Custer of the West

[Tommy Tainant]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

 

[Moonglow]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Errol Flynn did a better job in the 1940's version of the film compared to Robert Shaw who had just obtained notoriety in an earlier film called Jaws..But hey it has a cast of thousands and Jews in costumes as Indian savages...

 

[Tommy Tainant]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Errol Flynn did a better job in the 1940's version of the film compared to Robert Shaw who had just obtained notoriety in an earlier film called Jaws..But hey it has a cast of thousands and Jews in costumes as Indian savages...

Jaws was made a few years later.

 

[Moonglow]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Errol Flynn did a better job in the 1940's version of the film compared to Robert Shaw who had just obtained notoriety in an earlier film called Jaws..But hey it has a cast of thousands and Jews in costumes as Indian savages...

Jaws was made a few years later.

My mistake it was The Sting he was in that was popular before this movie...

 

[Camp]

Spent about a week 45 years ago at the battlefield and surrounding area. Went on all the guided tours, bought some books and read them while I was there, hiked some trails and got to know the landscape pretty good. Places, where soldiers bodies were found, were marked so you were able the get a good perspective of how the battle went down. Never seen a movie that came close to reality from what I learned that week.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Errol Flynn did a better job in the 1940's version of the film compared to Robert Shaw who had just obtained notoriety in an earlier film called Jaws..But hey it has a cast of thousands and Jews in costumes as Indian savages...

Jaws was made a few years later.

My mistake it was The Sting he was in that was popular before this movie...

He has been in some great films hasnt he ?

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Spent about a week 45 years ago at the battlefield and surrounding area. Went on all the guided tours, bought some books and read them while I was there, hiked some trails and got to know the landscape pretty good. Places, where soldiers bodies were found, were marked so you were able the get a good perspective of how the battle went down. Never seen a movie that came close to reality from what I learned that week.

Would love to do that.Its on my retirement list.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Errol Flynn did a better job in the 1940's version of the film compared to Robert Shaw who had just obtained notoriety in an earlier film called Jaws..But hey it has a cast of thousands and Jews in costumes as Indian savages...

Jaws was made a few years later.

My mistake it was The Sting he was in that was popular before this movie...

The Sting was also a few years later....1973.

 

[Lysistrata]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Your description of Custer is absolutely correct. Even after he bought it at Little Big Horn, his wife Libby tried to keep his fame alive. He traveled great distances during his life to keep Libby's feet warm. A great read on Custer is Evan Connell's book Son of the Morning Star:

https://www.amazon.com/Son-Morning-Star-Custer-Bighorn/dp/0865475105&tag=ff0d01-20

It is well researched and contains a lot of info on the local life of the Native Americans. I think that it was in this book that each tribe had a different hairstyle and no warrior wanted to go into battle without his " 'do," as that was how they told each other apart. Plus, they liked to party.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

I watched this last night. Havent seen it since the 60s when I pestered my Dad to take me and see it.Its a bit of a curates egg as a film. Some parts are brilliant but some parts dont add up.

It starts in the Civil War with Custer leading charges against the Rebs and ends at the Little Big Horn a few years later.

Custer comes across as a self obsessed idiot who got many of his men killed in order to create his own legend.

It looks amazing despite being filmed in Spain and there are several sequences that will stay with you for ever.

In particular the escape from the lumber camp is still thrilling 50 years later. It is worth watching for that alone.

The reviews on imdb are a bit churlish in my opinion. It is a bit disjointed and Robert Shaw isnt American.But it packs a lot into its 2 hours. The only thing missing is a sympathetic central character.



Custer of the West (1967) - IMDb

Your description of Custer is absolutely correct. Even after he bought it at Little Big Horn, his wife Libby tried to keep his fame alive. He traveled great distances during his life to keep Libby's feet warm. A great read on Custer is Evan Connell's book Son of the Morning Star:

https://www.amazon.com/Son-Morning-Star-Custer-Bighorn/dp/0865475105&tag=ff0d01-20

It is well researched and contains a lot of info on the local life of the Native Americans. I think that it was in this book that each tribe had a different hairstyle and no warrior wanted to go into battle without his " 'do," as that was how they told each other apart. Plus, they liked to party.

The only biog I have read was written by the chap who wrote Band of Brothers. Cant remember his name. Sounds similar to your book. Lots of stuff about the Sioux lifestyle.The Custer myth sems to be traced back to Mrs Custer and a generally racist Hollywood.