mark.waltz The appearance of "B" movie queen Marie Windsor in the opening scene sets up the feud between two American Army officers (Lloyd Bridges and John Ireland) preparing to go off to warn the unseen General George Armstrong Custer that the battle against the Sioux Indians is a lost cause. She's married to Bridges, but his extended absences have caused her to fall into the arms of Ireland, and when Bridges finds them together, he coldly wishes them well before heading off to possible death. When Ireland shows up leading a troop of messengers, he is forced by Bridges to remain on "just in case" something should happen to him. But is Bridges calculating Ireland's own death with the Sioux tribe having hundreds of scouts out keeping an eye (and even executing) any scout the Americans send out? It certainly seems that way. Individual character elements are added through the tales of various soldiers, including one young man who admits to having a difficult time keeping his food down but insists he isn't afraid of a confrontation with the ruthless Sioux, another one preparing to meet his mail order bride from Canada (which of course ends sadly), the arguments of others (which includes Jim Davis of "Dallas" fame) of Bridges' methods, and finally, how various incidents bring Bridges and Ireland to an understanding if not a peace. This well-made historical western changes the real names of its leading characters (a fact we learn in the film's ending sequence) which makes no sense but provides some insight into why men feel they must go on even if the odds look grim and why others suddenly run away from danger.The excellent performances of the two leads is aided greatly by the ensemble surrounding them. Windsor only has two scenes, the second one a flashback which is basically a re-tread of the opening scene where Bridges discovered her and Ireland together. Bridges' character is as close to a villain as he probably ever played. Even his character in "High Society" (who betrayed old pal Gary Cooper because of his own inner fears) wasn't as dark as this one is. He is even more brooding here than in some of the film noir/crime dramas he was also doing at the time, and he makes every effort to create a very complex man who may or may not be a David plotting to kill his second in command. He's obviously a character who gets the worst kind of personal bad news at the worst possible time, so in heading into an unknown territory of a dangerous wilderness, he seems to feel that he has nothing to lose, even if his soul is in jeopardy. Ireland's character is slightly more noble, and certainly more courageous, because he is aware of what his nemesis may or may not be plotting. One disturbing scene has one of the scouts, injured by a Sioux attack, left to die, and as the troop heads out, a shot of Indians approaching the dying man is shown. A gunshot rings out when the camera cuts back to the troop and they stop only long enough to acknowledge the obvious conclusion. Some of the battles are pretty graphic. Arrows hit in the most obvious painful of places, and one of the characters gets it several times. While they never make it to Custer's Last Stand, this troop is certainly brave in heading that way. In the world of the early 1950's where the future looked grim, the face of courage on screen gave male audiences heart that they could face whatever obstacle America faced with the same grit and determination that got the U.S. out of two world wars with victories both times. On the other hand, you can't help but feel that with natives being bombarded with the white man going west, their own world was changing and they would need to fight to preserve what had long been theirs. So it's a mixed fight overall where truly nobody ended up the winner.

MisterChandu Writing and acting! Acting and writing! Like another great little "Custer" film "Bugles in the Afternoon!" starring Ray Milland (and LBH's Sheb Wooley playing Custer!), the acting and dialog in this Cavalry classic is top notch. Everything just clicks making this film look as good as any classic Western with a much bigger budget.The soundtrack is interesting. The "On the Little Big Horn! 1876!" sung by a chorus rings out loud and clear in the opening credits and sets the mood for the story. Must have been a thrill to the Saturday matinée kid cowboy crowd. It certainly adds to "larger than life" mood of this film.The writers, by setting up this film with the well known history of the Custer defeat (or is it the Native American victory) at the Little Big Horn as a backdrop, helps make your imagination do what the well spent but inexpensive budget doesn't! (It is almost like a radio play in that way.) With the descriptions of sighting of thousands of Souix by the patrols in this film, you feel the intensity and importance of the mission. Also the suspense created by knowing there are a lot of Indians out there and the "Heart of Darkness" atmosphere as the troop advances further and further into Indian territory gives the ambushes that happen the right kind of life and death dynamic. The story line is not that improbable. Gen. Crook, who had met in the Battle of the Rosebud just some of the Souix that would engage Custer a week or so later, did think of continuing with what was left of his command or some troopers to Custer and Terry to inform them of what happened. It didn't happen however. Still, the mission of trying to deliver a message at all costs to Custer gives this film the needed dynamic it requires.Major or soon to be major actors give performances here that both their earlier and later "high budget" careers only enhance. The leads Lloyd Bridges (High Noon!, Sea Hunt, Hot Shots) and John Ireland (Red River, Spartacus, A Walk in the Sun) and supporting actors like the memorable King Donavan (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), the good spirited Wally Cassell (Sands of Iwo Jima), Jim Davis (Dallas!), newcomer Hugh O'Brien (TV's Wyatt Earp), Mr. beautiful baritone Reed Hadley, known for his narrations of Hollywood films (Guadalcanal Diary) and those Atomic Bomb documentaries by the US government plus all the rest of this ensemble do an outstanding job. Bridges and Ireland are perfect as the hard nosed commander and the sympathetic Lt. always in conflict with each other. The film moves along without any real slow spots. It has good cinematography.It has good production values and the good writing that make it seem like a bigger film than it really is. It has that "film noir" mood that never would have worked as well in color either. It is really a western that stimulates your imagination! Many Kudos for this classic!

drdyer Saw this when it first came out and have seen it several time over the years. Still stands up and is worth watching.The performances, story and production are tops and keep you glued to the screen through the entire movie.The attention to detail of uniforms and other costumes is excellent, along with the horse handling.It is well photographed and edited, with good lighting, especially the night scenes.I haven't seen it in about 20 years, wish they would put it on television again.Hope they at least bring it to my local video store.

pjf1205 Viewed "Little Big Horn" tonight for the first time in over 40 years. Growing up in New York in the late 1950's and early sixties the movie stations to watch were Channel 9 (WOR) an Channel 11 (WPIX). Seems like after baseball or basketball practice or on weekends there was always a movie to watch on one of these stations.I remember quite well those which we always talked about the next day and would watch over and over. "Little Big Horn" was one that we watched over and over. Others were Yankee Doodle Dandy", "The Steel Helmet", and "The Great John L". Never understood then why we enjoyed these movies but we did. Watching "Little Big Horn" tonight told me why. A great story line and outstanding acting, pure and simple.Each character is developed and the story line never fails to surprise although the final outcome is known by every student of history. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie as much as I did 40 years ago except that I now have an understanding of why this particular movie has stood the test of time. Highly Recommended!