Sunday, May 26, 2013

Happy Memorial day

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3 comments:

ricpic said...

Apparently the Hank Fonda character in Fort Apache is more or less based on General Custer. If you want to read a less rah rah version of Custer and Custer's last stand there's a book just out by Larry McMurtry with the one word title, Custer. It's lavishly illustrated with photos and paintings of that era. The book is neither pro nor anti Custer. McMurtry sees it as inevitable that as the Americans moved into the west in significant numbers the Indian's nomadic way of life had to be stopped. The battle at the Little Bighorn was almost an accident. Custer, who had been a very aggressive and effective officer in the Civil War, but also arrogant to the point of stupidity, just assumed that the Indians would flee at the sight of any decent sized army unit (he had 250 men with him) didn't send out any scouts and accidently rode into a gathering of thousands (to this day we don't know how many thousands) of Indians. It was almost an "Oops, I goofed, but it's too late to retreat" battle. The interesting point McMurtry makes is that The Little Bighorn, even though it was an Indian victory, a total massacre in fact, marked the end for the Indians and they knew it.

May 26, 2013 at 9:06 PM
rcocean said...

I always love how Ford makes every character a HUMAN BEING in this movie. Even Thursday, who's pig-headed and blinded with pride, has his good side. He goes back to join his troops and die in a "last stand" - as the Wayne character states in the end, "No man died more gallantry"

May 29, 2013 at 1:40 AM
rcocean said...

People have criticized Wayne's ending speech, but he's not whitewashing Thursday, he doesn't lie, he's putting the best face on"Thursday's charge' because its best for the regiment.

May 29, 2013 at 1:43 AM

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