Buffalo Bill

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

No slouch himself at rearranging the facts to make a good story, Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody would probably have enjoyed this Technicolor version of his life and times. Well played by Joel McCrea, Cody is first seen as an army Indian scout, pursuing peaceful coexistence despite the animosity of Chief Yellow Hand (Anthony Quinn) and the obstruction of anti-Indian politicians. He also takes time out to court the lovely Louisa (Maureen O'Hara), the well-bred Eastern girl who will become his wife despite her initial (and quite justified) distaste for the West. Under the tutelage of impresario Ned Buntline (Thomas Mitchell), Cody follows up his military career with a more spectacular one as a larger-than-life super-showman, touring throughout the world with his spectacular Wild West show. In later years, Buffalo Bill director William Wellman would wince at the liberties taken with Cody's life -- especially the film's now notorious closing line, "God bless you, Buffalo Bill!" But Wellman allowed that, in terms of sheer entertainment, it was smarter to emulate Cody by perpetuating the legend rather than debunking the Buffalo Bill image with cold, hard facts. Or, as John Ford put it in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Features:
  • cc
  • [None specified]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Joel McCrea - Buffalo Bill
       Maureen O'Hara - Louise Cody
       Linda Darnell - Dawn Starlight
       Thomas Mitchell - Ned Buntline
       Anthony Quinn - Yellow Hand
       Cecil Weston - Maid

• Director:

  William Wellman

• Producer:

  Harry Sherman

• Screenwriter:

  Cecile Kramer, Aeneas MacKenzie, Clements Ripley

• Cinematographer:

  Leon Shamroy

• Composer (Music Score):

  David Buttolph

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Emil Newman

• Editor:

  James B. Clark

• Art Director:

  James Basevi, Lewis H. Creber

• Costume Designer:

  Rene Hubert

• Special Effects:

  Fred Sersen

• Short Story Author:

  Frank Winch

REVIEW:

• As a rip-roaring Western, Buffalo Bill is fine entertainment; as a serious biography of one of the legends of the Wild West, it falls a little short. If director William Wellman's later comments are to be believed (and there seems to be little reason to disbelieve them), he intended the film to be a more realistic look at the title character, one which questioned more of his actions and motives and which took a more cynical look at the entire white man-Indian conflict of the time. Unfortunately, as 20th Century Fox's second-most expensive production of the year, there was a great incentive to play it safe and protect the investment, so much of the bite has been removed from the film. While this has really only a minor effect for most of the film, it does pave the way for the ending, one of the most blatantly manipulative and mawkish endings imaginable and one which will induce laughter in many modern viewers. There are other aspects that may be problematic for modern audiences, including the traditional use of white actors as native Americans and substantial cruelty toward the buffalo used in filming this epic. These caveats aside, Bill does provide good entertainment on a superficial level, with generally fine performances and with expert adventure-style direction from Wellman. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi