The Great Sioux Uprising (1953) User Reviews

Unfair advantage

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 7 April 2013]

The Great Sioux Uprising in the tradition of B westerns is a misnomer of a title. No great uprising takes place though not for Lyle Bettger's efforts to get one started.

During the Civil War Bettger is a horse dealer and the biggest one around. He'd like to merge with another dealer, Faith Domergue and crush his other competitors. The reason he's the biggest horse dealer around is that Bettger steals his horses from the Indians and gets top dollar for them from the army. Kind of an unfair advantage don't you think?

Enter Jeff Chandler former Union Army surgeon now a veterinarian who has given people doctoring because of a war wound and now tends to animals. He sees what Bettger is doing and tries to organize the opposition, but Bettger is a very clever villain if a little less psychotic than he usually is in films.

There's also a Confederate general in the area looking to make his own deal with the Sioux. It all adds up to an interesting western of the Civil War era.

There are some interesting supporting performances by friendly blacksmith Peter Whitney and from Stacy Harris a really mean psychotic sort who is Bettger's right hand man.

For Jeff Chandler's loyal legion of fans.

Anti-racist

[a-caplan · 5/10 · 9 February 2016]

Not a great or even a very good Western, but notable, for 1953 (more than ten years before Cheyenne Autumn), for its relatively strong anti-racist message with reference both to the Abolitionist issue in the Civil War and to the long history of failed promises to Native Americans. Given the standard tendency of Westerns (at best) to skirt over race entirely or to present a favorable interpretation of the Confederate cause, this is no small issue.

Apart from Dr Westgate's (Chandler) obvious sympathy for the Indian position, he presents his case for Indian neutrality in the Civil War to the Sioux Council, citing the clear racism of the Confederate general (which he implied would be transferred to the Sioux if they made common cause with the Confederates) and the sacrifice being made by Northern troops in the cause of racial equality. Elmer Daves' Broken Arrow of 1950 with James Stewart and Chandler had already raised the issue of Indian grievances against US Indian policy, but this was emphasizing the message in a 'B' Western context.

Sioux Convention.

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 11 June 2017]

Directed by Lloyd Bacon and collectively written by Melvin Levy, J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater. Starring Jeff Chandler, Faith Domergue, Lyle Bettger, Peter Whitney and Stacy Harris.

The grand title sadly doesn't match what is actually put on screen, since Bacon's film is more a thinker than a thugger. Plot has Chandler as an ex-Union surgeon who takes up with ranchers and Indians in fighting the good cause against Bettger's horse baron and nefarious rebel rousers.

Undeniably the intentions and thought as per the screenplay are honourable, the anti-racist currents coupled with thematics involving the false deals laid at the Native American's doors, these are interestingly played and keep the pic from sinking below an average level. Action is in short supply, but there are moments of muscular brawn and bravado, while the Oregon locations and Technicolor photography (Maury Gertsman) provide pleasing surroundings.

Chandler and Bettger get roles for which they were known and suited, but Domergue - radiant in that "just made love" look she had - just ends up as more token interest than the feisty intelligent business woman that the story threatens to unleash. Whitney and Harris deliver good foil as stoic friend and unscrupulous fiend respectively. While John War Eagle and Glenn Strange offer up a firm backbone in the secondary support slots.

The story and ideas have been done far better in far more well known Westerns, thus rendering this as hardly essential. But some merit exists and for Chandler and Bettger fans it's a decent time waster. 6/10

Run-of-the-mill Western well starred by Jeff Chandler and plenty of thrills, struggles and Indian attacks

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 15 April 2020]

During American Civil War an ex Army doctor called Jonathan Westgate : Jeff Chandler, gets to a little town where he finds a job as a veterinary. There he meets the beautiful Joan : Faith Domergue, she is a horse dealer whose boyfriend is the nasty crooked dealer Stephen Cook : Lyle Bettger. She is suppying horses to Union Army, while her colleague is planning to sell robbed horses to Confederation and Jonathan opposes his ominous activities to prevent a new Indian war. The latter is an unscrupulous horse dealing who attempts to rob herd to the Wyoming Sioux led by Red Cloud : John War Eagle. Meanwhile, a Confederate general called Stand White, a Cherokee, is attempting to join forces with Sioux Indians to face off the Union Army. As a doctor against a villain rustler, agitators, Southern rebels and the mighty Chief Red Cloud along with his scalp-hungry hordes at his command ! . For the scarlet lips of a traitor's woman, he stood alone!

