This may be John Ford's worse movie. Weak script. Mediocre acting. Miscast.

Made in 1964, this was one of a number of movies from the 60s and 70s that were sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans in the 19th century. It portrayed how the U.S. government never kept its promises or treaties with Native Americans, how the government was influenced and controlled by land speculators, mining interests, buffalo hunters, railroad builders, and others. In showing how the Cheyenne suffered and ultimately endured on its 1,500 trek from a barren reservation to their native lands in the Yellowstone area, the movie was successful in bringing their story as originally told in Mari Sandoz novel to the screen.As a movie, however, the film had some disappointing and awkward moments. The major one was the abrupt change of scene to Dodge City, where Wyatt Earp, portrayed by James Stewart, gets the best of a quartet of Texas cowboys (who had just ambushed, killed and scalped a young Cheyenne scout and were bragging about their exploits in the saloon where Earp was playing poker). Following this divergence from the main story the film returns to the plight of the Cheyenne and we never see nor hear from Earp again. Needless to say, it's not surprising when the film's credits prominently feature Jimmy Stewart, even though his role was a cameo at best.Another awkward scene is when representatives from the Army (Richard Widmark as Capt. Archer) and the Secretary of the Interior (Edward G. Robinson as Carl Schurz) are negotiating with the Cheyenne in the majestic Monument Valley country. Behind these people we can see soldiers and horses lined up in formation waiting for the outcome of the negotiations. But wait! Not a single soldier or horse is moving, even breathing. It's so obvious the background is a photograph and the "negotiators" were filmed on a sound stage with a blue screen background.

From director John Ford comes this moving tribute to the Native American. Unlike his early films where they were seen as uncivilized savages, this film " Cheyenne Autumn " depicts them as they really are. Natives Americans who long wish to return to their Homeland. Set against the beautiful, panoramic landscape, these noble people set out across the open desert. Although it's 1,500 miles and in the mists of sub-zero winter, they struggle to reach their sacred ground where they wish to live with their children. Along the way, their every encounter with the White man is met with racial hostility and murder. Their most threatening adversary is the American Press which decries the Indian as everything from blood-thirty barbarians to a marauding hoard of renegades. The inner story is of sympathetic Capt. Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) a Calvalry Officer who understands their plight and attempts to see the Sect. of the Interior (Edward G. Robinson) to correct a grievous injustice. Within the Cheyenne Tribe are two brothers, Little Wolf and Dull Knife (Ricardo Montalban, Golbert Roland) who wrestle with conflicting methods as to how to win their ultimate victory. This is difficult as Dull Knife's son (Sal Mineo) is seen as dishonorable for coveting Little Wolf's wife. With a plethora of Hollywood stars like Mike Mazurki, Karl Malden, James Steward, Patrick Wayne, Arthur Kennedy, Carroll Baker, John Carradine, Victory Jory and Ken Curtis, this film nearly becomes top heavy. Instead the entire cast makes for a tremendous effort to establish what has come to be known as a John Ford Classic. Excellent film. ****

Unfortunately, given the subject matter and the director, "Cheyenne Autumn" fails to achieve the greatness of its aspirations. Injustice to Native Americans has along tragic history, and the topic deserved a soaring film that brought those crimes to a broad audience. After years of depicting Native Americans as the villains, John Ford was certainly the right director to cast a sympathetic eye on their plight, and the film has many grand sequences that are reminiscent of Ford's finest westerns. The brilliant camera work of William Clothier captures the majesty of Monument Valley and often bathes the mountains and characters in the warm glow of sunsets.For some reason, Ford felt that Latino actors were appropriate for the roles of Native Americans, and Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, and Dolores del Rio do achieve a measure of dignity as members of the long-suffering Cheyenne tribe. While Carroll Baker tries hard as a Quaker woman who accompanies the Cheyenne on an arduous trek back to their homeland, her bleached blonde hair, immaculate make-up, and voice undercut her efforts. The work of composer, Alex North, also sounds out of place. Best known for his scores for "Spartacus" and "Cleopatra," North's music here evokes Roman legions rather than the U.S. cavalry.However, the biggest flaw in the film is a misconceived episode in the middle that features James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, and John Carradine. As Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Stewart and Kennedy perform a comedy routine that jars with the solemnity of the previous scenes. Indeed, the entire Dodge City sequence is a western comedy, and viewers would be justified in thinking that some film reels were mislabeled and an entire sequence from another film had been inserted accidentally. Whatever dignity and concern was established in the film's first hour are destroyed when the action moves from the Cheyenne to Earp and Dodge City."Cheyenne Autumn" was likely conceived as a follow-up to the successful "How the West Was Won." John Ford was one of the directors of that Cinerama film; Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, James Stewart, and Richard Widmark are featured in both films; and the ads for the two westerns are strikingly similar. Widmark anchors "Cheyenne Autumn" and provides a narration much as Spencer Tracey did for "How the West Was Won." However, the earlier movie was a rousing adventure with a great score and an uplifting theme of westward expansion. Despite an overture and intermission, "Cheyenne Autumn" is a small, sober tale of racial injustice that has been stretched out and embellished with a jarring music score and a schizophrenic mix of comedy and tragedy that lays waste to some fine epic moments.