A famous they-took-my-film-away-and-butchered-it movie, with Sam Peckinpah bleating loudly about the suits and critics dutifully taking his side. I think there's a lot of grat things about this movie but it has an essential flaw. Oddly fixing that flaw I think would've been easy and saved money but the studio wanted a RoadShow, and Peckinpah prepped for one, then the studio cut budget, and filming went haywire.
The basic idea is very strong - North and South troops team up to chase Apaches into Mexico and clash with the French. There's a knock out cast.
But there's too many characters. Charlton Heston (very good) leads a a big band and there's all these people whose stories need to be services. Richard Harris is the Southern officer, an Irishman, James Coburn is a scout, Warren Oates is a Confederate, Brock Peters is a black soldier, Michael Anderson is a bugler seeking revenge against the Apache, Santa Berger is an Austrian doctor's widow, Ben Johnson is a sergeant, there's a sort of peaceful reverend guy RG Armstrong, Mexican Mario Adorf, Jim Hutton is an officer (I think he's meant to be a scrounger character), there's also some other women, oh and there's Slim Pickens too. And LQ Jones as some Southern soldier who gets these close ups. Like Heston hooks up with Berger, and then has a relationship with another woman. Who cares?
It's impossible to feed all these characters especially when time is devoted to Heston's character having a mid life crsis - which is fine actually. He should be the focal point. And you need Harris' character. Peters' character had great potential and is junked. Oates has a terrific subplot being killed. They should've cut Anderson and Hutton entirely, merged Coburn's characer with Jojhnson and Adrof... made it about a small bunch. Trim it right down to, let's say, Heston, Harris, Peters, that merged Coburn character and a few others.
There's so much terrific stuff. I loved the novely of them fighting the French at the end. Harris and Heston nduking it out is fun. Heston gives one of his best performances and Harris has flair. The Peckinpah regulars are spt on. Actually all the acting is good and the Mexican locations are splendid as is the photography.
What a missed opportunity.
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