That was an excellent one.

Absolutely Fantastic

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This film seemed to bridge the epic cinematics of the 60's with the grit of the 70's. It was a portrayal of a stupid love interest wrapped in historical context... However, this film's dialogue is incorrect.In the beginning scenes with Cresta and Honus (after the "socks" scene), Honus mentions that his father was killed at Little Bighorn. Cresta's reply mentions Custer. The Little Bighorn massacre happened in 1876. This film is based on events in 1864. No one caught this?

Private Honus Gent and Cresta Lee are the sole survivors of a U.S cavalry platoon which was massacred by the Cheyenne. Cresta has been a prisoner of the Indians and has come to sympathise with their struggle, whereas Honus is a naïve soldier who has a robust faith in the army's Indian policy. Together they embark on an arduous journey to Fort Reunion and develop a strained love/hate relationship along the way. Despite finding it hard to accept Cresta's liberal beliefs, Honus soon finds himself falling for her. Upon reaching Fort Reunion, both of them find Colonel Iverson and his troops preparing to attack a peaceful Cheyenne village and their lives are changed forever...The "wild west" takes a chillingly bitter look at itself in Ralph Nelson's highly controversial gorefest. Firstly, I believe Soldier Blue to be one of the most definitive anti war movies due to it's shocking parallels to late 60s America. Made at the height of the Vietnam war and the peace movement when anti war sentiment was rife, Soldier Blue borrows heavily from the mindset behind both. The film is a social commentary. We have the two main characters, the radical young woman who despises war and the conservative young soldier who vows to carry pout his orders whether or not the cause is just. Then there is the military who have their own ideas on how to deal with the so called "enemy". Rooted in historical fact, the finale of Soldier Blue was inspired by one of the most disturbing and forgotten genocides in American history, the Sand Creek massacre of 1864. This atrocity was perpetrated by the Colorado Territory Militia under Colonel John Chivington, most of it's victims were defenceless women and children. The climatic battle(or should I say massacre)is probably the most horrific action sequence ever committed to film!. It's nothing more than an orgy of wanton brutality. The scene wasn't as graphic as I had thought(the region 2 DVD print seemed to be cut), but that didn't make it any less harrowing. The shots of women being beheaded, raped and mutilated and children being indiscriminately trampled and gunned down will be imprinted on my mind for years to come. Cinema-goers must have been puking into their popcorn boxes back in 1970. Furthermore, the myth behind the cavalry riding to the rescue is eternally destroyed in 5 minutes. Now the "boys in blue" were the savages, bloodthirsty sadists who indulge in mass murder. Despite the ferocious nature of this sequence, I did think some of the special effects were impressively realistic. Even more alarming is how the soldiers are laughing as they murder the Cheyenne, to them the chaos is just a bit of fun. Overall, the entire sequence itself seems to allude to the My Lai massacre. Ironically, the middle of Soldier Blue focuses on the humorous but tender affection that blossoms between Honus and Cresta before the depraved bloodbath is forced upon the viewer.The movie featured amazing performances all round. Candice Bergen nearly stole the show as Cresta but Peter Strauss was truly fantastic as Honus. His enraged disgust with the army as he powerlessly observes the carnage of the climatic atrocity was absolutely invigorating. The chemistry between himself and Bergen was also brilliantly constructed. British actor Donald Pleasence was superb as Isaac Q. Cumber(yes that's right)as was John Anderson as Colonel Iverson. The irony of his character is that he is supposed to be upholding law, order and peace but instead gets pleasure from butchering the helpless Cheyenne. The Colonel makes two speeches in the movie before and after the massacre which, thanks to the masterful writing, convey(unashamedly)the hypocrisy of war. The soundtrack was very late 60s but the film had an inspiring title song thanks to Buffy Sainte-Marie.After watching Soldier Blue I will never look at another Indians vs. cavalry western in the same way again. The movie will solely be remembered for it's nauseating climax, although amongst the severe barbarity is a profound moral statement. Some will say that Soldier Blue should never have been made, but it's a story that needed to be told and for once, I'm glad they got it right.9/10.

