Cavalry Charge (aka The Last Outpost, 1951)
Picture: C+
Sound: C Extras: C Film: C-
Ronald Reagan did his best to be a success in the
Classical Hollywood studio system, but it was only as it collapsed that he
received more lead roles, even if you realize they were often from companies
(even bigger ones) that had their days numbered. Cavalry Charge (1951, aka The Last Outpost) was the
first time he had the lead in a Western, despite having logged many years in
the business. I consider this one of
the most interesting stages of his career, especially as TV kicks in, but this
is far from his best film. It is the
kind that made him seem like a has-been, if anything.
Rhonda Fleming, Bruce Bennet, Noah Berry and Hugh Beaumont
co-star as two brothers take opposite fighting sides in The Civil War, with
Vance Britton (Reagan) becomes a confederate and Jeb (Bennet) is with the Union
Army. This is a set up with potential,
but the film gets more tied up in genre conventions and formula than telling a story
and it seems director Lewis R. Foster does Reagan a disservice in having him be
a carbon-copy John Wayne. This may have
seemed commercially ideal, but it is just lame.
For a film shot by Loyal Griggs, A.S.C, in real
three-strip Technicolor, this copy is off-color and no example of how great the
dye-transfer process really is. Add
that no less than Edith Head did the costuming for Fleming and the 1.33 x 1
image is a disappointment, though the definition is not bad and you can
sometimes get an idea of how good this looked in real life. Where is the original camera negative to
this film? The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
is also weak, though fidelity in the pretentious music by Lucien Cailliet is
not missed. This is the first time this
has been issued on DVD and I doubt a better copy actually exists at this point.
Extras include the monochrome documentary short Crossroads
Of The Orient which does not say much, the politically incorrect Pow Wow
“Tempe-Toons” animated short Why Burlybear Likes Honey which has its
color fading fast and Chapter One of Universal’s Buck Rogers serial,
which is available in its entirety from VCI and reviewed elsewhere on this
site. Collectors might be happy to
replace their VHS copy of the film with this DVD, but the film is a curio at
best. The portrayal of the Apaches is
the worst aspect of all, dating it even further.
- Nicholas Sheffo
