It’s notable today for being the first western to star a black man—Willy Strode (a Ford regular). Strode actually played football at UCLA with Jackie Robinson. In that regards it’s a landmark film
Strode shares with screen pretty equally with Jeffrey Hunter (surprisingly good as his lawyer) and Constance Towers
It’s partially about the famous Civil War Buffalo Soldiers
It was part of Ford’s apology tour in the 1960’s (7 Women for women in 1966 and Cheyenne Autumn for Native Americans in 1964)
For Strode it was a big year as he also was in Spartacus
Very solid use of technicolor—Fordisms—monument valley opening and then later during a chase
Constance Towers had just worked with Ford on horse soldiers in 1960 and Wayne was off directing the Alamo
Hints at Ford’s early Judge Priest film—innocent man
The entire film is a court room drama with testimony as the flashback vehicle
Judge kicks wife out of the court and wife says “wait until I get you home”
The male choir singing Calvary song in opening titles- Ford must have done this a dozen times with different songs
Ford’s auteurism in community- officer’s wives gossiping
A strong statement on the Civil Rights set in the Civil War
The court room goes black every time prior to flashback
Multiple tracking shots in for close-up effect
Rape, mystery
It is definitely connected to The Searchers. We have references to the Jorgensen Ranch, Apache raids, great photography (though not a peer of the searchers), set in civil war and they’re searching for a missing person on horseback
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