jdatr97-1

(2013-05-23 10:36:22)

Underrated

While not the best movie ever made, Journey to Shiloh is definitelyworth the watch. Seven cowboys travel to war together, finding thataway from the open range the world is a contradictory place. I find theyear of the movie, 1968, especially relevant. As the boys grow fromwide eyed youngsters to hardened men, the viewer finds himself ignoringthe lesser qualities of the movie in favor of the story. You could do alot worse with your time than watching this movie, and afterward youmay have a different interpretation of war in general, the Americancivil war in particular, and at the same time enjoy seeing James Caanand Harrison Ford in the earliest stages of their careers. This moviedefinitely should be released on DVD.

JohnRouseMerriottChard

(2013-05-23 04:54:19)

We are the Concho County Comanches.

Journey to Shiloh is directed by William Hale and adapted to screenplayby Gene L. Coon from the novel written by Will Henry. It stars JamesCaan, Michael Sarrazin, Brenda Scott, Albert Popwell, Harrison Ford,Jan-Michael Vincent, Robert Pine and Noah Beery Junior. Music is byDavid Gates (supervision Joseph Gershenson) and Technicolorcinematography by Enzo Martinelli.Seven young Texans journey east to fight for the Confederacy in theCivil War. Full of ideas of noble glory for the war effort, the grouphave their eyes rudely opened by the prejudice and snobbery theyencounter along the way.Rock of Ages.Film is bookended by a cheesy song that first tells of the young mensetting off for the journey, then latterly of what became of them upontheir final destinations. Throw in some pretty wooden acting away fromthe lead player and mix in a score that sounds like it belongs in thePink Panther cartoon show, well you would naturally expect the film tobe something of a disaster? Yet there is much to recommend here for thediscerning fan of Civil War yarns.The Pensacola Light Blues.Picture gets its strength from the interest garnered by the sourcestory and the lead performance by a youthful, wig wearing, Caan. Storyis potent as an anti-war piece, the parallels with the then currentVietnam War, and the feelings running high at that time, are hard toignore. Here the lads have their ideals punctured by events that happenout on the trail. Firstly some in fighting upsets the equilibrium andthis sets the tone for the rest of the picture. An encounter with arunaway slave, and the aftermath of said encounter, really puts aserrated edge on the plotting. Young men off to be brave and fight thegood fight, do they know what for? They then are surprised by publicresistance to their bravado, you see not everyone wants a war, lads.Cos we're fixin to shove that there General Grant and them blue belliedsoldiers of his-plum into Lake Erie.A pointless romantic interlude threatens to derail the picture, but themakers overcome it by dropping in some good action. A bar room brawl atMunroe is most enjoyable, and then once the guys find themselvesenlisted into the Pensacola Light Blues, with Beery Junior arriving andputting his mark on the picture, we move onto the horrors of war. Herewe lurch onto The Battle of Shiloh (AKA: Battle of Pittsburgh Landing)which is resplendent with artillery galore and much flinging around ofstunt men. It's well constructed but sadly too short in length. Filmedout of Agoura in California, the scenery is an extra bonus and anenjoyable character accompaniment as story unfolds.All told it's a mixed bag of a viewing, but the good far outweighs thebad to make this a sleeper of an Oater worth seeking out. While futurestars of film and TV taking tentative steps in the acting world alsoholds a high interest factor here. 7/10

David

(2013-05-22 09:30:02)

Shiloh

I haven't actually seen this movie yet, but I noticed that nobody has written a review about it. So here's one.

(2013-05-22 02:36:30)

Journey to Shiloh

This is a Great Movie With a Well Known Cast of Actors, Starring James Caan. It is a Civil War Story.It Needs To Be Available In The USA DVD Format !

dhan527

(2013-05-21 09:57:42)

Good guys fighting for the wrong side

Are you kidding me!? Harrison Ford and James Caan before they becamefamous and in a forgotten movie. A story about a bunch of friends andtheir journey to join the Confederate army. The friends start off withan idealized view of the war but as the journey progresses they see howslaves are treated and what the war really is. This story has reallynothing to do about history but about how good people can get caught upin something they know nothing about. James Caan is a kind and goodperson which is something that differs from his role (Sonny inGodfather) that makes him famous. Harrison Ford has a smaller role andyou never get the feeling that he will ever be a mega-star.

markgpl

(2013-05-20 20:14:00)

I Liked This Movie

I remember seeing this as a 16 year old back in 1968 and really enjoyedit.As I'm typing this, I'm watching it again on the history network andit's interesting to see the people in it and think about their careersover the last 36 year. A young James Caan wearing a silly looking "wig" - a very fresh facedJan Michael Vincent before he descended into the bottle and is now justa shadow of himself - Don Stroud, a great bad guy in a couple of ClintEastwood and a fellow named Michael Burns who was a big star back thenbut just seemed to drop off the face of the earth shortly afterIt was a good story about 7 young guys heading off to fight in theCivil War. A great song and good story - maybe not a classic but verywatchable..!!

