| Ken Curtis | ... | Cpl. Wilkie |
| Willis Bouchey | ... | Col. Phil Secord |
| Bing Russell | ... | Dunker, Yankee Soldier Amputee |
| O.Z. Whitehead | ... | Otis 'Hoppy' Hopkins (medical assistant) |
 | Hank Worden | ... | Deacon Clump |
| Chuck Hayward | ... | Union captain |
| Denver Pyle | ... | Jackie Jo (rebel deserter) |
| Strother Martin | ... | Virgil (rebel deserter) |
| Basil Ruysdael | ... | The Reverend (Jefferson Military Academy) |
| Carleton Young | ... | Col. Jonathan Miles, CSA |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
115 min | USA:119 min (DVD version) | UK:119 min
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Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film marked the beginning of mega-deals for Hollywood stars. John Wayne and William Holden received $775,000 each, plus 20% of the overall profits, an unheard-of sum for that time. The final contract involved six companies and numbered twice the pages of the movie's script. The film, however, was a financial failure, with no profits to be shared in the end.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: The Jefferson Military Academy was fictitious. The scene was filmed at the old Jefferson College campus. The civilian college was closed during the civil war.
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Quotes:
Major Kendall:
[to Marlowe] As usual, I'm just presenting the grim facts. Colonel Secord doesn't seem to understand that the coffee tastes better when the latrines are dug downstream instead of upstream. How do you like *your* coffee, Colonel?
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Sesión continua (1984)
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Soundtrack:
I LEFT MY LOVE
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General critical consensus seems to feel that John Ford's The Horse Soldiers is a bit of a let-down, at least by the dizzyingly high standards of the director. However, it's quite liberating if you try to forget that you're watching a John Ford movie and just treat it as an American Civil War movie like any other. Then, the film's qualities become more apparent. Yes, The Horse Soldiers is inferior to many of the other John Ford movies. But Ford working at half-speed is still better than most directors working at the peak of their powers. And The Horse Soldiers is still a fascinating, exciting and expertly told war film.
Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) is ordered by the Union generals to lead his army 300 miles into the Confederacy, where they are to sabotage and disrupt the vital railway supply town of Newton Station as much as possible. After a disastrous few months of lost battles and heavy casualties, the Union generals are determined to swing the battle back in their favour before the arrival of winter. Marlowe is unhappy to learn that his orders include allowing army surgeon Major Kendall (William Holden) along on the mission. Since the death of his wife at the hands of two blundering surgeons, Marlowe has had little respect for those in the medical profession. To further complicate matters, a feisty Southern belle, Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) with Confederate sympathies, overhears Marlowe informing his men that Newton Station is the target, and that once the town has been raided the Union forces plan to head for the safety of Baton Rouge. In order to secure her silence, Marlowe has to take her prisoner and suffer her sharp Southern tongue (plus escape attempts) during the trip.
The Horse Soldiers is filmed in loving detail, with gorgeous autumnal backdrops. Its story is very interesting, especially the volatile relationship between Wayne and Holden, and the mission itself provides excitements along the way. In particular, a street battle at Newton Station is memorable, as is a scene later in the film when the Union soldiers come under attack from an army of Confederate army cadets still at schoolboy age. Towers' character is written as a very cunning and feisty woman, who disguises her attributes by coming across as a melodramatic, gossipy airhead. Towers plays the part well, but because of how she's encouraged to handle the role she becomes rather irritating too. One disappointing moment in the film comes when Wayne and Holden reach breaking-point with each other and ride off to a secluded glade to slug it out. The sequence is set to be a real humdinger, but is curiously cut short by the arrival of the enemy forces. On the whole, though, The Horse Soldiers is a good, solid Civil War entertainment, well worth a look.