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From Amazon.co.uk
A crisp retelling of a true-life episode from the Civil War, The Horse Soldiers is a latter-day sorta-Western from John Ford, falling midway between The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). In 1863 a Union colonel named Grierson (Marlowe in the film, and John Wayne by any name) led his cavalry several hundred miles behind Confederate lines to cut the railway track between Newton Station and soon-to-be-embattled Vicksburg. Grierson's raid was as successful as it was daring, and remarkably bloodless. Never fear that the screenplay makes up for that un-Hollywood lapse--as well as supplying amatory distraction for the colonel in the form of a feisty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who has to be dragged along to protect secrecy.
There's a certain amount of bombast in the running arguments about wartime ethics between Marlowe and the new regimental surgeon (William Holden), who don't take to each other at all. But Ford more than makes up for it with such tasty scenes as an encounter with a couple of redneck Rebel deserters (Denver Pyle and Strother Martin), an ethereal swamp crossing led by a cornpone deacon (Hank Worden), and above all the famous skirmish with a hillside full of young cadets from a venerable military academy. The film ends rather abruptly because Ford abandoned a climactic battle scene--the veteran stunt man and bit player Fred Kennedy having been killed in a horse-fall. Golden-age cowboy star Hoot Gibson, who acted in Ford's directorial debut, Straight Shooting (1917), appears as Sergeant Brown. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com
Product Description
Brand new and sealed!! Please note this is the region free USA edition!! Get it quick!! Get it now !!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
They'll catch up to you and cut you to pieces, you nameless, fatherless scum.
29 April 2011
By Spike Owen
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) is asked to take his Union calvary troop deep into Confederate territory to destroy the railroad and depot at Newton Station. Much to Marlowe's chagrin, regimental surgeon Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) is also along for the mission. With both men completely at odds with each other as regards adherence to duty and the execution of war. Things are further complicated when the brigade rests at Greenbriar Plantation, because Miss Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers), the plantation's mistress, and her slave Lukey (Althea Gibson) eavesdrop on a staff meeting thus hearing the plans about the raid. To protect the mission, Marlowe is forced to take the two women with him.
John Ford's venture into the American Civil War is adapted from Harold Sinclair's novel of the same name. The story is based around the true story of Grierson's Raid and the climatic Battle of Newton's Station, which was led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson who, along with his men, rode hundreds of miles behind enemy lines in April 1863 to blow up the railroad between Newton's Station and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Thus giving Confederate General John C. Pemberton a whole heap of problems.
What is at first the most striking thing about The Horse Soldiers is the chemistry between Holden and Wayne, friends in real life they were and my how does it show here. It gives the film a real sense of believability, the characters may be at odds as the ideological conflict between the military and the medical professions shows its hand, but a respectful, almost friendly rivalry shines thru from the two icons of machismo.... Read more ›
John Ford's venture into the American Civil War is adapted from Harold Sinclair's novel of the same name. The story is based around the true story of Grierson's Raid and the climatic Battle of Newton's Station, which was led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson who, along with his men, rode hundreds of miles behind enemy lines in April 1863 to blow up the railroad between Newton's Station and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Thus giving Confederate General John C. Pemberton a whole heap of problems.
What is at first the most striking thing about The Horse Soldiers is the chemistry between Holden and Wayne, friends in real life they were and my how does it show here. It gives the film a real sense of believability, the characters may be at odds as the ideological conflict between the military and the medical professions shows its hand, but a respectful, almost friendly rivalry shines thru from the two icons of machismo.... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Buzz Pliskin
Format:Blu-ray
The Horse Soldiers represents the 11th outing of John Ford and John Wayne. Having created the seminal Westerns Stagecoach, buy the Criterion Blu Ray it's wonderful, and The Searchers some of the other collaborations are a little below par, unsurprising when we have the aforementioned films as benchmarks!
The Horse Soldiers sits comfortably in the upper bracket without ever really reaching the heights of it's predecessors to call it an out and out classic. The story is fast paced and laced with a good dose of underlying humour, most through Constance Towers (slightly miss cast in the role IMO), " Care for some more leg or breast? as she leans over the table with the lowest cut top. Wayne replies "No thank you mam, I've had quite enough". It's a solid Wayne Western.
Onto the Blu ray itself: The colours are vibrant but unfortunately that is where the Blu ray transfer seems to stop. The picture quality is no better than the DVD with the exception of 40% of the close-up scenes which suddenly burst into life and looks great. It is a travesty given the importance of these films and how good transfers can be. If you compare this to How the West was Won, another Ford and Wayne collaboration, albeit John Wayne is only in it for a few minutes, you will see the difference. The Cinerama version of How the West was Won is truly breathtaking and a wonderful transfer. The Horse Soldier alas has been give a cheap update; the film deserves better.
Having said all of the above this version is the best currently available so it's better than not having it at all. We can only hope that maybe a special edition, similar to The Comanchero's digibook a must buy!, may be released in the future.... Read more ›
The Horse Soldiers sits comfortably in the upper bracket without ever really reaching the heights of it's predecessors to call it an out and out classic. The story is fast paced and laced with a good dose of underlying humour, most through Constance Towers (slightly miss cast in the role IMO), " Care for some more leg or breast? as she leans over the table with the lowest cut top. Wayne replies "No thank you mam, I've had quite enough". It's a solid Wayne Western.
