Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Mari Sandoz (novel)
James R. Webb (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 October 1964 (USA)

Genre:

History | Western

Tagline:

LAND-GRABBING DOLLAR PATRIOTS!

Plot:

When the government agency fails to deliver even the meager supplies due by treaty to the proud Cheyenne tribe in their barren desert reserve...

Plot Keywords:

Journey | Cavalry | Historical | Native American | Doc Holliday

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Capt. Thomas Archer
Carroll Baker	...	Deborah Wright
Karl Malden	...	Capt. Wessels
Sal Mineo	...	Red Shirt
Dolores del Rio	...	Spanish Woman (as Dolores Del Rio)
Ricardo Montalban	...	Little Wolf
Gilbert Roland	...	Dull Knife
Arthur Kennedy	...	Doc Holliday
Patrick Wayne	...	Second Lieut. Scott
Elizabeth Allen	...	Miss Plantagenet
John Carradine	...	Jeff Blair
Victor Jory	...	Tall Tree
Mike Mazurki	...	Sr. First Sergeant
George O'Brien	...	Major Braden
Sean McClory	...	Dr. O'Carberry

Also Known As:

John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
The Long Flight (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (RCA Sound System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #20635) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~11.6 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~11.2 seconds.

Goofs:

Factual errors: James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy are clearly both far too old to be Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

Quotes:

Capt. Thomas Archer: Scott, tell me something.
2nd Lt. Scott: Sir?
Capt. Thomas Archer: What put the blood in your eyes?
2nd Lt. Scott: It's just a private matter, sir.
Capt. Thomas Archer: Nothing that affects an officer's conduct is private.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Wages of Sin (2003) (V)

A Liberal Film - But That's Not The Problem

This is probably the wrong place to discuss the plight of the indigenous population of North America but there's no denying the Native American has got a raw deal over the last couple of hundred years and watching CHEYENNE AUTUMN you're left in no doubt whose side John Ford is taking . Wouldn't it have been so much better then if Ford had actually cast Native Americans to play the Cheyenne characters in the movie instead of latino actors ? Of course you can't say Ford was guilty of hypocrisy in doing this , in 1972 Marlon Brando sent an Indian women to collect his best actor Oscar in protest at the plight of the native population of North America . Only thing is that she wasn't an Indian at all she was of Italian descent . Same as the tear stained Indian chief in the legendary advert from the 1970s who weeps when he sees the litter the white man has left in his country - He wasn't an Indian at all he was an Italian American . Say what you like about Kevin Costner but at least he had the decency to cast red Indians in his liberal study of American tribes in DANCES WITH WOLVES

I shouldn't be too hard on Ford since this was typical of film makers at the time , it didn't matter if you were Hispanic , Jewish or black you could still pass as a redskin . Hell if you were a white European by ethnicity you could still play an Indian , you'd just have to put on some brown make up and viola you're Chief Running Horse . No my criticism of this movie isn't to do with the portrayal of American tribes , it's all to do with a totally unfocused screenplay . There we are watching the white man stabbing the noble Indian population in the back once again , the Cheyenne have to trek across the desert plains then for some reason which is unknown to anyone except the producers the story cuts to Dodge City with the hopelessly miscast James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy playing Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday . Serious historical academics will also have a problem recognising these real life characters while the rest of the audience will wonder if this th same movie they were watching 20 minutes ago . Then we cut back to the Cheyenne trek again as we're left to wonder what the heck the Dodge City segment had to do with this aspect of the story

CHEYENNE AUTUMN isn't a total loss . I'll repeat it does take the side of the Indians and refreshingly humanizes them and Ford deserves some credit in not casting John Wayne in Richard Widmark's role and like most of Ford's films the cinematography is breath taking but the movie comes crashing down due to the screenplay that seems to have two entirely different stories within its pages