• 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
  • It’s a strong narrative
  • Recommend