Robert J. Maxwell

(2013-05-18 04:48:15)

Don't Make No Nevermind.

A handful of Texas cowboys make the journey a thousand miles east tofight at the Battle of Shiloh. They're a varied lot. The most mature ofthe bunch is James Caan who has an easy smile, a cowboy hat with awhite feather sticking out of the band, and he always says "Yes, sir,"and "No, Ma'am." There is some talk of who is the fastest gun. There isthe occasional outbreak of some abrasive feelings in the group but onthe whole they're a good old bunch.I found it predictable, unimaginative, and boring. The men wear thelong, carefully groomed styles of long hair found among the hep cats of1968. The women folk have long hair too, and even longer eyelashes,some as long as the marquees that stretch out over the lawn at a fancyoutdoor wedding. A good thing there was no wind. I winced when thecharacter said over a man dying of a gunshot, "Get that preacher inhere. He purely could use some readin' over." The script defies anything resembling credibility. During a stop overin a small town, Caan meets the uber-yummy Brenda Scott, whopractically salivates over him and invites him to stay with herovernight because she ain't never met nobody as nice as him before.This happens to me all the time, but I have this cloud of pheromones Icarry around with me and it's clear James Caan doesn't. It's true. Abeautiful woman once fainted while walking past me in Julius's in theVillage before it went gay. Couldn't take my molten hotness, I guess.I have a good deal of respect for hastily assembled and inexpensiveWesterns but this one has no poetry. You know what this movie wouldhave been good for? You take your girl to the drive in movie theater in1968 Sweetwater, Texas, and then you turn down the volume, roll up thewindows, and roll around in the back seat until the windows are allfogged up. Once having gotten that out of the way, you clamber backinto the front seat, turn the volume back up, and doze off. But you canonly do that if you're under twenty-one.

Patrick Wayland

(2013-05-17 15:58:39)

Vietnam War + Black Civil Rights messages in one movie

I saw the very young Harrison Ford and had to watch this late 1960saction film about 7 friends from west Texas who are drawn into theirimagined adventure of joining the American Civil War and fighting forthe Confederate States (south). Harrison Ford probably has the fewestlines of the seven friends. What happens on the journey? Everythinggoes wrong. In fact, they do not make it to their destination,Virginia. Their ideals begin to drop off, along with their numbers,along the way as they see a runaway slave being hung from a tree. Theyencounter prejudices against them as they try to join upper-class partyin east Texas, dishonesty at a saloon gambling game in Louisiana, andthe bloody severity of war at The Battle of Shiloh.The strong premise about the destructiveness of war and civil rights isobvious, but offered up with a "teenage adventure" smile on the easy tocriticize setting of the South during the Civil War. This may have beenone of the earliest anti Vietnam War movies out of Hollywood and isworth watching to see how an anti-war message was beginning to come outof Hollywood. You can see the conflicting messages as The Green Beretswas made the same year.There are some historically accurate portrayals that are worth seeing,such as 2 different treatments of African-Americans - one had acomfortable life and another was lynched. Some of the battlefieldscenes looked like they were taken from another movie. And what happensto the main character at the end is a surprise, but keeps with thepremise.

aimless-46

(2013-05-16 19:50:49)

