Custer of the West
Custer of the West | |
---|---|
Directed by | Robert Siodmak |
Written by | Bernard Gordon Julian Zimet |
Produced by | Philip Yordan executive Irving Lerner |
Starring | Robert Shaw Jeffrey Hunter Ty Hardin Mary Ure |
Cinematography | Cecilio Paniagua |
Edited by | Peter Parasheles Maurice Rootes |
Music by | Bernardo Segall |
Production company | Security Pictures |
Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 141 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4 million rentals)[2] |
Custer of the West is a 1967[3] American epic Western film directed by Robert Siodmak that presents a highly fictionalised version of the life and death of George Armstrong Custer, starring Robert Shaw as Custer, Robert Ryan, Ty Hardin, Jeffrey Hunter, and Mary Ure. The film was shot entirely in Spain.[4]
Plot
With no better offers to be had, famous
Cast
- General George Armstrong Custer
- Elizabeth Custer
- Ty Hardin as Major Marcus Reno
- Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Frederick Benteen
- Lawrence Tierney as General Philip Sheridan
- Marc Lawrence as the gold miner
- Kieron Moore as Chief Dull Knife
- Charles Stalmaker as Lt. Howells
- Jack Gaskins as Sgt. Gaskins
- Robert Hall as Sgt. Buckley
- Robert Ryan as Sgt. Mulligan
- John Clark as the Fort surgeon
- Barta Barri as The Grand Duke Alexis
Production
In the mid 1960s
Producer Philip Yordan decided to make his own Custer movie and hired Bernard Gordon and Julian Zimet to write a script. According to Zimet, “The original brief was to turn out a typical Western sainted hero martyr script, which Gordon and I duly delivered. But Robert Shaw figured he would make it over to suit himself. Which he did. He turned Custer into a sadist of Shakespearean depth.”[5]
According to Bernard Gordon, "Production stumbled along on Custer as Julian and I tried to give the Indians a fair shake.[verify] Robert Shaw was helpful. A bright man and a fine writer, he approved of our point of view of that the Indians were victims right to the end. He even wrote one speech for Custer… that made this point sharply.”[5]
Yordan said he needed a known star (Shaw) and director (Siodmak) to raise the funds to make the movie.[5]
Julian Zimet later elaborated:
Shaw took care of the battle scenes himself. Siodmak preferred directing ballroom scenes, which he had done so often in his long career they required no invention. What he didn’t anticipate, as he choreographed fifty couples, was that the actor—whose intervention was designed to give coherence to the scene—would go crazy, punch him in the chops, and walk off the set. I was already working on another project, but Yordan insisted that I write some lines for a minor actor, which would account for the miscreant’s absence. This would allow the ballroom scene to continue, save having to locate the crazy or drunk actor, and save having to reshoot. While Siodmak kept the dancers in motion, I rehearsed the new actor in his role, and tailors stitched together a bespoke uniform. Within minutes he burst upon the scene, apologised on behalf of the government minister for his absence—due to a crisis in Washington—and announced an impending honour for Custer. It was a weak solution, but it saved a lot of money. That’s show business for you.[5]
The film was originally known as Custer's West. It was one of two big screen epics made by Security Pictures (a company of Louis Dolivet and Philip Yordan) in the Cinerama process, the other being Krakatoa, East of Java. Security borrowed $6 million from the First National Bank to make the films in collaboration with Pacific Theatres. Pacific and Security Pictures gave distribution rights to Cinerama. Cinerama bought out most of the rights of Pacific and Security Pictures then sold 50% of the movie to ABC Films.[6][7]
Most of the film was shot within 30 miles of Madrid except for the Battle of Little Big Horn which was filmed in Almería near Costa del Sol.[8][1]
Reception
The film met with a largely negative reaction from critics. At
Home media
Custer of the West was released to VHS by Anchor Bay Entertainment on July 14, 1998 and on DVD by MGM Home Video on May 25, 2004, as a Region 1 widescreen DVD.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Joseph, Robert (January 15, 1967). "Custer in Castillia? They Went Thataway". Los Angeles Times. p. o12.
- ^ Daily Variety. May 21, 1992. p. 22.
- ISBN 1-57607-952-X.
- IMDb
- ^ a b c d Sinclair, Clive (May 4, 2015). "Writers at the Movies: 'Custer of the West'". Contrapasso.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (August 16, 1967). "Cinerama Is Widening Its Operations". The New York Times. p. 36.
- ^ Penn, Stanley (January 16, 1968). "Spurt in Cinerama Stock Price Spotlights Options for Over 1 Million Shares at About $4". Wall Street Journal. p. 14.
- ^ "La última aventura del general Custer (1967) Película - PLAY Cine". ABC (in European Spanish). March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ Custer of the West at Rotten Tomatoes
External links
- Custer of the West at IMDb
- Custer of the West at TCMDB
- Review of film at DVD Talk
- Review of film at The New York Times
- Custer of the West at Cinerama