This fine western traces the life of the Sioux warrior, from the time when he received his vision as a boy, his battles against red and white enemies, and finishes with his betrayal and murder by a fellow Lakota. Victor Mature is good as the Lakota warrior who is one of the most tragic figures in western history. The film examines the petty disputes among the Indians who could not present a unified front in the face of white westward expansion, especially the rush to the Black Hills in search of gold. The film shows two of Crazy Horse's famous battles, the Fetterman and Rosebud engagements to good effect but the Custer fight gets only a brief mention and is glossed over almost as an afterthought. The widescreen CinemaScope is excellent and bathes the beautiful landscapes of the Black Hills and the Badlands with beautiful color. The music by Frank Skinner is a dramatic and heroic accompaniment to a fine film that pays tribute to a great American.
12 Reviews
Bio of the Lakota Sioux warrior whose home in the Black Hills was threatened by the White Men
ma-cortes20 November 2018
Decent chronicle of a strong fight between the Lakota tribe and the US cavalry in the struggle for the west , paced under completely Indian viewpoint . This is a true story , photographed in the Black Hills of the Dakotas where is actually happened . It is the story of an American , a leader of his people , one of the great generals of all time -Chief Crazy Horse of the Lakota Sioux . Crazy Horse's territory was invaded by Western expansion and the constant breakment of government treaties . In Fort Laramie commanded by General Crook , Indians are forced to form a volatile alliance in their life-or-death struggle . However , some USA officers and Indians are reluctant to this unusual alliance and they distrust having Indians and soldiers as allies . When ambitious prospectors and mean traders get evidence of gold in the sacred Lakota burial ground Indians go warpath . As war chief , Crazy Horse, along with Teton Sioux leader Sitting Bull lead the Cheyenne and Sioux against George Armstrong Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn . Crazy Horse leads his brave warriors on a wild chase across the plains and hills in this saga of the old west . They elude capture , but famine , cold and constant harassment by troops lead to crazy Horse surrender and death in 1877 , betrayed by both the Whites and some of his own people . He Hurled The Lance That Smashed Custer That Historic Day At Little Big Horn!
This moving movie is an epic portrait of the historic story about celebrated Indians Lakotas against the US cavalry . The picture gets Western action , shootouts , a love story , breathtaking raids , overwhelming battles and results to be quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians , production values and pleasing results . The film is pretty well , being told from Indian perspective , though some historical events take a back seat to Hollywood scriptwriting . At the ending , when take place some battles , possees all the sweep , grandeur and noisy action of the greatest Westerns of an age long past . Acceptable and passable main cast . The usual wooden Victor Mature gives stature to the role , providing sincerity and bravura . And Suzan Ball as his Indian wife , who died early at 21 by cancer , being these ¨War arrow¨ and ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ both of them directed by George Sherman , his last films . Support cast is frankly good , such as : John Lund , Ray Danton , Keith Larsen , Paul Guilfoyle ,David Janssen ,Morris Ankrum , Robert F. Simon ,James Westerfield , Stuart Randall , Dennis Weaver , Robert Warwick and Pat Hogan
This thrilling and stirring Western was beautifully shot by cameraman Harold Lipstein . And an original and shining score from Frank skinner . The motion picture was professionally directed by George Sherman in B-style , though has some flaws . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed this ¨War Arrow¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. Rating : 6/10 . Well worth watching .
Other biographies about Crazy Horse are the followings : Crazy Horse 1996 by John Irvin with Michael Greyeyes , Jimmy Herman , Wes Studi , August Schellenberg , Irene Bedard , Steve Reevis . Crazy Horse and Custer : the untold story 1990 with Slim Pickens , Mary Ann Mobley an Michael Dante .
This moving movie is an epic portrait of the historic story about celebrated Indians Lakotas against the US cavalry . The picture gets Western action , shootouts , a love story , breathtaking raids , overwhelming battles and results to be quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians , production values and pleasing results . The film is pretty well , being told from Indian perspective , though some historical events take a back seat to Hollywood scriptwriting . At the ending , when take place some battles , possees all the sweep , grandeur and noisy action of the greatest Westerns of an age long past . Acceptable and passable main cast . The usual wooden Victor Mature gives stature to the role , providing sincerity and bravura . And Suzan Ball as his Indian wife , who died early at 21 by cancer , being these ¨War arrow¨ and ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ both of them directed by George Sherman , his last films . Support cast is frankly good , such as : John Lund , Ray Danton , Keith Larsen , Paul Guilfoyle ,David Janssen ,Morris Ankrum , Robert F. Simon ,James Westerfield , Stuart Randall , Dennis Weaver , Robert Warwick and Pat Hogan
This thrilling and stirring Western was beautifully shot by cameraman Harold Lipstein . And an original and shining score from Frank skinner . The motion picture was professionally directed by George Sherman in B-style , though has some flaws . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed this ¨War Arrow¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. Rating : 6/10 . Well worth watching .
