Major Dundee (The Extended Version)
by Sam Peckinpah
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Charlton Heston, James Coburn, Jim Hutton, Michael Anderson Jr., Richard HarrisDirector: Sam Peckinpah
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Sam Leavitt
Writer: Sam Peckinpah
Editor: Donald W. Starling
Editor: Howard Kunin
Producer: Jerry Bresler
Writer: Harry Julian Fink
Writer: Oscar Saul
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Korean (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Japanese (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 136 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-20
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Major Dundee (The Extended Version)
Movie Review: Viva Dundee!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another one of those films which I could only faintly recall from childhood. Recently I was fortunate to view a limited run of this firm in its new revised format. Having also seen the older version recently I am able to compare and contrast both versions of this interesting film. The biggest change noted in the revised edition is the music. A new score has been created and this completely changes the mood of the entire movie. The old score was a quirky, sardonic affair with the opening credits leading off with Mitch Miller's sing along gang! A big difference from the symphonic version we have here. If you are one of those people who don't notice movie music that much, try viewing the same film twice with two different scores! The music can make a big difference in how a movie feels to its viewer. We certainly have that here.
In addition to the score, about 13 minutes of footage has been restored. Dundee was one of those films that was butchered on the editing floor, so much so that there has been a lively debate about this ever since it was released back in the 1960s. Apparently almost an hour was cut out, and while 13 minutes does not seem a lot in comparison it can make a difference. Some of the restored scenes include showing the Confederates being captured as they try to escpae in the beginning, as well as showing Heston involved with the Mexican woman before the Austrian lady returns to see how he has recovered from his wound. Small stuff, but it can add up.
The background for this film is Heston (Dundee) putting together a scratch Troop of cavalry to pursue a renegade group of raiding Apaches. His unlikely command includes Confederate POWS, Blacks, and assorted riff-raff. The Rebels are commanded by Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) an embittered rival of Dundee from before the Civil War. The tension between these two is what makes the movie. But there are many other edgy touches that take this out of the ordinary Western genre. The tensions between the two officers are mirrowed by their men, and it is a miracle that this divided command can accomplish anything at all. In fact, nothing like this could have functioned in reality! What makes this more than just another Western flick is the fact that Dundee's command has to fight two battles at once: One against the Apache, and the other against the French in Mexico.
This film has some interesting historical background. During the American Civil War Louis Napolean III decided to exploit the events taking place in North America by installing Maximillian Von Hapsburg (an Austrian archduke) as a French Puppet ruler in Mexico. In preceeding years Mexico had run up significant debts to various European powers and this was used as pretext to intervene. Dundee's command, after destroying the Apaches must contend with the pursueing French. We have a classic cavalry action in which the European and American styles of cavalry fighting are shown for this period. Dundee's boys have Henry repeating rifles which gives them a massive firepower advantage over the French Lancers. They also have a small horse drawn piece of light artillery. The French Lancers are shown to be a bit cloddish in this film, in reality American cavalry in this period was little more than mounted infantry. Dundee and co. hack and shot their way throw a troop of French Lancers at the Rio Grande losing about 3/4 of their men in the process! Its total fiction, but a great finale! This skirmish is well worth the wait, there is some exciting cavalry saber and pistol action here. This is one the few films that deals with the French intervention in Mexico, although Vera Cruz and Juarez also cover this subject.
Overall, Major Dundee is a pretty great film. It was good before, but is now even better. The film does digress sometimes, and wanders astray, but the atmosphere and tension between Heston and Harris always bring it back. Some reviwers have made comparisons to the Viet Nam War, since the film came out during that time. I fail to see any analogy here! Just because the film came out around 1965 does not mean that it is social commentary on Nam! Can we as Americans ever get over this! This film is not about Nam, its about action and adventure on the Mexican border during the American Civil War. Period! The acting and production value are great. Fans of Peckenpah, Heston and Harris should love it. This is also not your typical Western which is what makes it interesting as well. Viva Dundee!
Summary of Major Dundee (The Extended Version)
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