- 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
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