Thrilling western with frantic action, brawls , Indian assaults , and chavary charges . This is a routine Western with usual elements, including ordinary triangular romance, as starring, the good guy Jeff Chandler falls for gorgeous Faith Domergue who is also for the corrupt bad guy Lyle Bettger . There are some nice action scenes, as well as violent, thrilling fights . Stars Jeff Chandler as an unfortunate doctor who escapes from Civil War but becomes involved into a lot of problems. Chandler is well known for his deep characterization as historical Apache Chief Cochise, in Broken arrow 1950, who went on playing the role in The battle of Apache 1951 and Taza son of Cochise 1954 . He dressed military uniform in Two flags west 1950 , War arrow 1954, Pillars of the sky 1956 and he was a mine owner in The spoilers 1956 . As well as a Georgia military governor in Durango 1957 , a Basque wagon train guide in Thunder in the sun 1959, an ambitious dreamer person in The Jayhawkers 1959, a Civil War veteran in The Plunderers 1960 and his Western final as a modern sheriff in Man in the shadow 1957. Chandler is finely accompanied by the beauty Faith Domergue who at the time, the Hollywood studio attempted to launch her as Marilyn Monroe's rival. Supported by awesome secondaries such as : the always villainous Lyle Bettger, the sympathetic and strong Peter Whitney, Walter Sande, Stacy Harris, John War Eagle and Glenn Strange who played Frankenstein character in terror Universal series.

It contains a glimmer cinematography in Technicolor by Maury Gertsman, shot on location in Portland Oregon, Pendleton Oregon, and, of course, Universal studios. As well as atmospheric and stirring musical by the uncredited Henry Mancini, Milton Rosen, Herman Stein, all of them Universal's regular. The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by Lloyd Bacon, and it has some flaws. Bacon was a prolific craftsman who made films of all kind of genres, as Thriller, Westerns, dramas, comedy, Film Noir and outstanding in Wartime and Musical genres. As he directed movies as 42th Street, Footlight parade, Kept husbands, Devil dogs of the air, Marked woman, Boy meets girl, Oklahoma Kid, Brother orchid, Footsteps in the dark, Silver Queen, The fighting Sullivans, Action in the North Atlantic, Miss Grant takes Richmond, It happens every Spring, The Fuller brush girl, She couldn't say no, The French line , among others. Rating 5.5/10. Passable and acceptable.

Great Is An Overstatement

[boblipton · 6/10 · 12 February 2021]

Jeff Chandler is a veterinarian who sets up in a new town after he earns a measure of the Sioux War Chief, John War Eagle. He's not happy with the white man, because Lyle Bettger has just stolen a herd of their sacred horses to sell to the army. The Civil War is raging.

Lloyd Bacon directs this 'shaky A' western with a strong enough hand, and the script includes some real historical oddities, like an Indian who's a Confederate general, but mostly the movie is too busy with its standard western tropes, fight scenes, and Chandler running the gantlet to make much of them beyond some handsome Technicolor photography by Maury Gertsman. Faith Domergue offers some nice scenery as the love interest, and some long-time western stars can be spotted in the crowds, like Edmund Cobb and Kermit Maynard. However, while always watchable for its competence, it breaks no new ground.

Weak and talky

[rc223 · 4/10 · 5 February 2001]

This low-budget, low-ambition western actually contains the line, "white man speak with forked tongue." Well, nearly. A doctor poses as a vet to track down two horse thieves and prevent the great Sioux uprising. Rather slow-moving and the liberal speeches at the end are the last straw.