Solid Story With Many Notables In The Cast

1968's "Journey to Shiloh" was made a couple years too early to beclassified as a "counterculture antiwar" film, it was about the sametime as John Wayne's "Green Berets", while most of the country wasstill solidly behind the war and only barely beginning to waiver. The story and the theme are virtually identical to a 1959 German film"Die Brucken", in which seven just inducted teenage boys watch ascynical Wehrmacht soldiers evacuate their town ahead of approachingAmerican troops. Full of enthusiasm for the "blood and honor" ofpatriotic ideology, the seven boys stay to defend a useless bridge.Both films are somewhat unusual anti-war pictures because the enemy isessentially faceless and the theme derives more from the tragedy ofeasily influenced and manipulated young people. Aside from the obvious California scenery (which cannot even remotelypass for Texas or Mississippi), the absurd physical miscasting of JohnDoucette as General Braxton Bragg, and a rather weak battlefieldsequence; "Journey to Shiloh" is reasonably accurate historically. I'mfrom Tom Green County, Texas (just west of Concho and Menard Counties-where the characters are from) and the boys' journey to get into thefar away war was not uncommon for West Texas; where young men went towar seeking adventure without much clue what the fight was reallyabout. Calling these actors "boys" requires considerable suspension ofdisbelief as most of them were in their mid to late 20's. James Caan isthe leader, the story is told from his point of view and he gets thevast majority of the screen time. Other sixties notables in the groupare Michael Sarrazin, Paul Petersen, Jan-Michael Vincent, and HarrisonFord (who gets the least screen time-yet would become the most famous). Interestingly, even the remaining two had their claims to fame. MichaelBurns played Benjie "Blue Boy" Carter in the all-time camp classic"Dragnet" episode about the evils of LSD; the drug caused him to painthis face blue (years before Mel Gibson). And Don Stroud's portrayal ofLamarr in "Joe Kidd" might be the finest piece of overacting in cinemahistory. Other notables in the cast are Rockford's dad and Ann Sothern'sdaughter Tisha Sterling. Sterling was an extremely promising actress inthe late sixties (and my personal favorite) who in an ideal world wouldhave had a lot more good roles. Here she plays a patriotic southernbelle named Airybelle Sumner, who in the film's best scene inspires theboys (men) to fight for the noble honor of the south. They soon learnthat her view of the south is somewhat at odds with reality. "Journey to Shiloh" does not deserve its obscurity. It has its faultsbut is gripping entertainment with an important message. Considerablybetter than most films from the time period. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

joekmarine

(2013-05-16 07:21:10)

Good Movie

I haven't seen this movie for years. However, I remember it was a goodflick. I think the first time i ever saw it was in a Drive in (yeah,todays Multiplex theaters are nice, but drive ins were great. One nightI stayed up till 2 am to watch it when it was on TV. Entertaining,James Caan and Harrison Ford. Nice little plot and a wonderful storyabout brotherhood and friendship. I wish it were on DVD or video. It ismore of a western than a Civil War movie, but still good. It may havebeen one of Noah Berry's last movies. If you haven;t seen it, figureout when it will be on TV again and watch it. You will be surprised. Ithas some good, but quick gunfights and some nice action.

elskootero

(2013-05-16 02:39:55)

A Fantastic Sleeper! You'll LOVE it!

This film may be as flawed historically as it can be, but it is wellacted and very believable and the story-line is great! The one BIG flawin it is that all of the rifles are 1879 Trapdoor Springfields, whichof course weren't made until 15 years AFTER the end of the war, butother than that, it is a very good film, and as I said, the story line,especially the ending, is very nice. A film well worth seeing, if itcomes on cable or network TV.A GOOF- Watch for the scene where Paul Petersen's character wants toleave the group, and he confronts James Caan. He pulls out an 1873 ColtRevolver-you can tell by the side-unloading gate- Only problem was thatthis pistol wasn't invented until 1873, and the movie takes place in1861-He should be using a cap & Ball revolver.

(2013-05-15 09:06:22)

Ripe for a remake?

Somewhere in this 1968 civil war western there's a well-written and poignant story trying to get clear. Perhaps in the right hands, with a bigger budget, and a bit more running time, this could have been a minor classic. As it is, we've got the ex-TV producers of `Wagon Train' and `Laredo' casting a virtually unknown James Caan (in a very dodgy wig) leading a bunch of youngish stars-in waiting (including Harrison Ford) through a rather unevenly paced and episodic tale largely played out on the Universal backlot. The characters don't seem quite as young and innocent as the script suggests, nor are they developed enough for us to fully empathise with them before they meet their often abrupt ends. Once the widescreen titles are over, the DVD infuriatingly goes into full-frame. This loses the impact of some lovely sweeping scenery at the beginning, though as the film progresses; it gives way to lots of very obvious studio `exteriors'. The civil war battle scenes come courtesy of `Shenandoah' and are ill matched to the studio scenes. `Journey to Shiloh' is worth a look and its certainly a bit more ambitious than the other westerns that Universal was turning out in the late sixties. I'd like to see a remake done with a bit more sensitivity...

