Sam Peckinpah's reputation as a troublesome maverick was originally forged on the set of Major Dundee, the director's epic Civil War Western that turned into an epic flop mutilated by Columbia Pictures, after which Peckinpah was more or less unemployable. We'll never see Peckinpah's 160-minute cut that was subsequently butchered to just over two hours (rendering the film nearly incoherent), but this new "extended version" restores 12 minutes of footage believed lost for 40 years, fleshing out character and plot just enough to qualify as a substantial improvement, giving viewers (especially Peckinpah fans) a much better indication that 1965's Major Dundee was essentially a lavish dress rehearsal for The Wild Bunch, the controversial masterpiece that revived Peckinpah's career four years later. The dominant themes of the latter film are present in this story of Union officer Dundee (Charlton Heston) transporting Confederate prisoners, including a former friend (Richard Harris) whom he recruits to join forces against a murderous Apache chieftain whose ruthless raids lead Dundee in hot pursuit into Mexico. The Heston/Harris character tension is much improved here, but Major Dundee remains a curio best appreciated by Peckinpah devotees, since it's still—even with this partial restoration—a film that never gels into something truly memorable. Considering its troubled history, however, this is still worthy of a film buff's attention, and the addition of a new music score, despite the objection of purists, is welcome (Peckinpah loathed the original). DVD extras include commentary with Peckinpah historians and a vintage stunt featurette. A strong optional purchase. (J. Shannon)
Major Dundee: The Extended Version
Sony, 136 min., PG-13, DVD: $19.95 Volume 20, Issue 6
Major Dundee: The Extended Version
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: