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Post by Scout on Nov 19, 2005 17:53:43 GMT -6
I have read about this film before but have never seen it. Are the battle scenes good? Is it worth buying? Need a review.
Comanche [2000] The story of the sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand.
Buck Taylor as Myles Keogh, John Ethan Wayne [the Duke's youngest son] as Mark Kellogg, Gerald McRainey as Sturgis, directed & written by Burt Kenndy
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Post by elisabeth on Nov 20, 2005 2:34:22 GMT -6
You've found it for sale somewhere??? According to IMDb there's no DVD or VHS version, and Amazon doesn't have it ... Same thing with 'Tonka', as well. I've virtually given up hope of ever seeing either, unless they turn up on TV. If you've seen any version of either available anywhere, I'd be really grateful if you could tell me where!
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Post by Scout on Nov 20, 2005 6:52:10 GMT -6
Liz,
Well actually no, I just assumed it was available as I've seen reviews of it several places. I thought it was offered thru the CBHMA book store several years ago. I'll have to do some digging on this one. Was it ever released to anyone?
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Post by Scout on Nov 20, 2005 7:00:05 GMT -6
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Post by elisabeth on Nov 20, 2005 9:49:40 GMT -6
Ouch indeed ...! But it's great to know it exists. Thanks for tracking it down! Actually, I just did a search for Breyer, and it seems the video's a standard feature of their Comanche set. So if one can live without the autograph, it can be had for a LOT less elsewhere. $45.95 or so here: gallery.bcentral.com/GID4055298P4624709-Breyer-Collectibles/Breyer-1134-Comanche-Horses-in-American-History.aspxand even less, $38, here -- though it looks as if one can't order online: www.bufordsaddle.com/breyer/amarican_history_and_quarter_horses.htm(That's their own bizarre spelling of 'American', by the way; the link should work.) And loads of other places have it at a variety of prices. Brilliant hunting, sir! I'd had no idea that the video that goes with the model was the video of the movie. Had assumed it was a documentary. Maybe that's why it's unavailable on Amazon or anywhere else; Breyer must have bought it up?
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Post by elisabeth on Nov 20, 2005 11:10:52 GMT -6
Have just ordered it -- from horsetackco.com for $39.95.
It may take a while to get to me across the Atlantic, but if you don't mind the wait, I'll report on what it's like ...
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Post by Scout on Nov 20, 2005 15:40:14 GMT -6
Thanks Liz. Yea, I would love to have a review of it and know if it can be recommended to everyone interested in the subject. The price is still a little steep though. I would only pay $75 if Comanche signed it....could do without the model horse myself.
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Post by elisabeth on Nov 28, 2005 6:41:30 GMT -6
Well, I can now report. And the first thing to say is -- it's only 29 minutes long!!! Don't know if this Breyer VHS was cut down from a longer TV version (IMDb doesn't give a running time) but it doesn't feel like it. I think it was always meant for a half-hour slot.
Basically, it's more of a dramatised documentary than a drama. As a horse weepie, it's very sweet; but as a Custer or LBH movie, forget it.
It opens with Comanche's deathbed scene: farrier Sam Winchester (Kris Kristofferson) and the vet. Beautifully written and beautifully played, which made one long for a full-length movie on the subject from this creative team. As Comanche's about to breathe his last, we then go into flashback with voice-over narration from Kristofferson: Comanche as a foal, Comanche rounded up by mustangers, Comanche bought by Tom Custer in batch of remounts, Comanche bought (they fudge that disputed question with "you won't find this in the records"!) by Keogh. We then take a spirited three-minute gallop through Comanche's various engagements and wounds -- Sully expedition, KKK, Kentucky moonshiners -- before getting to LBH. At first this looked promising, as they'd paid attention to visual detail for the march: troopers in column of four (how often do you see that?) and authentically dressed in a mixture of uniform and non-uniform garments. However, this takes up only a split-second of screen time; the battle is dealt with impressionistically, again very briefly, and using footage recycled from SOTMS intercut with close-ups of Comanche and Keogh. A couple of minutes of this at most (and inaccurate to boot) and we're into the Comanche-recovering-from-wounds story, Sturgis's order, Comanche happily wandering the post etc; Comanche in old age; and full circle back to his death scene.
Angie Dickinson is credited with "appearing" as Libbie, but she doesn't; she just does one voice-over. Ethan Wayne appears as Kellogg, but doesn't speak on camera, only in voice-over. We get Sturgis reading out the General Order, but apart from that, the only actual dialogue is in the Winchester/vet scenes; everyone else is mute. We don't see or hear of Korn, we don't see Nowlan, we don't see Custer, and a lot of the action is conveyed via (very fine) watercolour/ink illustrations done by Buck Taylor himself. He, incidentally, doesn't look remotely like Keogh, and Comanche doesn't look much like Comanche -- being played by a bay, not a claybank. Acts quite well, though. Oh, and it's shot at Fort Larned, which might be of interest.
Verdict: if it turns up on TV, no harm in watching it; if you find it in a rummage sale for a couple of dollars, worth buying as a curiosity; but don't bother otherwise!
Still, I'm pleased to have seen it. I've been longing for years to know how they handled it.
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Post by Scout on Nov 28, 2005 9:07:07 GMT -6
Liz,
Thanks so much for the review, I'm glad you didn't pat the $75 price. I guess writer director Burt Kennedy's heart was in the right place. This was the last thing he did before he passed away. Buck Taylor seems a little old to play the role, but I have always loved Angie. Thanks again.
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Post by Melani on Dec 13, 2005 21:07:17 GMT -6
Don't worry too much about "Tonka" either--it's really bizarre fiction, Disney-style. I saw it as a kid, and I do have both the comic book and the Little Golden Book, which is illustrated with photos from the movie. If you're really looking for it, you might try seeing if Disney sells it at all.
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Post by elisabeth on Dec 14, 2005 7:21:30 GMT -6
Disney doesn't any more, but as it happens someone's kindly put a copy my way. Yes, I realise the plot's pretty soundly divorced from reality, but I look forward to seeing it nonetheless!
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