(2013-05-08 01:57:08)

Anti war western

"Journey to Shiloh" is a western that came out in 1968 and hence, reflected the anti-war sentiment that was prominent at the time. The film is populated with a lot of "young guns" and was designed to appeal to the youth culture that was preeminent in the late 60s. Thus we don't have John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Randolph Scott, Burt Lancaster, or the usual establishment western stars. Instead we have James Caan, Harrison Ford, Don Stroud, Jan Michael Vincent, Michael Sarrazin, James Gammon, etc. These young guns are called "boys" in the film, but the truth is they were all in the mid to late 20s at the time.As an anti-war western, this film belongs to the "Who's Gonna Get it Next" genre ("Bite the Bullet" has a similar motif). The seven young guns set off from Texas to join their comrades who are fighting in Virginia, but one by one they meet their fates -* Shot dead in a crooked card game* Died from pneumonia* Gut shot during battle* Blown up by a mortar* Hit with a miniball between the eyes* Shot as a deserterUnfortunately for the film, two meet their fates off screen.James Caan (1940) is the leader of the group. He is best known as Sonny Corleone, the role for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1973. Over more than 100 roles he's been nominated for a Golden Globe 4 times and for an Emmy once. From 2003 to 2007 he had his own TV series, "Las Vegas".Harrison Ford (1942) has a small part. Ford, of course, is now a film icon, having starred in some of the highest box office films in history. He was nominated once for an Oscar ("Witness") in 1985Baby-face Jan Michael Vincent (1944) was a big hit in the 70s with films like "Tribes" (1970), "The Mechanic" (1972), and "White Line Fever" (1975). He had a TV series ("Airwolf") from 1984-7. In 1996 he was seriously injured in an auto accident and his career slowed. This was his second film.Tough Don Stroud (1943) alternated between film and TV. His notable film roles include the villain in "Joe Kidd" (1972), the murderer in "Coogan's Bluff" (1968), and Gary Busey's buddy in "The Buddy Holly Story" (1978).Wide eyed Michael Sarrazin (1940-2011) was nominated for a BAFTA for "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and a Golden Globe for "The Sweet Ride" (1968). I remember him best as one of the sons in "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1970).Gruff looking and sounding James Gammon (1940-2010) made more than 100 films between 1966 and 2009. He's probably best known as Don Johnson's father from the TV series "Nash Bridges" (1996-2001) and as the Manager from "Major League" (1989).The boys are offset with a few older guys like Noah Beery Jr., and John Doucette.John Doucette's chubby face and heavy set frame are familiar to everyone from his 200+ films, usually as a heavy. He was distinguished by his husky voice and being the fastest draw in Hollywood. He was equally at home in film and on TV and was comfortable in Westerns as well as biblical epics. Doucette plays a Confederate General.Noah Beery Jr. (1913-94) was the son of silent film star Noah Beery and nephew of 30s mega star Wallace Beery. He made more than 100 films but is probably best remembered for his roles on TV as James Garner's father in "Rockford Files" (1974-80) and Uncle Joey in "Circus Boy" (1956-7). Beery plays a Confederate Sergeant.The film is directed by William Hale (1940) who was primarily a TV director. He started in TV with the Cheyenne series (1955) and did several more western series (e.g., "The Virginian", "Lancer")Westerns were not in vogue in 1968. The big box office winners were "Funny Girl", "2001", "Bullitt", "Romeo and Juliette", and "Rosemary's Baby". The big Oscar winner was "Oliver" (Picture, Director) and "Charly" (Actor) and "The Lion in Winter" (Actress) each won one. Other notable releases that year were "Planet of the Apes", "Barbarella", "Funny Girl", "Monterey Pop", "The Producers", "The Thomas Crown Affair", and "The Odd Couple". A few westerns appeared - Jimmy Stewart in "Bandolero" and "Firecreek", Glenn Ford in "Day of the Evil Gun", Clint Eastwood in "Hang Em High". Burt Lancaster in "The Scalphunters", and Charlton Heston in "Will Penny".This film is interesting as an anti-war western, but otherwise it is a less than average B western. Examples of anti-war westerns that are better films include "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939), "Fort Apache" (1948), "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964), and the very best anti-war western -"The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976).

Jeff

(2013-05-07 17:08:20)

Okay 60s Western

This film is enough to keep one's attention provided there is nothing better to watch on television. The story takes place during the American Civil War; Seven male friends from Texas journey East to join the confederate army in Richmond Virginia. They make it to Tennessee where they are duped into joining the Tennessee infantry under the command of General Brag (a harsh disciplinarian). The traveling comrades are quickly disillusioned by the war, and question their reasons for wanting to join. During the battle of Shiloh three of the friends meet their doom. Another one dies from a respiratory illness. Soon, there is only one of the seven remaining who obtains a courtesy discharge and hightails it back to West Texas with one arm and another man's horse. But, first he plans to make a quick stop in Vicksburg, Mississippi to retrieve the pretty saloon girl he met on his way to the war. The movie ends with a song and the sight of the horse's arse riding west into the sunset.This was an okay flick starring Paul Petersen, James Caan, Jan Michael Vincent, Harrison Ford, and Brenda Scott. It is not a good film for a history buff, but someone who likes a good old fashioned Western Drama might enjoy this PG rated film. There is some mild violence.