One of several westerns in the '60s and '70s that dramatized the injustices and atrocities committed against the Cheyenne, often by much superior US military forces. Other notable films include the more humorous, if nearly as bloody, "Little Big Man", and John Ford's previous epic "Cheyenne Autumn". Whereas Ford's film ends on an optimistic note for both the Cheyenne and their European advocates, these 2 later films, released during the height of the Vietnam War, are pessimistic, regarding both the Cheyenne and their European advocates. This film is notable for its shockingly graphic portrayal of the Sand Creek massacre. However, it takes a one-sided view of Cheyenne-European conflict.This story is an all around tragedy, perhaps meant to mirror the common perception of the time that the war in Vietnam was an unnecessary tragedy for many. Not only is a peaceful Cheyenne village, mostly consisting of women and children, savagely wiped out, the romantic couple we have been following for most of the film are left in a state of limbo. Cresta, confused about her identity as either a captured Cheyenne wife or a repatriated European, is left being escorted, along with Cheyenne survivors, by the cavalry. Meanwhile, Honus, the once duty-bound cavalry private whom she has turned into a protester of his commanding officer's annihilation policy, is chained to a cavalry supply wagon, being taken home for court- martialling.As pointed out by another reviewer, this film is based on a blend of Olsen's fictional writing "Arrow in this Sun", and the historic massacre. Unfortunately, the screen writer didn't adjust the historic timing of the novel-based portion to fit the historical timing of the massacre, which occurred in 1864, during the Civil War. Two clues indicate that this story supposedly takes place in '77. Honus tells Cresta that his father was killed a year ago in Custer's Last Stand, which occurred in '76. Also, the US flag that the Cheyenne village displayed has 38 stars, correct for '76, but 3 more than in '64. This discrepancy could have easily been eliminated.The actual massacre was perpetrated by Colorado Territory militia, responding to demands to do something to stop the depredations the militaristic wing of the Cheyenne, called dog soldiers(featured in part of Ford's "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"). Instead, Colonel Chivington attacked a vulnerable, easily located, peaceful Cheyenne village, despite their raising of the American flag and a white flag of truce, as dramatized in the film. Instead of Colorado militia, regular US cavalry are portrayed(They should have been fighting Johnny Reb!), and Chivington's name was altered to Iverson. In addition to depredations on the European civilian population, Iverson justifies his action as retaliation for the slaughter of the payroll wagon escort: a fictional complication derived from Olsen's novel(and previously portrayed in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"). In the film, Spotted Wolf is characterized as both leading the attack on the payroll wagon to obtain money to buy rifles, and later deciding on a peaceful surrender to the cavalry, since the rifles we was expecting were discovered and destroyed by Honus. Total fiction.As in several other films dealing with European captives of 'Indians', Cresta has a severe identity crisis. Should she try to resume her recent life as a wife of Chief Spotted Wolf, or consummate her long interrupted romance with horny Lt. McNair, stationed at Fort Reunion, or take up with seemingly unpromising, but gentlemanly, private Honus, with whom she is presently stranded? This sassy foul-mouthed former NYC orphan seems willing to take advantage of whatever opportunity seems most promising. In the end, all 3 of these options are obsolete.Cresta's time spent with the Cheyenne has made her a savvy survivor in this plains wilderness. Honus, in contrast, seems not very savvy about surviving here on his own, as well as reluctant to kill 'Indians'. This creates periodic humor and conflict. When they are discovered by a detachment of Pawnees, she tells Honus he must wrestle with the chief, to have a chance of saving their lives. Honus gets the better of the chief, but is afraid to kill him, which the chief's companions do, since he has shamed his tribe in not defeating Honus. Against Cresta's wishes, he torches the rifles destined for the Cheyenne, illegally peddled by loner Q. Cumber. Later, Honus regrets this decision when he learns of Iverson's plan to destroy the Cheyenne village Cresta has run to. Cumber holds them hostage until they manage to escape and hide in a cave, where Cresta tends Honus's gunshot wound from Cumber. .. They gradually warm up to each other during these trials, until Cresta decides to go it alone to Ft. Reunion to get help for Honus. Cresta is chagrinned that Iverson refuses to allow just a couple of his 700 man force to help retrieve Honus. Thus, she steals a horse and rides to the Cheyenne village to warn them of the impending attack. Meanwhile , Honus wanders from the cave and, serendipitously, discovers a stray domesticated horse(Cumber's?), to get him back into the action, just before the attack on the Cheyenne.

Don't want to write to much. I cant give this movie lower than 7 because it shows how the west was really won and it accuses the patriarchal Americans of today. But it had 0 entertaining potential. I tried to sympathize with the protagonist but i really couldn't. Also the plot was really slow at times and sometimes i was close to fall asleep. But like i said the ending was great and i don't have any point of criticism concerning the acting. After all it was a pretty good movie, that sometimes annoyed the **** out of me. I still recommend it for people that want to see some sad true stuff about American history. ( sorry for my bad English )