It had been a while since my last John Wayne picture and longer since my last John Ford picture. As you may have guessed, this gets labeled a western in part, at least on IMDb and Wikipedia. That said, it's set in Mississippi. I'm not even sure that any characters are supposed to be from out west. It just...kinda has that feel to it.
Wayne plays Col. Marlowe of the Union Army, leading a raid deep enough into Confederate territory to worry his men. That does not provide as much internal conflict as his philosophical differences with appointed surgeon Maj. Kendall (William Holden) and would-be leader Col. Secord (William Bouchey). The plot thickens when the brigade seeks hospitality from plantation mistress Hannah (Constance Towers) and slave Lukey (Althea Gibson -- yes, that one), only to find that they would gladly spy on Yankees. Wanting as few kills as possible, Marlowe opts to take both women along.
Quite a few episodic events ensue, as perhaps usual for war flicks. Most of them serve to highlight the clashes between Marlowe and, well, whoever else. Or the reduction of such, as when Hannah gradually softens toward the alleged enemy. It's harder to tell whether Marlowe softens toward her, tho.
His immediate resentment of Kendall, who treats Hannah better than he does, seems stranger. Who wouldn't welcome a doctor in a context where people are bound to get badly hurt? We eventually learn that doctors failed Marlowe's departed wife. Still, even for a Wayne character, he's surprisingly sour.
This being a '50s story with relevance to racial divisions, I should mention that Gibson, who never really acted again, declined to use the then-standard style of slave speech on screen. I kinda noticed that something was unusual that way. Of course, you may be disturbed enough to see a slave not rooting for the Union. Or an unrepentant slave owner ultimately made out to be basically good. But I think it was fair for its day. White characters do care about Black characters, with no Yankees showing blatant racism. (Marlowe gets annoyed at Kendall for administering to one, but he might have objected the same with any civilian patient.) Also, the extras got paid the same regardless of race.
The film doesn't exactly champion either side of the war as a bastion of virtue. Hannah was in no position to refuse resources to the unit. The total warfare tactics in the mission sure would mess things up for regular people. And when southern cadets barely into adolescence go to battle, nobody can look good.
If you want comic relief, there's Sgt. Maj. Kirby (Judson Pratt), who drinks alcohol whenever he gets the chance. Just Marlowe's luck to get him as a replacement for a sick MVP. Oh, and some moments with Hannah are pretty humorously suggestive.
Sources tell me that this was a troubled production. Director John Ford was irritable from having to avoid alcohol himself, Wayne's wife was having serious drug problems, Holden got the flu, three people broke legs, and long-time stuntman Fred Kennedy died on set. This explains why the movie ends sooner than planned, which might be just as well after two hours.
There are also too many anachronisms and other errors to recommend integrating a viewing into a history lesson. Not that the film claims to be based on a true story. It has some basis in a novel based on Grierson's Raid and the Battle of Newton's Station, but the novel is probably more accurate.
Instead, I half-recommend THS for the typical reason: It's entertaining. The action scenes are pretty good, the key actors play off each other rather well, and we get Ford cinematography in technicolor.
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