qormi

(2013-05-06 17:18:03)

Not Worth the Journey

Okay, we have a pre-perm James Caan. He got that first perm when heplayed Sonny in The Godfather 40 years ago and he will apparently beburied with it. We have Sarrazin, Vincent, and Ford; all who had verysuccessful acting careers. We have Stroud and Popworth, who werefeatured in several Clint Eastwood flicks. The cast was good. The restwas poor. Cheap production - lots of stock footage and indoor sets withfake scenery. Anachronisms abound, as Brenda Scott sports a "That Girl"hairdo made famous by Marlo Thomas. The trouble is, it's supposed to be1862 - the era of sausage curls - not 1968. I don't believe they hadhairspray back then. Then, all of the men are clean shaven in an erawhere practically all men had beards. James Caan got shot in the arm,had the arm amputated, and is out and about the next day as if nothinghad happened. Jan Michael Vincent has the phoniest death scene ever.Brenda Scott's fake eyelashes look like flyswatters. I could go on andon.....skip it.

froglayd

(2013-05-06 09:08:25)

Journey to Shiloh

This was a great western that included a great cast. James Caan did awonderful job in this leading role. There was a great aura around allseven of these "boys" . If you like westerns and this time era pleasewatch this film. You will fall in love with all seven. When I was achild I fell in love with the theme song. I wish they would put thismovie on DVD or VCR tape. It would make a wonderful edition to anylibrary. Micheal Zarrin , Harrison Ford ,Jan Micheal Vincent , and therest did a great job. Although it was made in the late 60's I stillconsider it an all time favorite. So if you haven't seen it please tryand watch it. I really enjoy this movie.

drystyx

(2013-05-06 10:45:34)

Western fun with appeal, characters, and somewhat of a message

This movie was well disguised as just another fun, well made actionpacked Western, but it gave a lot more to the viewer while the viewerwasn't watching. Seven Texas boys, led by James Caan, mean to join theConfederacy. The basic reason is because they are young, and they arerelatively naive to war, and they think of it as what you might call a"rumble". In this, they are even more naive than Sheen in "Platoon".And why not. They didn't have radio or TV. They probably never read apaper. They know how work with horses, and their idea of war isprobably what a lot of boys thought of war. Along the way they have alot of misadventures, and one even dies before they get to enlist. Theyare awakened to other horrors when they meet an escaped slave, and a"kindly" old gentleman persuades them to turn the runaway in. I don'tthink there's a spoiler here. It's evident what will happen. Withoutbeing very graphic about the war scenes, they do make it clear of thehorrors of war. Many are killed. I won't say how many. All suffergreatly. Other realities not often listed even in modern movies areamputations and disease. Not everyone dies cleanly. You don't evenrealize you are being given this message during the action. It iscleverly written and directed. On a lighter note, I heard the themesong in the movie before I ever heard "Yellow Rose of Texas," and Ithought the actual words were the movie words. Imagine my surprise whensomeone told me it was taken from a song called "Yellow Rose of Texas",which I still have never heard.

Pam

(2013-05-05 16:30:05)

Old Black and White

I only remember seeing this movie once in my life, and have searched for it ever since. Standard Civil War Movie...but I enjoyed it so much. I was about 13 when I saw it. Would love to see it again.

jcohen1

(2013-05-05 13:37:56)

Journey to Stardom

James Caan is the star of this interesting but far from great movie.Off his role in El Dorado with the Duke & Mitchum I suppose he earnedthe role as chief Buck. It's a film about the loss of youth and growthinto manhood. It's unclear just how experienced Caan is, particularlywith the ladies, but clearly he is capable of Caaning his way into thebest bed in Shreveport. The love scenes are handled with moreromanticism and yes love, than you'd expect in a near B film.The film does seem to reflect the unhappiness and questioning of thethen ongoing Viet Nam war, yet our band of 7 from Texas for the main,soldier on until death accomplishing nothing but filling their duty andbeing honorable men. They come to question slavery and therefore thebasis of the war but aren't able to do anything about it. In that sensethe film is believable. I like Caan's performance although not hishaircut. He is the strong, silent type but with plenty of charm.It's his movie and he does alright. A great cast of actors not yet attheir peak.

Chuck

(2013-05-04 23:26:27)

Wow, the brat pack of the 1960's...

James Caan, before the God Father.Jan Michael Vincent before Air Wolf and drugs.Michael Sarasin.Don Straud with hair.Nothing out of the ordinary except all the future stars before they were discovered.