Edgar Allan Pooh . . . America's first National Park, the sickly Cheyenne clan had an unsustainable ANNUAL mortality rate of about 75%, according this Docudrama CHEYENNE AUTUMN. No doubt President U.S. Grant feared that if these natives were dropping like flies from smallpox, measles, and malaria all over the Park, then the geysers and hot ponds would become contaminated, perhaps along with the buffalo and other wildlife. This could have not only a negative effect on the tourist trade, but also possibly shoot down the whole idea of the world's first national park before it had a fair chance to even get off the ground.Today, polygamist Middle Easterners are breaking up 5,000-year-old statues with sledgehammers, and killing anyone who visits a museum. In the 1870s, polygamist Cheyennes were trying to keep anyone else from seeing Old Faithful. The lesson from CHEYENNE AUTUMN is clear: Natives of an area seldom can see the forest for the trees. They tend to be xenophobic. Like the American Taliban, John Walker Lindh, Yankee turncoats are represented here by the character of Cheyenne Insurrection enabler "Deborah Wright" (Carroll Baker). Though Ben Franklin had carved the American Motto, "A place for everything, and everything in its place" into our Constitution a century before these events took place, as a Quaker Ms. Wright felt free to ignore that document. She probably didn't care whether you or I saw Old Faithful.This is NOT one of director John Ford's better westerns. The whole Dodge City diversion in the middle of CHEYENNE AUTUMN (with James Stewart pretending to be a thoroughly clownish Wyatt Earp) is totally pointless. The Dodge City sequence is simply included to pad out this flick so it would be long enough to feature an intermission, and potentially qualify as "Oscar bait." America wouldn't be a Free Country today if every Tom, Dick, and Harry could band together for a 1,500-mile killing spree whenever they got the urge. But after the Native Americans saw Wyatt Earp gambling in this movie, most of them took the hint, and opened very lucrative casinos.

joncha Made in 1964, this was one of a number of movies from the 60s and 70s that were sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans in the 19th century. It portrayed how the U.S. government never kept its promises or treaties with Native Americans, how the government was influenced and controlled by land speculators, mining interests, buffalo hunters, railroad builders, and others. In showing how the Cheyenne suffered and ultimately endured on its 1,500 trek from a barren reservation to their native lands in the Yellowstone area, the movie was successful in bringing their story as originally told in Mari Sandoz novel to the screen.As a movie, however, the film had some disappointing and awkward moments. The major one was the abrupt change of scene to Dodge City, where Wyatt Earp, portrayed by James Stewart, gets the best of a quartet of Texas cowboys (who had just ambushed, killed and scalped a young Cheyenne scout and were bragging about their exploits in the saloon where Earp was playing poker). Following this divergence from the main story the film returns to the plight of the Cheyenne and we never see nor hear from Earp again. Needless to say, it's not surprising when the film's credits prominently feature Jimmy Stewart, even though his role was a cameo at best.Another awkward scene is when representatives from the Army (Richard Widmark as Capt. Archer) and the Secretary of the Interior (Edward G. Robinson as Carl Schurz) are negotiating with the Cheyenne in the majestic Monument Valley country. Behind these people we can see soldiers and horses lined up in formation waiting for the outcome of the negotiations. But wait! Not a single soldier or horse is moving, even breathing. It's so obvious the background is a photograph and the "negotiators" were filmed on a sound stage with a blue screen background.

kosmasp John Ford once again shows that not everything is black and white. And not every western (movie) was treating the Indians with disrespect or had trouble showing them as more than mere villains. That does not mean, that you will understand their actions or condone them. But at least you will get more background on how and why they did things. Every human has his dignity. Some cherish it more than others.While it tries to shine light on all sides and put everyone on the spot, you might feel that the human side does not get considered as much as it should. But you would be wrong to assume that. Of course it cannot give us a full explanation of everything going on (or why some people decide to do certain things), but it still is true to its goal. And while not perfect (tonally) it does achieve quite a few things

classicsoncall On September 9, 1878, the Cheyenne, led by warrior chiefs Little Wolf and Dull Knife began a 1500 mile trek from the Oklahoma Territory north to their original homeland in Montana. "Cheyenne Autumn" tells that story in all of it's desperation and futility, a chapter of American history that remains all but unknown today. The picture, directed by John Ford is often epic in it's sweep, and the film is at it's best when the native Cheyenne are front and center during their heroic struggle. The all star cast is outdone only by the gorgeous cinematography, and for a picture coming in at two and a half hours, I found the grandeur of the open West to be an excellent tonic against what could have been a boring ride under different circumstances.However there was that out of place interlude with Jimmy Stewart and Arthur Kennedy as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday during the Dodge City intermission. You had to wonder what director John Ford was thinking when he went for the almost camp proceedings in an otherwise serious picture. In another film, the sequence would have been a blast, particularly the scene when Wyatt recalls that yes indeed, he 'did know her in Wichita'. Still, the whole thing made me appreciate Hugh O'Brian and Myron Healey even more.I was intrigued by the scene when Chief Tall Tree (Victor Jory) passed the sacred bundle to Little Wolf (Ricardo Montalban) instead of Dull Knife (Gilbert Roland). It became apparent why some time later when the tribe split apart under their separate chiefs, with Little Wolf maintaining the resolve to continue the journey instead of capitulating to surrender. When Little Wolf defends his dignity at the expense of Red Shirt (Sal Mineo) toward the end of the picture, it was one of those defining moments that spoke to the honor and integrity that a warrior chief would have aspired to. You know, I was curious about something. How was it that during the first battle with the Cheyenne after crossing the river, Major Braden (George O'Brien) places Captain Archer (Richard Widmark) under arrest, but Archer then assumes command after Braden is killed - where was the rule book on that one? Thinking about it, a journey of fifteen hundred miles on foot and horseback sounds awful daunting, and the picture really didn't seem to offer a perspective on how long it actually took, except for the change of seasons intimated by the winter snow scene. The actual journey took one hundred ninety seven days, the thought of which doesn't really begin to sink in as you watch the picture from the comfort of your living room couch. Picture that effort as a six month journey on foot against hostile terrain and enemy soldiers, and it makes you appreciate just what a people will do to maintain their honor and freedom.