This is one of the most underrated Westerns I have ever seen. I first saw it as a child and found it hugely exciting - and I have seen no reason to change my mind in subsequent viewings.
It is an enjoyable wagon-train Western, with new angles (the Basque element, the emphasis on the importance of the vines, etc.). I'm sure the representation of the Basques isn't entirely accurate, as another reviewer complains. However, crucially, it increases the viewer's interest in and sympathy for the Basques - isn't that ultimately more important? There isn't a single dull scene in the entire film, and it is involving enough to make us care what happens to the wagon train. It is moving at times too - especially the death of the elderly Basque near the end. The underrated Jeff Chandler is excellent, as usual, as the wagon train guide/leader. The action scenes are well shot and exciting, whether it be the raging fire or the climatic Indian attack. The cinematography is also first rate.
I gave it a 10, as it remains one of my very favourite B-Westerns.
It is an enjoyable wagon-train Western, with new angles (the Basque element, the emphasis on the importance of the vines, etc.). I'm sure the representation of the Basques isn't entirely accurate, as another reviewer complains. However, crucially, it increases the viewer's interest in and sympathy for the Basques - isn't that ultimately more important? There isn't a single dull scene in the entire film, and it is involving enough to make us care what happens to the wagon train. It is moving at times too - especially the death of the elderly Basque near the end. The underrated Jeff Chandler is excellent, as usual, as the wagon train guide/leader. The action scenes are well shot and exciting, whether it be the raging fire or the climatic Indian attack. The cinematography is also first rate.
I gave it a 10, as it remains one of my very favourite B-Westerns.