Absolutely one of the most mind-boggling big-budget mish-mashes ever put on film. John Wayne (star, producer, director) was obviously too close to the subject and failed to recognize the dreadful script for what it was. Second unit action stuff is very good, and Lawrence Harvey's performance is a standout, given what he had to work with. Frankly the "Feather Blowing", "Blind Nell/Jocko " and "Birthday Party" sequences are as bad as anything ever put on celluloid. It is an absolute embarrassment to watch them. Richard Widmark couldn't be worst cast as Jim Bowie. It's really the part Wayne should have taken, as his David Crockett is about as far from the real article as can be imagined. Still, the damn thing does have its compelling bits and pieces....sort of like watching a train wreck. I've probably seen it at least a dozen times and will most likely watch it again. At least Dimitri Tiomkin's powerful score helps out somewhat.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Magic Box
(1951)
Loose biography of film pioneer William Friese-Green
11 October 1999
Probably one of the finest films about film to be produced. Made for the Festival of Britain in 1951, the cast boasts just about every major British star of the time. The plot involves a somewhat fictionalized history of English motion picture pioneer William Friese-Green. It is technically excellent, period details are superb and the script intelligent and poignant. Donat, as Friese-Green, is superb. The sequence where he shows an awestruck local Bobby (Laurence Olivier) the first projected motion picture image is stunning. For lovers of early film....indeed all film....this movie is a must.
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