The Plainsman (1936)
Country: US
Technical: bw 113m
Director: Cecil B. De Mille
Cast: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, James Ellison, Charles Bickford
Synopsis:
When after the Civil War expansion west resumes in earnest, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane become involved in Custer's fight with the Sioux and Cheyenne, a fight made deadlier by an eastern businessman's scheme to provide the Indian with repeating rifles.
Review:
De Mille's film begins and ends with the craven killing of a great man; in between we see the domestication of Buffalo Bill and the gradual realisation by Hickok that summary killing may not be the way of the future for resolving disputes. In short civilised values are aligned with western expansion and 'making the frontier safe', while the gunrunners are motivated by greed and fight dirty; only passing lip service is paid to the legitimacy of Native American grievances, as to be expected for the period. This is a handsome Paramount production, with the traits of its legendary characters softened for conventional pairings: Cody and Hickok as solid friends forever sparring verbally with each other, and the latter sulkily repelling Calamity's boisterous advances until she has paid for her past infidelities. Action and torture sequences are delivered with the physicality and professionalism to be expected from this director (even the Indians in the back projections fall on cue when shot by foreground actors).
Country: US
Technical: bw 113m
Director: Cecil B. De Mille
Cast: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, James Ellison, Charles Bickford
Synopsis:
When after the Civil War expansion west resumes in earnest, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane become involved in Custer's fight with the Sioux and Cheyenne, a fight made deadlier by an eastern businessman's scheme to provide the Indian with repeating rifles.
Review:
De Mille's film begins and ends with the craven killing of a great man; in between we see the domestication of Buffalo Bill and the gradual realisation by Hickok that summary killing may not be the way of the future for resolving disputes. In short civilised values are aligned with western expansion and 'making the frontier safe', while the gunrunners are motivated by greed and fight dirty; only passing lip service is paid to the legitimacy of Native American grievances, as to be expected for the period. This is a handsome Paramount production, with the traits of its legendary characters softened for conventional pairings: Cody and Hickok as solid friends forever sparring verbally with each other, and the latter sulkily repelling Calamity's boisterous advances until she has paid for her past infidelities. Action and torture sequences are delivered with the physicality and professionalism to be expected from this director (even the Indians in the back projections fall on cue when shot by foreground actors).
Country: US
Technical: bw 113m
Director: Cecil B. De Mille
Cast: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, James Ellison, Charles Bickford
Synopsis:
When after the Civil War expansion west resumes in earnest, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane become involved in Custer's fight with the Sioux and Cheyenne, a fight made deadlier by an eastern businessman's scheme to provide the Indian with repeating rifles.
Review:
De Mille's film begins and ends with the craven killing of a great man; in between we see the domestication of Buffalo Bill and the gradual realisation by Hickok that summary killing may not be the way of the future for resolving disputes. In short civilised values are aligned with western expansion and 'making the frontier safe', while the gunrunners are motivated by greed and fight dirty; only passing lip service is paid to the legitimacy of Native American grievances, as to be expected for the period. This is a handsome Paramount production, with the traits of its legendary characters softened for conventional pairings: Cody and Hickok as solid friends forever sparring verbally with each other, and the latter sulkily repelling Calamity's boisterous advances until she has paid for her past infidelities. Action and torture sequences are delivered with the physicality and professionalism to be expected from this director (even the Indians in the back projections fall on cue when shot by foreground actors).