Other biographies about Crazy Horse are the followings : Crazy Horse 1996 by John Irvin with Michael Greyeyes , Jimmy Herman , Wes Studi , August Schellenberg , Irene Bedard , Steve Reevis . Crazy Horse and Custer : the untold story 1990 with Slim Pickens , Mary Ann Mobley an Michael Dante .
Safe, interesting enough, but worthy of repeat viewings?
hitchcockthelegend9 February 2009
This is the story of Crazy Horse, who from a very young age was expected to go onto great things for his people. Taking in his youth and finally onto his accent as military leader, Chief Crazy Horse tells things from the Indian point of view.
This is a good and reliable Western picture, though sadly not using Indian actors to ram home the fact it's telling things from the Indian side of the vista, it's none the less unharmed by Victor Mature (Crazy Horse) and the rest of the white man cast. It's difficult for myself to personally gauge just what the makers were aiming for, was it honest portrayals? Or did they hope to make a stirring picture about a man proclaimed as a true great American General? Because they really don't achieve either of those things. But as I have said in my heading, this film doesn't waste one's time, it is a very interesting story, and technically it has its treats (filming in the actual Black Hills location a definite bonus for the story), yet ultimately I came away thinking that we could still do with a rousing epic to fully capture this man's biography.
Because ultimately it's a story well worth telling and a story worth telling with grace and elegance. 5/10
This is a good and reliable Western picture, though sadly not using Indian actors to ram home the fact it's telling things from the Indian side of the vista, it's none the less unharmed by Victor Mature (Crazy Horse) and the rest of the white man cast. It's difficult for myself to personally gauge just what the makers were aiming for, was it honest portrayals? Or did they hope to make a stirring picture about a man proclaimed as a true great American General? Because they really don't achieve either of those things. But as I have said in my heading, this film doesn't waste one's time, it is a very interesting story, and technically it has its treats (filming in the actual Black Hills location a definite bonus for the story), yet ultimately I came away thinking that we could still do with a rousing epic to fully capture this man's biography.
Because ultimately it's a story well worth telling and a story worth telling with grace and elegance. 5/10
Good movie marred by non-Indian casting
Sleepy-1715 March 2000
Typical for its time, this is a well-intentioned biography of (as it states) "one of America's greatest generals". Real Indians appear in the background, and, like they were in Ford films, they are great scene-stealers. Victor Mature, Ray Danton, and Suzan Ball are quite good. Better-than-average script, but the action scenes are only fair (it was not an expensive movie, and it seems that the violence, especially in Custer's last stand, is underplayed to accentuate War as a necessity and not a pleasure). Good Remingtonesque photography, filmed in the Black Hills.
A rare western where the Indians are the good guys and the cavalry aren't
Tweekums16 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This western tells the story of the eponymous Chief Crazy Horse from his childhood, to his leadership of the Lakota Sioux and finally on to his death. When we first see him he is a child watching on as a dying chief prophesies that one day a Lakota will unite the tribes and defeat the invading white men; he also says that ultimately that man will die at the hands of a fellow Lakota. The boy walks off and has a vision that leads him to believe that he may be the one the chief spoke of. The next time we see him he is an adult being attacked but three men from an enemy tribe; he kills all three of them and notices that the feathers on one of their lances are those from his vision. A short while later a woman in the tribe brings an injured white man, by the name of Twist, into their village; he recovers and becomes friends with Crazy Horse. Some time later Crazy Horse marries the woman which leads to his rival Little Big Man being expelled from the village and heading to the Army camp at Ft Laramie. Here traders see that Little Big Man possesses some gold; he says it came from their sacred burial grounds in the Black Hills. A treaty with the Lakota promised that no white men would attempt to enter their territory but the discovery of gold soon proved the value of that treaty. As prospectors entered the territory the army followed. They did not expect the Lakota to fight back effectively but under Crazy Horse's leadership they had several notable victories leading up to the famous rout where Custer's forces were annihilated at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Unfortunately the other chiefs assumed that this victory was the end of the war and headed off to hunt to fill their winter larders; inevitably they were picked off and either died or ended up in the reservations. Crazy Horse continued alone until his wife became ill then he too surrendered, not because he was defeated but because he knew that only the medicine at the fort could save her.
