Custer Of The West (1968)

After his triumphs in the Civil War, General George Armstrong Custer (Robert Shaw) becomes one of the most renowned military figures of his time. But he infuriates as many people as he impresses, never more so than in the days leading up to the battle of Little Bighorn where his sense of pride overshadows his dedication to duty. Directed by Robert Siodmak (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE). An ambitious film epic that ended up being a routine western. Filmed in 70 millimeter, it was originally intended to be a prestigious Cinerama roadshow production but was released as a roadshow only a handful of major cities. Most of its U.S. release had 20 minutes removed and eliminated the overture and intermissions. Typical of American films of its era, its riddled with historical inaccuracies so don't expect this to be a history lesson. The film's script seems confused on how to portray Custer. An egotistical sadist or a misunderstood hero and the movie flirts with both thus giving the film no focus. The most impressive things about the movie are the handsome cinematography of Cecilio Paniagua (LISA AND THE DEVIL) with Spain standing in for the American West and the solid score by Bernardo Segall. With Robert Ryan, Mary Ure, Jeffrey Hunter, Lawrence Tierney, Kieron Moore and Ty Hardin.