The events of the life and career of George Armstrong Custer from his recall to Washington in 1875 through the Battle of the Little Big Horn is told largely in flashback illustrating the testimony of Captain Benton (sic: actually Benteen) as played by Darren McGavin to an Army Court of Enquiry. It's largely a story of politics, both army politics and federal politics; Phillip Carey, as Custer controls the narrative in Washington, and in exile in Ohio, where he is visited by Senator Blane (Don Haggerty), who suggests that by making himself a hero, he can have a run at the presidency. His subsequent actions can be interpreted in that light.
It certainly explains his transformation from pro-Indian activist to blind supporter of the Caucasian invasion of the Black Hills, but fails to explain his blunders at the final battle. Perhaps a more gifted director than Sidney Salkow would have managed a better movie. Certainly the pacing offered by editor William Austin seems erratic, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn uses a lot of stunts several times. Still, the movie is interesting, if a trifle long. With Joseph Cotten, Frank Ferguson, and Iron Eyes Cody.
0 out of 1 found this helpful