This is an interesting film with many pros and cons; the most obvious con is the fact that all the key Lakota characters are played by white actors in make up; something that would almost certainly not happen today; however it is to the maker's credit that they told the story from the side of the Lakota at a time when most westerns depicted the Native population as antagonists holding up the 'progress of civilisation'. Once you get over the fact that the actors weren't Indian their performances are pretty good and the story was well told; when the battles occur they are low scale but fairly exciting... except for the Battle of Little Bighorn... here the camera just points away and shows us some ominous clouds for a while... I guess the producers couldn't afford to film such a big battle! No doubt a few liberties were taken with the facts but at least it was filmed in the Black Hills of South Dakota where the events portrayed took place eighty years before not in California like so many westerns. The photography looked great; it is just a pity that when it was on television it wasn't shown in its original Cinemascope format; I'm sure that would have looked even more impressive. While this isn't the best western I've seen I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre; it made such a refreshing change to see these events for the side of the Indians.
This is an interesting film with many pros and cons; the most obvious con is the fact that all the key Lakota characters are played by white actors in make up; something that would almost certainly not happen today; however it is to the maker's credit that they told the story from the side of the Lakota at a time when most westerns depicted the Native population as antagonists holding up the 'progress of civilisation'. Once you get over the fact that the actors weren't Indian their performances are pretty good and the story was well told; when the battles occur they are low scale but fairly exciting... except for the Battle of Little Bighorn... here the camera just points away and shows us some ominous clouds for a while... I guess the producers couldn't afford to film such a big battle! No doubt a few liberties were taken with the facts but at least it was filmed in the Black Hills of South Dakota where the events portrayed took place eighty years before not in California like so many westerns. The photography looked great; it is just a pity that when it was on television it wasn't shown in its original Cinemascope format; I'm sure that would have looked even more impressive. While this isn't the best western I've seen I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre; it made such a refreshing change to see these events for the side of the Indians.
The Good Indians Vs. The Evil Cavalry
boblipton23 November 2021
Victor Mature is Crazy Horse in this potted version of the Lakota Sioux and the war over the Black Hills, told from a viewpoint entirely on the side of the Indians.
Originally planned as a vehicle for Jeff Chandler, but that didn't happen. Mature was quite capable of giving a strong performance, but required a good script and strong direction, which were not available here. Leading lady Suzanne Ball had lost a leg to cancer five months before filming began, and so her movement was limited; she would die four months after this was released.
DP Harold Lipstein gives some nice, woodcut-like images, particularly in the long shots, resulting in a watchable but undistinguished Universal Shaky A production. With John Lund, Ray Danton, and David Janssen.
Originally planned as a vehicle for Jeff Chandler, but that didn't happen. Mature was quite capable of giving a strong performance, but required a good script and strong direction, which were not available here. Leading lady Suzanne Ball had lost a leg to cancer five months before filming began, and so her movement was limited; she would die four months after this was released.
DP Harold Lipstein gives some nice, woodcut-like images, particularly in the long shots, resulting in a watchable but undistinguished Universal Shaky A production. With John Lund, Ray Danton, and David Janssen.
Fitting tribute to a man dedicated to trying to hold back the tide of history
weezeralfalfa23 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Out of the ordinary western in that Native American-European conflicts are told mostly from the former's point of view. However, there is a fictional European narrator who steps in periodically. He is former Major Twist(John Lund), who spends considerable time with the Lakota Sioux after they nurse him back to health after being nearly fatally wounded by a Shoshone arrow in the back. As you would expect from such a film that borders on a documentary treatment, humor is virtually non-existent, and the dialogue and acting tend to be a bit stiff. This is all about the doomed desperate struggle for survival of the northern plains Native American's free roaming way of life. We only have the striking-looking Suzan Ball as Little Fawn/Black Shawl: Crazy Horse's girlfriend, then wife, to provide a bit of respite from the serious goings on.
Although the story sticks to the facts much more so than most Hollywood films of this era with purported biographies to tell, inevitably, some aspects are fictionalized. For example, the Fetterman massacre is portrayed as a conflict resulting from the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Historically, it was actually related to a prior gold rush in the Virginia City, MT area, back during the late Civil War and early post-war period, about a decade before the Black Hills gold rush. The subsequent important dramatized treaty of Fort Laramie was the culmination of this war period, when Red Cloud was the top Lakota chief.
