A Reel Retro Review: THE HORSE SOLDIERS (1959)

With no new films to review for the foreseeable future, Reel Speak’s new feature, Reel Retro Reviews, will randomly review a classic film from the TCM broadcast schedule every Monday. Not just for the sake of filling time, but to hopefully introduce some classic, overlooked, and perhaps forgotten screen gems to those of us who may be unfamiliar or unawares of their existence.  

Over the course of their 50-year professional and personal relationship, famed director John Ford and also-famed actor John Wayne would make over 20 films together; mostly Westerns which would forever cement the image of cowboys into America. In 1959, the two came together for a mostly-true Civil War story that had a troubled production and never reached the high-praise of most of their collaborations, but still unspools as worthwhile war flick. 

Colonel John Marlowe (Wayne), leads his Union cavalry brigade deep behind Confederate lines to destroy railroads and supply depots. While the mission has no guarantee of success or return, things are complicated when Marlowe frequently clashes with his idealistic surgeon Major Kendall (William Holden), and crosses paths with Miss Hunter (Constance Towers), the head of a plantation.  

THE HORSE SOLDIERS is loosely based on Harold Sinclair’s 1956 novel of the same name, which was a fictionalized account of real-life Civil War raids in Mississippi. The film is a straightforward, A to Z adventure through the deep south, where rebel snipers lay in ambush at every turn, and the deeper the regiment goes, the less their chances of a return. The mission stakes are high, and director John Ford ups the drama with clashes between Marlowe and Kendall. Marlowe is very much a straight-up, mission-first military man…while Kendall is the thoughtful observer and attempts to be the moral compass of the story. 

Ford doesn’t go very deep with his characters, and they mostly react to what’s happening around them. A few themes of southern prejudice come up here and there, and Kendall often questions military tactics (almost to the point of annoyance), but for the most part HORSE SOLDIERS, much like its lead character, is mission-first. It’s shallow, but it does function well. 

Ford films a great-looking movie, and the battles and skirmishes are executed nicely. The many extras involved on horseback add to a great sense of scale, and the action drops us right in the middle of the fighting. Some of the budget and filming restraints of the time are obvious; the regiment destroying a railroad with TNT happens off-camera and feels like a cheat. However, a climactic scene where Marlowe rides across an exploding bridge is breathtaking…even by today’s standards. The ending feels a little abrupt due to a filming tragedy (more on that below), but it still works. 

Acting is excellent all-around. Wayne plays the same character he plays in every war movie he’s done, but his personality and grit match the character and era perfectly. William Holden matches up to Wayne and holds his own. Constance Towers shines brightly and is a joy. Althea Gibson, who was a pro-tennis star at the time, turns in a very good performance as Lukey, Miss Hunter’s maid. 

Long-time fans of John Wayne will notice right away that THE HORSE SOLDIERS is much like many of Wayne’s films; with The Duke playing the resolute leader with frequent clashes with his own men. In fact, the film bears a strong resemblance to Wayne’s THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949), down to nearly every plot-point. But putting that aside, THE HORSE SOLDIERS rides in as a solid, if not necessary entry in the Ford/Wayne legacy. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

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Reel Facts: During filming, stuntman Fred Kennedy suffered a broken neck and died after a horse fall. Ford was devastated and lost interest in the production, and the ending of the film was drastically changed. The film was ultimately a commercial failure, which was due largely to the high salaries of Wayne and Holden.