The Horse Soldiers

Lights in the Dusk

Conflicts and divides present in every frame, illustrating Ford's remarkable use of location - landscapes in particular - to provide a commentary on the narrative. Wayne's portrayal of Colonel Marlowe is also one of his strongest performances, full of the usual Hollywood machismo and stoical self-righteousness, but punctuated by a growing vulnerability and an element of self-doubt.

WhatsUpWill

Highly underrated Ford film. Very entertaining. William Holden is just as good as John Wayne and Constance Towers is a hoot! It keeps you engaged the entire time.

Adam Suraf

John Ford's last film of the 50's, and of his myriad of films about the Cavalry, this is the only one to actually take place during the Civil War, recounting a daring Union mission behind enemy lines that turns the tide of Vicksburg. Entertaining, with Wayne and Holden in fine form, and lots of the usual goofy Fordian humor that permeats the masterpieces as well as the lessers, which this is of the latter.

Not A Sexy Vampire

Pretty unremarkable John Wayne Western. Nice cast of William Holden, stunning Constance Towers (a world away from the depth Fuller's films would allow her to mine) and tennis superstar (!) Althea Gibson as a servant (!!). Never seems to want to end, yet strangely has an abrupt sudden stop.

Karl J. Kipling

3.5

FISCHER

Une oeuvre "reniée" par John Ford qui ne mérite pas sa désapprobation ..... www.cinefiches.com

Warren Spratley

As Straub states: this is representative of American cinema's apogee.

chanandre

[Cinémathèque PT #270: 35 mm]