Also, the skirmish at Rosebud, which occurred only a week before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, was more of a stand off than depicted. As in most western films, the important role of cooperating Native Americans in many of the cavalry victories goes unsung. In this engagement, numerous Crow and Shoshoni: traditional enemies of the Lakota, were included in Crook's force, and are said to have been critical in averting a massacre similar to that suffered by Fetterman's patrol.
In the final scene, where C.H. is trying to escape, after learning that he has been deceived, rival Little Big Man is shown bayoneting him in the kidney, thus concluding a long-standing animosity which the film dramatizes. Historically, this rival actually grabbed C.H., who was then bayoneted by a soldier.
Some may be disappointed that the Battle of the Little Big Horn is glossed over with just a shot of charging 'Indians', then of the foreboding sky overhead, then the strewn-about cavalry bodies. Of course, other films had or would concentrated on this incident in detail. Thus, it was better to spend time on less well known aspects of C.H.'s life.
It's apparently true that, like Wyatt Earp and George Washington, C.H. seemed to defy the odds of being killed or even wounded in battle, in an era when the enemy usually focused on killing the lead chief, knowing that this usually caused the whole war party to soon disintegrate.
The film fails to make the point that, as a child, C.H. stood out physically: being unusually light skinned and with brown curly hair. This probably was significant in fostering the notion that he would become someone special....C.H. was named after his father and grandfather(not as told in the film). But, in the film, his father is given the name meaning 'worm'! That's true! When his father decided his son had earned the right to be called by an adult name, he transferred his name to him, adopting this seemingly self-deprecating name for himself.
Victor Mature was a good choice to play C.H., with his swarthy Mediterranean looks, gift for profound speeches, and proved track record as a leading man in a variety of roles. The other key Lakota leaders were also played by Europeans, as was typical of this era....Interestingly, Mature starred in another film that same year : "The Last Frontier", which also included the Fetterman massacre, although it wasn't acknowledged as such. Mature was on the European side in that one.
The beautiful Suzan Ball, cousin of Lucie Ball, was OK as Little Fawn/Black Shawl, which was the real name of C.H.'s main wife. This was her last film of about half a dozen, before dying from cancer at the advanced age of 21. One leg had been amputated in an unsuccessful effort to stem the cancer spread. Thus, a double was used when necessary to hide the fact that she had only one leg. With her darkish looks, she mostly played ethnics, including several 'Indian' maidens.
The background music is often rousing, and the cinematography is great, mostly shot appropriately in the Black Hills, with its occasional bison herd. Directed by the veteran specialist in second feature and low budget films: George Sherman. All in all, a decent tribute to a courageous man clearly doomed in his lifelong quest to preserve his people's traditional free-ranging way of life.
Little Big Man, who was a real Lakota adversary of C.H., should not be confused with the fictional person of the same name, featured in the film "Little Big Man", which is strongly based on the book of the same title.
Presently viewable at YouTube
Although the story sticks to the facts much more so than most Hollywood films of this era with purported biographies to tell, inevitably, some aspects are fictionalized. For example, the Fetterman massacre is portrayed as a conflict resulting from the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Historically, it was actually related to a prior gold rush in the Virginia City, MT area, back during the late Civil War and early post-war period, about a decade before the Black Hills gold rush. The subsequent important dramatized treaty of Fort Laramie was the culmination of this war period, when Red Cloud was the top Lakota chief.
Also, the skirmish at Rosebud, which occurred only a week before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, was more of a stand off than depicted. As in most western films, the important role of cooperating Native Americans in many of the cavalry victories goes unsung. In this engagement, numerous Crow and Shoshoni: traditional enemies of the Lakota, were included in Crook's force, and are said to have been critical in averting a massacre similar to that suffered by Fetterman's patrol.
In the final scene, where C.H. is trying to escape, after learning that he has been deceived, rival Little Big Man is shown bayoneting him in the kidney, thus concluding a long-standing animosity which the film dramatizes. Historically, this rival actually grabbed C.H., who was then bayoneted by a soldier.
Some may be disappointed that the Battle of the Little Big Horn is glossed over with just a shot of charging 'Indians', then of the foreboding sky overhead, then the strewn-about cavalry bodies. Of course, other films had or would concentrated on this incident in detail. Thus, it was better to spend time on less well known aspects of C.H.'s life.
