Custer of the West
by Robert Siodmak
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DVD details
Actor: Jeffrey Hunter, Lawrence Tierney, Mary Ure, Robert Shaw, Ty HardinDirector: Robert Siodmak
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Cecilio Paniagua
Editor: Maurice Rootes
Producer: Irving Lerner
Producer: Louis Dolivet
Producer: Philip Yordan
Writer: Bernard Gordon
Writer: Julian Zimet
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 143 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-05-25
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Custer of the West
DVD Review: So, so, movie but still in the correct ratio (2.2:1)
Summary: 5 Stars
I wouldn't bother to review this picture if it hadn't been for the "alarmists" around here, who claim that the picture has been cropped down to 1.85:1 (and this has to be assumed, when reading the back of the MGM/UA sleeve).
IT IS A TYPO! (Illiterate printers?)
IT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE AND THIS IS WHY...
The picture was filmed in the "bastardized" Cinerama format, which at one time was spectacular in scope and as we know from "How the West Was Won" (just recently reissued in a cleaned up and digitalized format) and "The Fabulous Adventures of the Brothers Grimm", was that famous three camera process that should have emulated "what the eye sees" (a sort of expanded 3D, but without the need of special spectacles), and corresponded to about 2.90:1 (HTWWW is in 2.89:1 now).
The "bastardized" version of Cinerama came after 1965 and was a fraud in terms, since only the name remained but in fact was just a feeble version of CinemaScope (2.35:1).
That particular format came in two frame ratios, depending on the kind of film and camera used. One was in 2.2:1, which clearly corresponded to a Todd-AO format, and the other was slightly bigger than CinemaScope and was at 2.4:1 (which is today's Panavision standard).
I have compared my videotape version of the movie of some years ago, released by ANCHOR BAY, and it was in the right ratio of 2.2:1 (even specified by the releasing company itself).
I watched them both on my 16:9 widescreen LCD TV simultaneously, and guess what?
There is absolutely no difference.
Both Anchor Bay's version and the present MGM/UA release (which is actually nothing more than the original transfer by ARTISAN, just in a different packaging and logo) are in the correct ratio.
Compared to the VHS tape there is an obvious improvement in sharpness and brighter colors. Alas, the sound is not up to par, and there is certainly a way one could improve that, but even so, it is not too bad.
There are though some artifacts that stand out, but only in scenes where there's lots of movement and therefore barely noticeable to the eye (unless one sits two inches from the screen).
Even though as a movie it is not really the greatest movie about this subject ever made (if you want a better one, you have to go back to the Errol Flynn version called "They Died with Their Boots On"), it still stands out for performers like Robert Shaw, Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Ryan.
It is still watchable and could be taken as a treatment comparison piece to the above mentioned Errol Flynn version.
It is entertaining though, and yet not really something for the accurate historian.
It's a Western, for Heaven's sake! Enjoy it as such and have a laughter afterwards...
DVD Review: really good DVD?
Summary: 1 Stars
It's really a good DVD release?
I haven't seen the DVD and do not buy it. Because? The DVD it's in 1,85:1.
It was filmed in: Super Technirama 70
Printed format: 35 mm / 70 mm (Super-Cinerama) / 70 mm
Aspect ratio: 2.20 : 1 (negative ratio) / 2.35 : 1 (35 mm prints)
As filmfan I want only the original format. Sorry for this I can give only one point / star.
But Ty hardin is great :-)
DVD Review: A different look at George Armstrong Custer
Summary: 3 Stars
Over the years, certain incidents from the Wild West have been dealt with over and over again in Hollywood; the gunfight at the OK Corral, the battle of the Alamo, and as in the case of Custer of the West, the life of George Armstrong Custer. Following the Civil War, General Phil Sheridan gives Custer a post in the west with the 7th Cavalry and orders to clean out the Indians no matter what. Upon arriving, Custer gets his regiment into fighting shape and unleashes attacks on the Cheyenne (no Sioux in this one). But as he fights the Indians, Custer begins to question what he's doing and why and for who even as he greedily seeks glory. Obviously not the best of the movies made about Custer, or the most historically accurate, but I felt there was enough here to recommend the movie. The locations in Almeria, Spain, where many spaghetti westerns were filmed, doesn't look like the American West, but is still great to look at. Also, there's plenty of action, including a unique look at the massacre at the Little Big Horn, and a good musical score from Bernardo Segall. So give this movie a chance, even if it's just to see a different take on the legend of George Armstrong Custer.
Throughout his short career that was cut short far too early, Robert Shaw tackled a wide variety of roles and here is no exception. The English actor plays Custer here and pulls it off pretty well. He's no Errol Flynn, but Shaw tries to explain some of the complexities of the character. He was egotistical and a glory seeker, but there's more to the man as Shaw shows. Mary Ure isn't given much to do as Libby, Custer's wife, but she is good in the few scenes she does have. Jeffrey Hunter and Ty Hardin play Capteen Benteen, the moralist who questions what the cavalry is doing, and Major Marcus Reno, the alcoholic second in command who hates Custer from the first time he meets him. Neither have a ton of screen time which is a shame because they're both good actors. Lawrence Tierney is good in a small part as General Phil Sheridan, Custer's commanding officer who is conflicted with what he has to do. Charles Stalmaker as the eager Lt. Howells, Kieron Moore as Chief Dull Knife (no Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse here), and Robert Hall as Sgt. Buckley also star. And in a great, if short, cameo, Robert Ryan plays Sgt. Paddy Mulligan, a 7th cavalry deserter who gets the itch for gold and tangles with Custer.
