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Actors: Guy Madison, Joan Weldon, James Whitmore
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Command |
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This is a 1950's western starring Guy Madison as the 'doc.' After a confrontation with Indians his cavalry unit loses its Captain and Madison is chosen to lead them to a small nearby town where he will be replaced. The second-in-command would normally take over but he isn't Captain material, so the Doctor reluctantly agrees.
The rest of the unit don't respect him as he only joined the cavalry a few months ago and has no command experience. However the second-in-command out of respect for his dead Captain orders them into shape.
When they reach their destination they see an infantry unit based there. With rivalry between the two groups and the embarassment to admit having no Captain and being led by a Doctor Madison agrees to pretend to be a Captain.
But when the unit is ordered to escort a wagon train of civilians with the infantry he has no choice but to continue the charade.
As they start their journey the town they left is destroyed by Indians and slowly the wagon train shows possible signs of smallpox. Madison is torn, he cannot examine the patients properly without revealing who he really is. The divided wagon train for quarantine is picked off by the Indians and the Infantry leader has a heart attack. This leaves Madison in charge of the whole mission and a change of tactics.
Being close to safety through a montain pass, which if the Indians get to first will have the advantage. In the night the civilians walk to the pass while all the able men stay and pretend to camp for the night. At dawn when the Indians circle them and get close the wagon break the defensive formation and fight on the run. Canons fire from the back of wagons and men shoot the Indians while at full gallop. A sequence of sword fighting and then hand to hand combat by Madison before the Indians over take the cavalry.
Only the civilians have got to the pass first and force the Indians to retreat. The second-in-command shows respect for the Doctor/Captain when he thought he was shot and the Colonel infantry leader finds out about him being a Doctor and rewards him saying the tactic he used will never probably never be authorised to be used again.
Madison also discovers the reason the Indians retreated so easily- they caught chickenpox from the civilians they killed, who didn't really have smallpox. They continue on their way with Madison riding with his female civilian interest who helped nurse the sick children.
An interesting film which is a pleasant change to the usual Western. One of the best scenes is where we see Madison being a Doctor at heart, feel guilty about the Indians catch a disease they have no immunity for and having to kill them when he sees their point of view.
--H Louise, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Command |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 60%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1900-1920's
Training/Promotion story?
Yes
Kinds of training/promotion:
- military
Western
Yes
Kind of western:
- Good white men fighting wicked Indians
- traveling across the west
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair style
- short/standard wavy (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn, straight
Body type
- ample bosom & buttocks (woman)
Unclothed?
- very tight clothes
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- enemy army
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- American Indian
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Prairie?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- building
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- non-gory references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- all mixed up
How many deaths in film?
- dozens
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
Kind of violence:
- mission to protect something
- hand to hand
- guns
- knives
- swords
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--bullets
- perforation--swords/knives
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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