It's apparently true that, like Wyatt Earp and George Washington, C.H. seemed to defy the odds of being killed or even wounded in battle, in an era when the enemy usually focused on killing the lead chief, knowing that this usually caused the whole war party to soon disintegrate.
The film fails to make the point that, as a child, C.H. stood out physically: being unusually light skinned and with brown curly hair. This probably was significant in fostering the notion that he would become someone special....C.H. was named after his father and grandfather(not as told in the film). But, in the film, his father is given the name meaning 'worm'! That's true! When his father decided his son had earned the right to be called by an adult name, he transferred his name to him, adopting this seemingly self-deprecating name for himself.
Victor Mature was a good choice to play C.H., with his swarthy Mediterranean looks, gift for profound speeches, and proved track record as a leading man in a variety of roles. The other key Lakota leaders were also played by Europeans, as was typical of this era....Interestingly, Mature starred in another film that same year : "The Last Frontier", which also included the Fetterman massacre, although it wasn't acknowledged as such. Mature was on the European side in that one.
The beautiful Suzan Ball, cousin of Lucie Ball, was OK as Little Fawn/Black Shawl, which was the real name of C.H.'s main wife. This was her last film of about half a dozen, before dying from cancer at the advanced age of 21. One leg had been amputated in an unsuccessful effort to stem the cancer spread. Thus, a double was used when necessary to hide the fact that she had only one leg. With her darkish looks, she mostly played ethnics, including several 'Indian' maidens.
The background music is often rousing, and the cinematography is great, mostly shot appropriately in the Black Hills, with its occasional bison herd. Directed by the veteran specialist in second feature and low budget films: George Sherman. All in all, a decent tribute to a courageous man clearly doomed in his lifelong quest to preserve his people's traditional free-ranging way of life.
Little Big Man, who was a real Lakota adversary of C.H., should not be confused with the fictional person of the same name, featured in the film "Little Big Man", which is strongly based on the book of the same title.
Presently viewable at YouTube
Ok story with the classic Hollywood 1950s western mistakes
gordonb-595878 December 2019
I really like western movies but always wonder why directors don't try to be a little more realistic. I was very much surprised that some Indians had bright purple and day-glow feathers in their headwear. Now that seemed a little unnatural. And then there was the guy who got shot in the back with an arrow. Fortunately, for him, he had a big block of wood under his shirt. Unfortunately, it showed up really well in the film. Another interesting item is that when a group of riders are galloping along somewhere in the West and the lead rider decides to stop, he holds his right hand up in the air. This is to signal the riders behind him to stop too. Apparently without doing this hand gesture, all the riders would crash into him. And in classic 1950s cowboy Hollywood fashion, getting hit by one bullet will kill you, and often causes no bleeding. Of course there's the always popular one shot that takes down two or three riders. I could go on but you get the idea. If film makers would just try a little harder, their movies would be easier to enjoy and more difficult to pick apart. I'm not even mentioning the obvious since all the other reviewers have: all the lead rolls were played by white actors, not native Americans, ie Indians.
Crazy Horse 1840-1877
bkoganbing3 May 2013
Victor Mature playing Chief Crazy Horse gives one of his best performances from the Fifties. Although an Italian/Swiss would never be cast as a Lakota Sioux today, American Indians have no reason to criticize or be concerned with what Mature did with the role of one of their greatest heroes.
Curiously enough the Battle Of The Little Big Horn is given a short shrift by the film. Which in a way is good because Crazy Horse had been plaguing the white man for well over a decade when he emerged as a warrior chief of the Lakota with as much natural military ability as Cochise of the Apaches to the south. The action of the film is over a ten year period in terms of when Mature takes the role of the adult Crazy Horse.
The film is told from the point of view of John Lund who plays a white trader who was ambushed by the Sioux's rivals the Shoshone and is taken in and cared for by the Lakota. When Mature is courting Suzan Ball, Lund does him a solid and he's then got the Lakota welcome mat out for him.
Chief Crazy Horse was the farewell performance of Suzan Ball who was Lucille's cousin, also from Jamestown, New York died much too young after this film was completed. She had a bright promise and real beauty to give the big screen and small.
There are some fictional subplots working, but in the main the film is a true account. A really good western about a true warrior.
Curiously enough the Battle Of The Little Big Horn is given a short shrift by the film. Which in a way is good because Crazy Horse had been plaguing the white man for well over a decade when he emerged as a warrior chief of the Lakota with as much natural military ability as Cochise of the Apaches to the south. The action of the film is over a ten year period in terms of when Mature takes the role of the adult Crazy Horse.
