John Ford was a truly great director, even one of the finest, where even minor or lesser works still had interest value and were much better than a lot of directors at their best. While whether John Wayne was a great actor or not has always divided people, he was definitely a great star and very charismatic.
'The Horse Soldiers' is not their best collaboration, my personal favourite is 'The Searchers' and not quite among their best. This said it is very hard to say that, because they made so many great films together, and their best efforts being masterpieces. In no way though is that knocking the quality of 'The Horse Soldiers', because regardless of any inaccuracies it is stirring enough, often the very meaning of epic and while very fondly remembered here it deserves to be better known and it is quite a shame that apparently it wasn't particularly well-liked on release.
It isn't perfect by all means, at least to me. Constance Towers is radiant and the chemistry with her fellow actors is good, but she does have a tendency to overplay the feistiness so the character can come over as irritating. The romantic elements weren't as interesting as the rest of the film and elements, and felt shoe-horned in, and while almost all the music is sensational the opening song is an ill-fit, both in the context of the film and doesn't come over as a particularly great film now.
However, 'The Horse Soldiers' is a visual wonder. Throughout there is stunning use of landscape and even more stunning cinematography that make for so many striking, rousing and sometimes poetic images. Ford's direction is exemplary and a strong example as to what made him so revered as a director. David Buttolph's music score couldn't have been more superbly fitting, and it is an absolutely outstanding music score in its own right with rousing and affecting use of army choruses that capture the film's mood wonderfully.
Scripting is literate and thoughtful, if occasionally a little talky, and dramatically 'The Horse Soldiers' is convincing and the characters are ones that are developed nicely and ones that are easy to care for. Seeing Wayne and William Holden together is particularly well-realised, their contrasting personalities are incredibly interesting, when it could easily have been an awkward mismatch, and adding a nostalgic value. The story, not a western despite being what Ford and Wayne were particularly famous for, rarely feels dull and has enough marvellous set pieces and emotional impact to satisfy. The most memorable sequence is the one with the southern military cadets laying down their young lives on order. The whole ending is powerful and very poignant.
Wayne is very charismatic in his role, but brings more than just that and star power, there is also complexity and nuance. Holden is more subdued than usual, and while not one of his best performances it is a suitably nuanced turn that fits the character perfectly and makes him mesh well with everything else. Towers aside, the rest of the cast are fine though some Ford regulars are sadly missed.
Overall, a stirring, underrated and very watchable epic, even if there are better Wayne/Ford collaborations around. 8/10 Bethany Cox
'The Horse Soldiers' is not their best collaboration, my personal favourite is 'The Searchers' and not quite among their best. This said it is very hard to say that, because they made so many great films together, and their best efforts being masterpieces. In no way though is that knocking the quality of 'The Horse Soldiers', because regardless of any inaccuracies it is stirring enough, often the very meaning of epic and while very fondly remembered here it deserves to be better known and it is quite a shame that apparently it wasn't particularly well-liked on release.
It isn't perfect by all means, at least to me. Constance Towers is radiant and the chemistry with her fellow actors is good, but she does have a tendency to overplay the feistiness so the character can come over as irritating. The romantic elements weren't as interesting as the rest of the film and elements, and felt shoe-horned in, and while almost all the music is sensational the opening song is an ill-fit, both in the context of the film and doesn't come over as a particularly great film now.
However, 'The Horse Soldiers' is a visual wonder. Throughout there is stunning use of landscape and even more stunning cinematography that make for so many striking, rousing and sometimes poetic images. Ford's direction is exemplary and a strong example as to what made him so revered as a director. David Buttolph's music score couldn't have been more superbly fitting, and it is an absolutely outstanding music score in its own right with rousing and affecting use of army choruses that capture the film's mood wonderfully.
Scripting is literate and thoughtful, if occasionally a little talky, and dramatically 'The Horse Soldiers' is convincing and the characters are ones that are developed nicely and ones that are easy to care for. Seeing Wayne and William Holden together is particularly well-realised, their contrasting personalities are incredibly interesting, when it could easily have been an awkward mismatch, and adding a nostalgic value. The story, not a western despite being what Ford and Wayne were particularly famous for, rarely feels dull and has enough marvellous set pieces and emotional impact to satisfy. The most memorable sequence is the one with the southern military cadets laying down their young lives on order. The whole ending is powerful and very poignant.
Wayne is very charismatic in his role, but brings more than just that and star power, there is also complexity and nuance. Holden is more subdued than usual, and while not one of his best performances it is a suitably nuanced turn that fits the character perfectly and makes him mesh well with everything else. Towers aside, the rest of the cast are fine though some Ford regulars are sadly missed.
Overall, a stirring, underrated and very watchable epic, even if there are better Wayne/Ford collaborations around. 8/10 Bethany Cox