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The Horse Soldiers [DVD] [1960]

Staring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Judson Pratt, Hoot Gibson
Director: John Ford
Average Customer Rating:

List Price: ~~£12.99~~
Our Price: £2.82

Product Details
Audience Rating: Parental Guidance
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5050070020304
Format: PAL
Label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM Entertainment
Region Code: 2
Release Date: 2004-03-01
Running Time: 115
Studio: MGM Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1959-06-12

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Editorial Review
Amazon.co.uk Review
A crisp retelling of a true-life episode from the Civil War, The Horse Soldiers is a latter-day sorta-Western from John Ford, falling midway between The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). In 1863 a Union colonel named Grierson (Marlowe in the film, and John Wayne by any name) led his cavalry several hundred miles behind Confederate lines to cut the railway track between Newton Station and soon-to-be-embattled Vicksburg. Grierson's raid was as successful as it was daring, and remarkably bloodless. Never fear that the screenplay makes up for that un-Hollywood lapse--as well as supplying amatory distraction for the colonel in the form of a feisty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who has to be dragged along to protect secrecy.

There's a certain amount of bombast in the running arguments about wartime ethics between Marlowe and the new regimental surgeon (William Holden), who don't take to each other at all. But Ford more than makes up for it with such tasty scenes as an encounter with a couple of redneck Rebel deserters (Denver Pyle and Strother Martin), an ethereal swamp crossing led by a cornpone deacon (Hank Worden), and above all the famous skirmish with a hillside full of young cadets from a venerable military academy. The film ends rather abruptly because Ford abandoned a climactic battle scene--the veteran stunt man and bit player Fred Kennedy having been killed in a horse-fall. Golden-age cowboy star Hoot Gibson, who acted in Ford's directorial debut, Straight Shooting (1917), appears as Sergeant Brown. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

John Wayne Plays Hamlet, 2010-03-06
Having seen some of the reviews on here you would think JW is a classical actor of the old school, far from it. He is your action/adventure actor, without whom, Stallone, Arnie & co would not have had film careers.

Like a lot of films the Horsesoldiers is BASED on a true story, but is not totally accurate. What this film is, is typical Wayne, a hero with little or no education, but everybody loves and he wins the day.

Forget all the whats this character, how does she fit into this film, what's the director doing.

Like all Wayne films its about entertainment and enjoyment, if you want a heavy film and lots of English literature reviews then look elsewhere, "that man downstairs with those tester stripes, for Majors on up" is hardly Shalesspeare. If its action you want, with some female interest, then this is probably outside your front door, waiting for you to watch.

Wayne is excllent as the lead and has a fine support cast.

Action, some comedy and the female interest, what more could you want.

John Ford's (slightly) flawed Civil War effort, 2009-01-15

John Ford only made one film about the American Civil War; this 1959 offering which gives a fictionalised version of Colonel Benjamin Grierson's raid through the Western Confederacy during the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863.

John Wayne plays the Grierson character - called Marlowe in the film - while William Holden - in laconic good form - plays a doctor Marlowe (Grierson/Wayne) is forced to take with him down south.

Early on the raiders stop at the plantation of a Southern Belle - played by Constance Towers - who learns of their objectives and has to come along for the ride. Ms Towers - in a risque scene for the time - thrusts her impressive decolletage at Wayne and enquires whether he wants more breast or leg - chicken that is.

The three leads are fine and many of the famed 'John Ford Company' are working 'in the ranks,' but the film never achieves the granduer or urgency of the director's other three US Cavalry Westerns. Partly this is because the locations are not Monument Valley, but mostly, I feel, this is because this is NOT the US cavalry, but the Union cavalry. Hollywood Civil war films have an obvious problem; no bad guys. Sure the South were the baddies in historical reality - they're the ones with the slaves - but many of the audience watching this in 1960 were from Southern states, proud enough of their confederate heritage to have the Stars and Bars in the State flags. Hardly good for box office to paint them too badly.

With Indian westerns, however sympathetic you might be to native americans, the identification is going to be with cavalry for the overwhelmingly non-native american audience. This one isn't so clear cut.

As a result there are surprisingly few Civil War adventure films.

There are a number of excellent set pieces in this film; the attack by confederate troops jumping out of a train (which does kind of imply they are monumentally stupid - more concerned with the flag flying than shooting back) and the advance of military school kids against Wayne's veterans.

The plight of the black slaves is not really addressed, though Tennis star Althea Gibson got her acting run-out as the Southern Belle's ill-fated maid.

Holden, as stated, is pretty good. His tension with a doctor-hating Wayne is as ersatz as the coffee the Confederacy is left with, but he's laugh out loud funny on occassions. His little aside about 'southern people having their own help,' nodding at Ms Gibson is probably the best line in the film.

His quips are not as funny, however, as Wayne when he declares love for the Southern Belle - who has now seen the horror of war and is a better person (yawn) - right at the end. It's a real where-in-Hell-did-that-come-from moment.

This is not a Western classic, but it's well worth watching.

Good story and plenty of action, 2008-09-09
Yet again the Ford/Wayne team deliver the goods. Loosely based on a factual action during the U.S. civil war, Wayne leads his union troops deep into the conferacy, the supply depot and railway infrastructure at Newton station is the target. The first part of the film is fairly slow moving, emphasis placed on Wayne's dislike of surgeon Kendall (William Holden) who has been added to his command, and the needless introduction of a female lead (Constance Towers), nice on the eye, but surplus to requirements, as the plot here has the troop constantly on the move.

The real action starts at about the hour mark with the battle and ransacking at Newton station, followed by the events of the journey back to the union lines. Plenty of fighting (gun and hand) from here onwards, plus moments either humorous or poignant, always building up to the closing battle enroute to Baton Rouge.

Most of the usual suspects are there in support, and the ending has a twist regarding the Wayne/Holden situation.

The Horse Soldiers, 2009-08-14
one of John Waynes really good films. Plenty of action, with a mix of a bit of comedy, and a little romance. A good buy.

horse soldiers, 2009-04-28
one of john wayne's best westerns set during the civil war he leads a company of latter day commando's through enemy lines to disrupt their lines of supply he is accompened by william holden who plays a docter and the friction between the two is very entertaining one unrealistic note is wayne's declareation of love for the southern beauty who causes him so much trouble when performing his duty