George Armstrong Custer represents the prototypical American perhaps more so than any other person ever born in the U.S. Custer was the first American to ever experience-posthumously, of course-that uniquely American rollercoaster of going from savior to villain for committing the exact same act. The latest to do so, of course, is Pres. Bush. His approval ratings were at almost 90% for invading Iraq; now his approval ratings at 30%…for invading Iraq. For the past several decades it has been politically correct to paint George Custer as the embodiment of evil and Native Americans as noble savages. Well, the truth, as always, lies somewhere in the between. Custer was just another part of the official American policy of genocide; if you want to find a villain in the systematic murder of Indian tribes you should look to Washington. As for the noble savage part, we tend to forget the latter word there. In fact, it was the Indian tribes who mutilated the bodies of the cavalrymen at Little Big Horn.
But this is an article about Custer on film, not a renewal of the debate over ethnic cleansing taking place in an alleged democracy. The line at which Custer goes from dashing hero to insane villain is pretty sharply defined. Most of the movies made about Custer before the late 60s had him played by sexy leading men and acting very heroic and patriotic. A few offered a bit more complexity. By contrast, most of the movies made after the late 60s suffer the same problem in reverse. Complexity in the lesser of these later films merely means that Custer gets shown in a bad light. Let’s have a look, won’t you?
Not the earliest Custer movie-there were silent Custer films-this is still one of the creakiest. It was actually a serial, meaning that it was shown installments before the main picture. (You see, boys and girls, a long time you used to get to see a cartoon, a short subject, and some news before a movie instead of watching commercials at your local cinema.) One of the most notable things about Custer’s Last Stand, to be perfectly honest, is that it features an early appearance by Robert Walker as a thug. Walker went on to acting perfection as Bruno, the psychotic killer in Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. As for the movie itself, it is unlike almost any other serial you’ll ever see because it doesn’t focus on just one character. You would think the movie would be about Custer and nothing else, but this one is almost like miniseries, with lots of different plots and storylines.
Which is actually the English translation of the French title. This definitely qualifies as the strangest Custer film ever made. I mean, Marcello Mastroianni plays George Custer! And it’s filmed in Paris. With the actors in period costume. Doesn’t sound like it could possibly work and for many it won’t. Don’t Touch the White Woman is a Custer film that eschews a critique of Custer in favor of a critique of American politics in general.
They Died With Their Boots On
This was the Custer film by which all others were compared during the heroic Custer period. The most dashing movie star of the day played Custer, Errol Flynn. I mean this is the guy most people over 40 still think of when they hear the name Robin Hood. (Hard to believe that the distinctly non-dashing Kevin Costner is his under-40 counterpart.) As far as pure moviemaking goes, this one is terrific. If it were entirely fictional it would be magnificent. By turns funny, romantic, and definitely action-packed. Unfortunately, it is based on a true story and only about half the movie is anywhere near being accurate. If that much. Still, if all you desire from a Custer movie is entertainment, this is the one. And remember, this is not to be confused with Santa Fe Trail where Flynn plays Jeb Stuart and Ronald Reagan plays Custer as a bumpkin.
This is the movie that turned Custer from a hero into a villain. Played by Richard Mulligan, best known for his manic comedic roles, Custer is a character whose fate intertwines with the true hero of the story, played by Dustin Hoffman. There are those who say that Mulligan goes too far over the top as Custer in this movie, but I think it is one of the greatest exhibitions of monomania ever put on film. Compare, for instance, Mulligan’s Custer and his single-minded pursuit to kill every Indian in his path to any of the performances of Captain Ahab and you tell me who is more believable. Gregory Peck appears to be sleepwalking through John Huston’s Moby Dick when he should be acting like Mulligan. It may not be accurate, but it probably captures the essence of every man like Custer who saw terrorists around every bend better than any other movie.
Starring one of the most underrated actors of the last two decades, Gary Cole. Cole seems an inspired choice to play Custer. Even in his goofiest roles like in The Brady Bunch Movie, he possesses a natural arrogance that is earned as a result of his actually knowing what he’s doing. (Rather than an arrogance that comes from not realizing he’s not the smartest guy in any room like Pres. Bush.) This is an epic miniseries and even if it’s not necessarily entirely accurate and factual it may be the best movie ever made about George Armstrong Custer.
The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
Another TV movie and one about an event that never took place. Perhaps in the future there will be a movie titled The War Crimes Trial of Pres. Bush. After all, he know that maniac will get away scot-free without ever being on trial or getting killed a noble savage. This movie follows in the grand tradition of What-If stories. What would be the result of Custer having been tried for his alleged war crimes. This movie is fascinating if for no other reason than it shows an alternative to the idea that Custer was the true villain of Native American treatment by the government. It is not well know, but Custer at the time of the Battle of Little Bighorn was on the outs with Pres. Grant. That was because he had dared to expose the corruption and chicanery taking place within the executive branch. Custer knew that Grant’s Sec. of War was making a tidy little profit by cheating the Indians on their reservations. Take that for what it’s worth regarding Custer’s care of those he was killing. It all serves to deepen the political complexity that would have been involved in trying Custer. If you’ve ever seen Breaker Morant, you can clearly see what his defense strategy would have been.
