Even though I would realistically find myself on the side of the Union, I couldn't help but enjoy the irony of this lively "southern" (which I have stashed in my western collection) that finds two adversaries, William Holden and Richard Widmark, working together to steal cattle from General Grant's troops to deliver to the South. Holden doesn't really seem to be on either side, but when he gets a bullet in the hand (allegedly losing a finger and threatened with losing more), he's forced to comply with Widmark's demands. This leads to a nice little adventurous Journey with lots of action and plenty of comical moments as well, giving them a little bit of romance with Janice Rule and Victoria Shaw before dealing with sneaking hundreds of cows across the enemy's line.
You'll not soon forget the opening credits, gorgeous drawings of battles throughout history starting in the ancient times and moving up to the Civil War, over a song that for the most part is pretty catchy. The direction by Edward Dmytryk is certainly tight and reminiscence of the bits of irony he would utilize in his 1940s film noir.
The photography and editing and pacing, aided by a boomerang musical score, are terrific, and the two leads really work very well off of each other even though it is apparent that they are supposed to hate each other. The narration at the end has an ironic twist from old Abe himself that shows that even a northerner could laugh at the irony of the situation when it didn't aide his mission. All in all a truly enjoyable if slightly fictional view of history, but memorable from a tall tale perspective.
You'll not soon forget the opening credits, gorgeous drawings of battles throughout history starting in the ancient times and moving up to the Civil War, over a song that for the most part is pretty catchy. The direction by Edward Dmytryk is certainly tight and reminiscence of the bits of irony he would utilize in his 1940s film noir.
The photography and editing and pacing, aided by a boomerang musical score, are terrific, and the two leads really work very well off of each other even though it is apparent that they are supposed to hate each other. The narration at the end has an ironic twist from old Abe himself that shows that even a northerner could laugh at the irony of the situation when it didn't aide his mission. All in all a truly enjoyable if slightly fictional view of history, but memorable from a tall tale perspective.