Onto the Blu ray itself: The colours are vibrant but unfortunately that is where the Blu ray transfer seems to stop. The picture quality is no better than the DVD with the exception of 40% of the close-up scenes which suddenly burst into life and looks great. It is a travesty given the importance of these films and how good transfers can be. If you compare this to How the West was Won, another Ford and Wayne collaboration, albeit John Wayne is only in it for a few minutes, you will see the difference. The Cinerama version of How the West was Won is truly breathtaking and a wonderful transfer. The Horse Soldier alas has been give a cheap update; the film deserves better.
Having said all of the above this version is the best currently available so it's better than not having it at all. We can only hope that maybe a special edition, similar to The Comanchero's digibook a must buy!, may be released in the future.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By HONEST JOHN
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love this great John Wayne film, even the singing at the begining. William Holden plays his part well, it has a good storyline, humour and no swearing, which makes it an ideal film 4 families....Buy It....ps I watched it 10 times, am i sad....maybe
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Out of the many films John Ford directed John Wayne in, this is probably the weakest and it didn't exactly do quite well in the box office and it was a financhial failure. The acting chemistry between Colonel John Wayne and doctor William Holden is very well performed. But the movie is a bit panto at times and Constance Towers is very annoying throughout the movie. The positive things though is that their are a few thrilling action sequences and great cinematography and if you are a fan of John Ford and John Wayne, this movie is well worth watching and I would give it 7/10.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Horse Soldiers is usually damned with faint praise as one of John Ford's lesser Westerns, especially compared to his famed cavalry trilogy. It's not hard to understand why: despite the big budget and substantial resources it's more an okay film than a particularly good one, hobbled by a clumsily manufactured central conflict that simply doesn't ring true and a few too many plot turns that go nowhere. John Wayne is the ex-railroad engineer turned Union colonel sent behind Confederate lines to destroy their railroad tracks to disrupt their supply lines, which should be enough for a decent Western, but the film takes an early turn into the desperately contrived by having him take an instant dislike to William Holden's surgeon who has been foisted upon him - not because of a clash of personalities, which might make sense, but because he thinks doctors are charlatans using soldiers to experiment on... You can guess why he has that view long before he drunkenly reveals it, but the only way that it could have generated any real dramatic sparks if is Holden had been the doctor concerned instead of a nice guy who just rubs the Duke up the wrong way.
You know they'll eventually learn to respect each other but the scriptwriters can't really build any real drama out of such shaky foundations, and since they're also the producers there's no-one to tell them to go back and think about it some more, reducing Wayne to the usual default by-the-numbers grumpy and obstinate persona of his lesser pictures and Holden an amiable figure more bemused than frustrated by him. So to up the ante a little they have Wayne forced to take Constance Towers and her faithful slave Althea Gibson prisoner after they learn his plans, with the inevitable romance slowly brewing.... Read more ›
You know they'll eventually learn to respect each other but the scriptwriters can't really build any real drama out of such shaky foundations, and since they're also the producers there's no-one to tell them to go back and think about it some more, reducing Wayne to the usual default by-the-numbers grumpy and obstinate persona of his lesser pictures and Holden an amiable figure more bemused than frustrated by him. So to up the ante a little they have Wayne forced to take Constance Towers and her faithful slave Althea Gibson prisoner after they learn his plans, with the inevitable romance slowly brewing.... Read more ›
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
I think that this is one of the best of John Wayne's movies. I believe that it is based upon a true raid made by the feds deep into Dixie. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. P. O. Halloran
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wayne wins. Again.
This 1959 film is essentially a mainstream western, and a vehicle for the stars, John Wayne, and William Holden. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. P. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Horse Soldiers
One of John Wayne's best and William Holden is great in this movie as well he plays the Doctor always at logger heads with the Duke.
Published 6 months ago by Frank Arden
5.0 out of 5 stars
John Ford soldiers
A classic horse film from John Ford, with John Wayne and William Holden taking the lead rolls.
The movie was based on a true event during the American civil war.
The movie was based on a true event during the American civil war.
Published 8 months ago by John Graham
4.0 out of 5 stars
dvd
Bought as a gift. Easy to find on amazon despite it being an old film. Arrived quickly in the post.
Published 18 months ago by ramgib
5.0 out of 5 stars
WAYNE AND FORD.
JOHN FORD..JOHN WAYNE..CAVALRY MOVIE, NOW WHERE COULD YOU GO WRONG??? AND THE STIRRING SCORE BY DAVID BUTTOLPH, FIRST CLASS MOVIE BUSTING WITH CLASS, TRUE WHEN THEY SAY " THEY... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mrs. Flora Holmes
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Horse Soldiers
I bought this film for a friend, but I did watch it as well. It is quite a good film, of its type, with John Wayne as a yankee soldier in the American Civil War. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2010 by Lainey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Way down south
John Ford is on form and so are John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers in this Union raid on the Confederate States.
Published on 16 July 2010 by Chris
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