The film is told from the point of view of John Lund who plays a white trader who was ambushed by the Sioux's rivals the Shoshone and is taken in and cared for by the Lakota. When Mature is courting Suzan Ball, Lund does him a solid and he's then got the Lakota welcome mat out for him.
Chief Crazy Horse was the farewell performance of Suzan Ball who was Lucille's cousin, also from Jamestown, New York died much too young after this film was completed. She had a bright promise and real beauty to give the big screen and small.
There are some fictional subplots working, but in the main the film is a true account. A really good western about a true warrior.
True to history
qormi11 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Very good account about the life of Chief Crazy Horse. Interesting that it was filmed on location with the cooperation of the Oglala Sioux people, many of whom were extras.
Victor Mature gave a strong performance as Crazy Horse, conveying the man's strength and leadership.
Ray Danton in his screen debut was convincingly sinister in his portrayal of the traitor, Little Big Man. One wonders why Danton did not have a successful career as an A List leading man onscreen. He certainly had the looks and acting skills. His starring role in "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond" in 1960 was masterful. Yet his acting career was mainly relegated to guest roles on dozens of tv shows.
Suzan Ball, in her final performance, was captivating as the wife of Crazy Horse. She died the year the film was released, of cancer at the age of 21. She was very glamorous and a wonderful actress, who, like James Dean, no doubt would have had a long and distinguished career had she not been taken from us.
It is interesting that details of Custer's Last Stand included Crazy Horse's plan for an ambush. Most historical accounts of the Battle at the Little Big Horn do not credit this and say it was a surprise attack. Also, Crazy Horse's death was realistically portrayed, showing the treachery of Little Big Man. Most historical writings leave details of the murder rather sketchy. I believe the film's account, as with their version of Little Bighorn, came from the Sioux, which would be a reliable source.
Victor Mature gave a strong performance as Crazy Horse, conveying the man's strength and leadership.
Ray Danton in his screen debut was convincingly sinister in his portrayal of the traitor, Little Big Man. One wonders why Danton did not have a successful career as an A List leading man onscreen. He certainly had the looks and acting skills. His starring role in "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond" in 1960 was masterful. Yet his acting career was mainly relegated to guest roles on dozens of tv shows.
Suzan Ball, in her final performance, was captivating as the wife of Crazy Horse. She died the year the film was released, of cancer at the age of 21. She was very glamorous and a wonderful actress, who, like James Dean, no doubt would have had a long and distinguished career had she not been taken from us.
It is interesting that details of Custer's Last Stand included Crazy Horse's plan for an ambush. Most historical accounts of the Battle at the Little Big Horn do not credit this and say it was a surprise attack. Also, Crazy Horse's death was realistically portrayed, showing the treachery of Little Big Man. Most historical writings leave details of the murder rather sketchy. I believe the film's account, as with their version of Little Bighorn, came from the Sioux, which would be a reliable source.
A Nice Rendition, But...
carchero14 October 2019
This movie is based on some historical facts about Crazy Horse, who is played as an adult by Victor Mature. I first saw this movie as a kid in the 60's and fell in love with it. However, seeing it years later as an adult, I noticed certain discrepancies, like none of the main characters were portrayed by Native people. My family is of Cherokee descent, so this was important to me. I also wondered why Susan Ball, although beautiful, looked so stiff. Victor Mature wasn't old when this was made, but he looked too old to play this character who was in his 30's when he died. Honestly, the two things that captured my attention as a kid were the fight scenes and the music. The music was heavenly when parts of the prophecy came to pass. It creeped me out as a child, but I can really appreciate the score now. The movie is not boring. Not in the least. I still watch it from time to time and it's still one of my favorites. But now, I understand that the Hollywood prejudice that laced its creation can't be compared with the reality of the Native person who inspired the story.
Great western from Universal Studios
searchanddestroy-129 May 2022
I don't know how faithful it is to the true story of Crazy Horse, but it is not an anti Indian western, on the contrary. Victor Mature is rather convincing in the lead role, but not as convincing as Jeff Candler in BROKEN ARROW. George Sherman was a good western film director and he did his best at Universal Pictures LAST OF THE FAST GUNS for instance. Splendid natural settings, landscapes galore and action scenes too. Awesome atmosphere helped by an adequate score. It remains classic though, do not expect unusual lines.
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