MAJOR DUNDEE
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Hancock_the_Superb — 20 years ago(January 13, 2006 03:43 PM)
I think largely of Tyreen in terms of Deke Thornton from TWB (and James Coburn's Pat Garrett later on). Here is a character that, whatever his flaws, is bound to his word, to the point of losing his individuality, personality, and life (in the case of Tyreen anyway), for the purpose of saying "I can be depended on and trusted."
Men like Thornton and Tyreen essentially doom themselves by siding with someone they hate and dislike due to circumstances; they may stay physically alive, but they become dead inside. The execution of Hadley is, as you suggest, a turning point for Tyreen. It was a moment that showed him for what he was.
Tyreen's death scene is very much in-character and probably THE most appropriate way for his character to go out. I don't see why a lot of people have a problem with it.
Until The Apache Is Taken Or Destroyed -
abbie_normal — 19 years ago(April 24, 2006 09:42 AM)
I don't think the problem is that scene per say, but that about 30 seconds later the movie is over, seemingly rather abruptly with something more needed. I think the scene was good, but it seems wasted because there was no post script or context later.
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johnhurschelrunion — 12 years ago(November 23, 2013 07:43 PM)
it occurred to me as i was watching the film at about the two hour mark that heston with a beard was beginning to look like a more hollywood handsome version of sam peckinpah. then it occurred to me that the character in some ways faced the same dilemmas that the director was reportedly going through in real life. in the film the major was trying to turn a group of union soldiers, former confederate soldiers, former slaves and/or negro union soldiers, mexicans, indians into an army. all of the divisions were taking their toll on the major. at one point he just lost it and got drunk. having to be the director over every aspect of the film drove peckinpah to drink and he reportedly lost it. dundee and peckinpah lost their control or command. it has moments of greatness, but is not a great film, but it almost is. it is worth seeing. i have never seen the deadly companions. i don't count this film against the director. thus, i like all of his films except for convoy (which at least looks like a peckinpah film the way it is shot), the osterman weekend and the killer elite. those last two do not have the director's usual visual look or style.
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DarthBill — 10 years ago(March 23, 2016 09:09 PM)
There have been some very cool interpretations about the themes of Tyreen's death. I suspect that, in addition to the reasons already listed, it may have been intended as a punishment on Dundee in a "careful what you wish for" kind of way. Early in the film Dundee threatens to have Tyreen tied to the same tree as Chariba - later Tyreen vows to kill Dundee because of the O.W. Hadley tragedy. For a moment during the climax they smile at one another as Tyreen retrieves the flag & hands it off to Dundee before being wounded - and then Dundee can only watch in horror as his former friend rides off to face the incoming French lancers, sacrificing himself in a desperate bid to buy time for Dundee and the others to escape.
It's another failure that Dundee must live with. He set out with a rag tag group of misfits with only a vague idea of how he was going to bring down the Apache, convinced he would return in triumph and be recognized as military genius, proving his Gettysburg critics wrong and reveling in fame, fortune and glory. Instead he returns a battered, broken man with less than a quarter of the men he set out with, he has lost the love of Teresa and in addition to the other deaths on his hands he's responsible for the death of the man who was once his friend, another failure showing that deep down Dundee is not the man he thinks he is. -
t-dalley — 11 years ago(February 02, 2015 01:25 PM)
Charlton Heston I think was miss cast he is not only over acting as he usually does but slows the film down with his wooden acting .
The rest of the cast are A1 the story is a very good one and the costume dept did a great job .
Peckenpah is at his best as usual for him even with the consricktions he had .
A good film that could have been great with a different lead ,but they probably used Heston so that he could hid his wooden acting
in the vast cast as he is used to ,this time the great cast showed him up completely . -
Eric-62-2 — 11 years ago(February 18, 2015 05:42 PM)
Whatever flaws this film has are not IMO Heston's fault. The real miscasting award goes to Richard Harris, a most unlikely southerner since Irish immigrants tended to settle more in the northern cities, and by making Harris an immigrant his hatred of Dundee for "betraying his kin" rings absolutely false. Of course all of this happened because Peckinpah was so darned lazy when it came to the script (the reason why the film doesn't have an ending) that when Harris couldn't master a southern accent he decided to forget it and make the character something totally implausible but which at least would let Harris relax.
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bhilburn — 10 years ago(July 03, 2015 10:48 PM)
The South was settled by largely by Irish, English and Scotsmen. All the Irish didn't settle in northern cities, but a majority of them did. A large number settled in New Orleans for example, and filled out several regiments of infantry when the war started. Tyreen (Richard Harris' character) was an Irish immigrant who settled in Virginia. Many Irishmen settled there as well.
"check the imdb cast list before asking who portrayed who in movies please"