Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

classicsoncall The real life Bill Cody must have been quite the conflicted character. While revering the Indian way of life, he took part in the Indian Wars and led buffalo hunts that wound up decimating the country's massive herds of the animal, helping destroy the lives of many tribes. The dichotomy in Cody's (Joel McCrae) character is given resonance following the Battle of War Bonnet Gorge, when he comments on the terrible loss of life - "They were all my friends".For a while, I thought the introduction of Linda Darnell's character was intended as a romantic tease vying for Cody's affection for Miss Frederici (Maureen O'Hara), but that plot line wound up going nowhere. If Darnell's character name was mentioned in the story I had to have missed it, she's called Dawn Starlight on the credits page here.Same thing with Edgar Buchanan's character, the Cavalry Sergeant Chips McGraw. He wound up not really having a lot to do in the story, eventually learning he was dismissed from the Army after serving for thirty years. Talk about your slow postal service. One thing you'll only catch in this picture though, it's the only time I've ever seen Buchanan with a white handlebar mustache! As with most of these Western films of the era, there's not much to go by that's historically accurate, so the best thing to do is just settle back and enjoy it for what it is. McCrea seems to be unusually laid back in his role as the frontier hero, his best moments perhaps while dealing with Cheyenne war chief Yellow Hand (Anthony Quinn). But once again, any story that introduces Ned Buntline (Thomas Mitchell) as a character has to be taken with a grain of salt. He always did his best to sell newspapers and magazines, even if it meant streeeeetching the truth.

utgard14 Biopic of legendary frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody, ably played by Joel McCrea. He fights with and for Native Americans. The two women in his life are senator's daughter Maureen O'Hara and Cheyenne schoolteacher Linda Darnell. O'Hara gets the guy but Darnell is radiant in Technicolor. Her character's name is Dawn Starlight, which is possibly my favorite name ever. The rest of the cast is solid, with Thomas Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan, and Anthony Quinn offering fine support. There's more fiction than fact here, as is usually the case with Hollywood biopics. It's pleasant, straightforward storytelling. Good but never quite as good as you hoped it would be.

Tim Kidner This bright and cheery western has a great sense of the outdoors, helped by good colour cinematography and locations.William F Cody "Buffalo Bill" (Joel McCrea) as the legend tells us was an army scout who then later rescues a Senator and his beautiful daughter, who he marries. He also came to be firm friends with Yellow Hand, who later became chief of the Cheyenne. Cody takes the side of the Indians when modern 'civilisation' moves in over the plains where the buffalo grazed, wiping out both the beasts and the habitat. He later took his Spirit of the Wild West worldwide with his Show, for which he gained international notoriety.McCrea is OK as Cody and as others have said, Anthony Quinn, now, looks faintly ridiculous as Chief Yellow Hand. Then, as a relative unknown, I suppose this gross miscasting wouldn't have mattered as much. However, it is the beautiful Maureen O' Hara as Cody's wife who holds the interest for many, as her loveliness radiates through from the screen.It's also been said that this William A Wellman directed biopic is fictionalised and cannot be considered accurate. That aside, there's plenty of good fighting action, battles on horseback and plains where real buffalo roam. All in all, a modest little western that's quite watchable, if you take it for what it is.

frankfob Big, splashy spectacle benefits from absolutely beautiful photography and a truly outstanding finale that has hundreds of cavalrymen and Indians battling in the middle of a river. Joel McCrea's performance is okay--overacting is something he was never accused of--and Maureen O'Hara tries hard but is miscast (not, however, as badly as Linda Darnell, who is breathtaking to look at but totally wasted as an Indian maiden). The script takes liberties with the facts, which is to be expected, but its point of view is quite a bit more sympathetic to the Indians' plight than that of most westerns of the period. Overall it doesn't hold up all that well, but if you've never seen it it's worth a look.