As for the DVD, MGM went "all out" once again. The widescreen presentation is good but not great and doesn't really take advantage of the Cinerama filming. I saw a good-looking version on Turner Classic Movies recently to compare the two. Special features are slim here as well so don't expect too much. Still, it's an entertaining movie with some interesting cast choices and a very different look at the career and death of George Armstrong Custer. Give Custer of the West a try!
DVD Review: MOST BIZARRE TELLING OF THE CUSTER LEGEND
Summary: 1 Stars
It was once said that you shouldn't get your history or your religion from the movies, and this is a GREAT example why! It would have you think that ALL the battles of the U.S. Civil War were fought with about a dozen Confederates and a handful of Federal cavalry. There were even scenes of unmanned cannon firing themselves -- not an artilleryman (or anyone else) anywhere in sight! In fact, throughout this movie all cavalry battle sequences were anemic, lethargic and DULL! The Little Big Horn battle is a laughing stock. The warrior's charge is weirdly setup then staged -- probably the biggest historical inaccuracy in the whole sad world of historic inaccuracies. To make matters worse, it was shot mostly from long distance. Any detail of action you get will remind you of a bad-guy-indian raid on a wagon train in some obscure "B" western matinee. The story of Custer between these "battles" is BORING! You couldn't care less about the main characters! To be fair though, Mr. Shaw as Armstrong (very miscast) does his best with this weak script. In a couple of the early scenes he almost "channels" Errol Flynn. Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Ryan (who turns in the BEST performance here -- but brief) and Ty Hardin were all wasted in this project. BUT the MOST glaring fault of the movie: the 7th Cavalry's anthem of "Garry Owen" was never, ever played! Not once! Speaking of tunes, the odd soundtrack lends nothing to the flick at all. The music rarely matches up to what is happening on the screen. All-in-all, it is easy to see why this never made a splash (or dull thud) in the U.S. movie circuit. Vastly better films are: THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (historically off, but the Last Stand battle is probably the closest to the scope and intensity of the real fight); LITTLE BIG MAN (essentially an Old West history lesson that includes the Last Stand, Custer is portrayed as a total nut-case mostly for comedic relief -- but nice overall presentation of the Battle of Little Big Horn); and SON OF THE MORNING STAR (probably the most accurate of the Hollywood Custer stories). After all is said and done, CUSTER OF THE WEST is not worth the purchase, rent or trouble. Who could EVER fall asleep when the command "CHARGE!" is given? You will!DVD Review: Custer of the West
Summary: 2 Stars
CUSTER OF THE WEST (1967) might be a good movie, although it's definitely not a very good or great one. I say it might be a good movie because the version I watched was the Simitar Video release from 1998, which is the full screen, pan-and-scan version. Sorry, you just aren't supposed to watch an action movie that's missing more than a quarter of the image.
Robert Shaw plays Custer in this biopic, director Robert Siodmak's last American film and the weakest one of his I've seen. The movie follows Custer from the Civil War to his Last Stand at the Little Big Horn. Most of the film is devoted to Custer fighting the Cheyenne, warning Congress of government corruption, and leading his small host to its appointment with destiny. Episodic and detached, about the only high point in the movie is a short segment in the middle with the marvelous Robert Ryan playing an Irish calvary man who wants to leave the service to take up gold mining. Physically Shaw looks enough like Custer to pass, but he doesn't have the theatrical flair, the bigger-than-life quality that the role demands. Even if I'd seen this in a widescreen format I don't think I would have liked it much more than I did seeing it in its butchered state. You might want to rent this one before you consider buying it.
Description of Custer of the West
From decorated war hero to doomed commander, General George Armstrong Custer is brilliantly portrayed by Robert Shaw (Jaws, The Sting) in this stunning, "giant spectacle of a film" (Motion Picture Herald). With an all-star cast that includes Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Ryan, thisepic adventure vividly chronicles the rise and fall of this larger-than-life legend! Afterhis triumphs in the Civil War, General Custer becomes one of the most renowned military figures of his time. But he infuriates as many people as he impresses never more so than in the days leading upto the Battle of Little Bighorn, where his sense of pride overshadows his dedication to duty with disastrous consequences.General George Armstrong Custer has been portrayed as everything from a vain but ultimately honorable hero (Errol Flynn in They Died with Their Boots On) to an insane, pompous incompetent (Richard Mulligan in the biting Little Big Man), but few have attempted an ambitious look at the man in all his contradictions. Robert Siodmak's Custer of the West, his final American production, attempts the task with fine results, portraying the career soldier as a pragmatist, a disciplinarian with a bullying streak, a loner, and ultimately an Old World romantic in the modern age. Robert Shaw gives the role a regal bearing (though his continental accent keeps drifting in) and a sense of dignity, depicting a man who ironically identifies more with the Indians than with the U.S. Army. Jeffrey Hunter and Ty Hardin costar as his battling junior officers and Robert Ryan is memorable in a brief appearance as a gold-mining deserter. Shooting in handsome widescreen and vivid Technicolor, Siodmak makes his outdoor settings come alive and nimbly handles the many action scenes, most notably a chase that sends an escaping soldier whooshing down a log water chute like a Disney ride. Siodmak's sweeping visuals deliver both grand images and ironic counterpoint, but ultimately Custer of the West eschews the heroism of Hollywood adventures for a portrait of the corrupt state of the American military and one man's hopeless fight against it. --Sean Axmaker
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