The Horse Soldiers

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The Horse Soldiers (12-Jun-1959)

Director: John Ford

Writers: John Lee Mahin; Martin Rackin

From a novel by: Harold Sinclair

Name Occupation Birth Death Known for

Ken Curtis Actor 2-Jul-1916 29-Apr-1991 Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke

Althea Gibson Tennis 25-Aug-1927 28-Sep-2003 First black woman to win Wimbledon

Hoot Gibson Actor 6-Aug-1892 23-Aug-1962 Cowboy star of the 20s and 30s

William Holden Actor 17-Apr-1918 16-Nov-1981 Stalag 17

Anna Lee Actor 2-Jan-1913 14-May-2004 Lila Quartermaine on General Hospital

Strother Martin Actor 26-Mar-1919 1-Aug-1980 Cool Hand Luke

Denver Pyle Actor 11-May-1920 25-Dec-1997 Jesse Duke on Dukes of Hazzard

Bing Russell Actor 5-May-1926 8-Apr-2003 Dep. Clem Foster on Bonanza

Constance Towers Actor 20-May-1933 Shock Corridor

John Wayne Actor 26-May-1907 11-Jun-1979 The Duke

REVIEWS

Review by Charles E. Kelly (posted on 25-Dec-2007)

I have seen all of John Wayne's films. Well, almost all of them. For some reason, I like this one, maybe the most. Perhaps it was the subtle, yet smoldering chemistry between Constance Towers and John Wayne. Or maybe it was the Wayne-Holden chemistry. The filming was beautiful. The sets so authentic. And the attention to genuine cavalry details provide a great sense of the time-period. But overall, the chemistry between Wayne and Towers always makes me long for such a romance. She was so damned beautiful. Those eyes. His sense of duty and honor. Just the way she looked at him. I think it was very underrated.

Review by McKay Anderson (posted on 27-Sep-2007)

I completely agree with the last reviewer. This movie is totally underated! The cast is superb from top to bottom! The Duke is never more comfortable in a role. The addition of Bill Holden in a John Ford movie with John Wayne was a stroke of genius. Too bad is was their only movie together. The supporting cast was excellent. I went to the movie in 1959 to see my favorite actor/director's latest movie and was absolutely dumbstruck when Constance Towers appeared on screen. It was the first time I had ever seen her and I still feel she was the most beautiful actress I had ever seen and feel that way to this day. For the most part the film was historically correct and based on an actual event. I bring out this DVD along with "The Searchers" and watch them 3-4 times a year.

Review by john levin (posted on 9-Sep-2007)

This John Ford/John Wayne film remains underrated. The prevalent reason for overlooking this one concerns the accidental death of a stuntman who Ford had allowed to work in spite of health problems.Allegedly Ford just wanted out and lost interest. Maybe so. But the evidence on screen shows a one-time combo of Wayne and Holden and the sparks do fly! The only irritant is Willis Bouchey who "John"s Wayne interminably. This film deserves another look.

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