Der letzte Befehl (1959)

Der letzte Befehl: Directed by John Ford. With John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Judson Pratt. In 1863, a Union outfit is sent behind Confederate lines in Mississippi to destroy enemy railroads but a captive southern belle and the unit’s doctor cause frictions within ranks.

“For some reason, many critics and John Ford fans underrated this saga of the Grierson raid of 1863, in which 1700 Union cavalrymen galloped from Illinois to New Orleans to divert Confederate attention from Grantu0026#39;s Vicksburg campaign. I think itu0026#39;s one of Fordu0026#39;s best films, ranking with his Cavalry Trilogy. The action scenes are the best in any Civil War films and John Wayneu0026#39;s performance is perhaps the best of his career. I donu0026#39;t have any problem with the love story. William Holden is the same cynical character he is in so many films, (this was just two years after u0026quot;The Bridge on the River Kwaiu0026quot; and here he is back in a war movie- one that ends with a bridge blowing up!). The sequence with the military academy is great. In the real battle of New Market, the Union forces did not spare the VMI cadets, who would have been older than these boys and were part of a larger Confederate force. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne of the last scenes in the film contains tow forgivable historical errors. Dr. Holden is seen boiling his utensils. He tells Wayne that he is staying behind to care for the wounded even if it mean capture. Wayne asks u0026quot;Even if it means Andersonville?u0026quot; Holden answers u0026quot;yesu0026quot;. Pasteur didnu0026#39;t determine the cause of infection until 1879. More Civil War soldiers died of their wounds after battle than during the battles precisely because Civil War doctors did not take the precautions Holden is shown taking here. The Andersonville prison camp was founded in February, 1864, to alleviate overcrowding at Libby Prison in Richmond and to remove the captees from the front lines. It didnu0026#39;t exist at the time of the Grierson raid. Obviously Ford and his writers felt Andersonville would raise an image of horror in the viewers that underscored the sacrifice Holden is making by staying.”