Cecil B. DeMille was an odd director. Although he was quite skilled (especially in making spectacles), it seemed as if he always was filming second-rate scripts. Now I know that this will ruffle a few feathers, as conventional wisdom has it that he was a great director. Well, great director or not (and I say NOT), his films generally have some of the worst dialog and anachronistic plots of any A-list director in Hollywood of his era. In other words, while he was clearly able to get great actors and amazing sets and scenes, it was all, to me, fluff due to insipid writing.
Here in the case of "The Plainsman", DeMille had Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur at his disposal--two of the biggest stars of the era. And, 2000 American-Indians were on hand for the fight scene. But, the plot is one cliché after another--with historical figures tossed into the mix right and left--even though many of the events in the film never occurred or occurred very differently. As usual, to DeMille, none of this mattered--what mattered was that his film was exciting and BIG!! Early in the film, I got bored. After all, first Wild Bill Hickock just happened to meet his old friends Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane--and then shortly after the two met General Custer!! It was as if the writers did all their research by glancing, briefly, at a history book and taking all the highlighted names and tossing them together! As a history teacher, I was (as usual) appalled...but not at all surprised.
If you take common sense and toss it out the window (along with history), then the film is very watchable and fun...and brainless. Too many times the film played fast and loose with the truth--just like in DeMille's "Cleopatra", "The Ten Commandments", "Sign of the Cross" and many other pictures. But because Cooper and Arthur were such good actors, they at least made watching this mess pleasant.
Here in the case of "The Plainsman", DeMille had Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur at his disposal--two of the biggest stars of the era. And, 2000 American-Indians were on hand for the fight scene. But, the plot is one cliché after another--with historical figures tossed into the mix right and left--even though many of the events in the film never occurred or occurred very differently. As usual, to DeMille, none of this mattered--what mattered was that his film was exciting and BIG!! Early in the film, I got bored. After all, first Wild Bill Hickock just happened to meet his old friends Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane--and then shortly after the two met General Custer!! It was as if the writers did all their research by glancing, briefly, at a history book and taking all the highlighted names and tossing them together! As a history teacher, I was (as usual) appalled...but not at all surprised.
If you take common sense and toss it out the window (along with history), then the film is very watchable and fun...and brainless. Too many times the film played fast and loose with the truth--just like in DeMille's "Cleopatra", "The Ten Commandments", "Sign of the Cross" and many other pictures. But because Cooper and Arthur were such good actors, they at least made watching this mess pleasant.