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Soldier Blue [1970] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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How The West was really won
Review date: 2005-01-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

Soldier Blue was made as a biting allegory of the Vietnam war. It divided critics at the time of its release and indeed, continues to do so. It is extremely brutal but not gratuitously so. The appalling acts depicted are shown from the point of view that this actually happened, as opposed to well lets give the audience some gore. People seeing the film tend to be shocked from the former point of view as opposed to the latter.

The film opens deceptively with a Cheyenne massacre of a US Cavalry troop guarding a pay chest. The survivors of the massacre are one naive boy soldier and a savvy, young frontier woman, played superbly by Peter Strauss, and Candice Bergen respectively. Their adventures and subsequent romance are then chronicled. Along the way they encounter Donald Pleasance's superbly sinister arms smuggler. The film's climax is a savage massacre of a Cheyenne village by the US Army - based on the real life events at Sand Creek, Colorado. In an orgy of blood lust, women and children are slaughtered and body parts are taken as trophies. By this time the film has swung 180 degrees from its opening, and has established the root cause of the suffering which is the white man's treatment of the native american. During all this, Strauss' character has changed from naive volunteer soldier to conscientious objector while the character of Candice Bergen remains the hope of reconciliation and co-existence.

The film is brutally honest and makes its point more effectively than other bigger budget films of the same genre eg. Dances With Wolves. Sadly the film is not readily available in the USA. I would strongly urge MGM who now own the rights to re release the film on dvd, preferably in its' completely uncut version (The film is available on vhs only here in the UK but it is the cut version). In the current climate where Fahrenheit 9/11 is generating massive interest in the US, the re release of a brutally honest recreation of a bloody piece of American history would be timely and well received. In the meantime, if you can get a copy, I strongly urge people to see this film and form their own conclusions.

As a footnote the film has been released on dvd in its completely uncut version in Germany, as of July 2004. The film looks absolutely fantastic on dvd, picture and sound quality are incredible for a film of this age. Having just seen this version, has made me realise that the 'uncut' version I saw in the UK years ago was in fact slightly cut. Therefore, be warned, this version is very strong viewing, indeed. Any previously 'uncut' version that you saw in the past probably was in fact censored to some degree. This version of the film is titled 'Das Wiegenlied Vom Totschlag' and is available from Amazon De, which is where I got my copy from. It is a Region 2/Pal dvd, so just be aware that your dvd player may not be able to play this format. Definitely a film worth upgrading to multi region play though.
Technical details as follows:
- Title is Das Wiegenlied Vom Totschlag
- Sound is Dolby Digital mono.
- Format is 16.9 anamorphic
- Area is Region 2/Pal
- Extras are a theatrical trailer
- Running time is 110 mins.
- Languages available are English, German, Italian, and Spanish

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Reviews


Worth seeing
Review date: 2004-01-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

I studied this film when I was doing A-level media studies, many years ago, since I first saw it I have been looking for somewhere to buy it from, it really is a great film, and shows a taste of real American history. The film evokes much emotion with the treatment of native Americans. Well worth watching.

Sodier Blue
Review date: 2003-09-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

Back in the dark ages i went at the tender age of 17 to far of London two the London Premier of this movie, thus it has stuck in my mind, the music my Buffy Sanmarie has haunted me ever since, thus i bought this film to partly rekindly my memoiers, it brought a smile to my face.

The all time 'over looked' seminal Western
Review date: 2001-10-18 Rating: 8 out of 10

I was first struck by the cover art of this film about eight years ago. I'd never heard of it , but, being a fan of the genre i was enticed to buy it. On watching, it became clear that this wasn't your usual sort of cowboys and indians, although both prevail in typical fashion. This film is without doubt a violent portrayal of the West. It is beautifully filmed and acted and consequently harbours a rather haunting quality with its score and imagery being rather surreal at times without trying to be. In short 'Little House on the Prairie meets Wild Bunch,' but in a class of its own.

Wonderful performance by Candice Bergen
Review date: 2000-04-07 Rating: 8 out of 10

This recounting of a very sorry episode in the history of how the American West was won is treated with dignity, and yet not too melancholy. Candice Bergen turns in a very creditable performance, and the part of Cyrus Q ("My Daddy had a sense of humour") Cumber gives the audience some comic relief. Worth watching just for the title track by Buffy St Marie... delightful

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Candice Bergen
James Hampton
Mort Mills
Marco Antonio Arzate
Dana Elcar

Creators:
Marco Antonio Arzate (Primary Contributor)
Candice Bergen (Primary Contributor)
Arthur Ornitz (Cinematographer)
Robert B. Hauser (Cinematographer)
Buffy Sainte-Marie (Composer)

Recording label: Lions Gate
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
EAN: 0012236205692
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC,
Release date: 2006-12-12
Universal product code (UPC): 012236205692
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1970
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)

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