This Standard Issue Horse Opera Lacks Grandeur

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 11 January 2010]

"Knute Rockne All American" director Lloyd Bacon's average American Civil War era oater "The Great Sioux Uprising" doesn't qualify as great in any sense of the word. This concise 81-minute horse opera about a former Union Army physician who exposes a dastardly rancher as a no-account horse thief who has rustled hundreds of steeds from the eponymous Indians amounts to a series of contrivances that a good cast and competent directing by veteran helmer Bacon, with as many as 130 feature films to his credit, cannot entirely offset. Rugged Jeff Chandler is believable as the humble army doctor who has lost confidence in his ability to perform surgery since he received a war wound in the hand. Lyle Bettger acquired a reputation during the 1950s playing treacherous villains in a number of westerns. Bettger was thoroughly convincing as an adversary whether he tangled with either Burt Lancaster's Wyatt Earp in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" or challenged Clayton Moore's masked man in "The Lone Ranger." Bettger certainly gives Jeff Chandler a run for his money in "The Great Sioux Uprising" as a crooked rancher who struggles to corner the market on selling horses to the U.S. Cavalry. When he isn't rustling horses, he latches his lusty eyes latched onto the heroine, Faith Domergue, who provides him with only minor competition. Of course, our heroine wants nothing to do with Bettger and prefers the affections of Chandler. "The Great Sioux Uprising" alternates between the Universal back lot and the plains of Pendleton, Oregon.

The U.S. Cavalry desperately needs remounts and Major McKay (Alden 'Stephen' Chase of "When Worlds Collide") cannot get enough of them either from Stephen Cook (Lyle Bettger) or Joan Britton (Faith Domergue of "Escort West") to ship back east. McKay believes if the Union Army had more horses that General McClellan could have crushed General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at the bloody battle of Antietam. Clearly, "Crime Ring" co-scribes J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater along with "The Robin Hood of El Dorado" scenarist Melvin Levy and "Chatterbox" writer Frank Gill Jr., who provided additional dialogue, knew nothing about the pusillanimous McClellan. McClellan constantly worried that Lee had him outnumbered even when McClellan's troops outnumbered Lee's men. Anyway, their loquacious screenplay has the villains conniving in what resembles an old B-movie western as Cook tries to hold onto his horse flesh monopoly. Joan makes a promise to round up substantially more horses for Major McKay. She convinces her Native American housekeeper to take her out to see Chief Red Cloud (Johnny War Eagle of "Tomahawk") and tries to persuade him to sell her his herd of horses so that lives on both sides of the fighting can be saved. Chief Red Cloud turns Joan down cold and warns Joan's housekeeper to never return with the white lady. The Chief has a very low opinion of whites because they speak with "forked tongues." Meanwhile, Cook and his second-in-command, Uriah (Stacy Harris of "Comanche") drool from afar over the hundreds of horses grazing on the slopes. After Joan and company ride off, Cook and his gunmen rustle the herd, kill some Indians, and hightail it. Uriah's horse catches an arrow the flank.

About a quarter-hour into the action, Jonathan Westgate, M.D. (Academy Award nominee Jeff Chandler of "Yankee Buccaneer"), rides into town and strikes up a Bible-quoted conversation with the local blacksmith, Ahab Jones (Peter Whitney of "Action in the North Atlantic"), and promptly finds himself with a place to stay. Westgate assures Ahab that he can operate on both man and beast. It doesn't take Ahab long to introduce Westgate to Joan and she takes a shine to him. She isn't the only one who takes a shine to him. The small ranchers complain about Cook dominating them and Westgate suggests that they band together and drive their horses to the fort. Cook and Uriah kidnap Westgate and hold him against his will at his ranch. Meantime, Cook rides out to see the small ranchers and bullies them into submission. One of them, the one-armed Joe Baird (Walter Sande of "Bad Day at Black Rock") refuses to cower and rides off with his string of mounts. The evil Uriah steals Westgate's operating scalpel and attacks Baird on the trail and murders him. A townsman loyal to Cook brings in Baird's body and shows the citizens the scalpel that belongs to Westgate. Not only does Cook release Westgate but he also gives him the horse of Westgate's choice. The horse turns out to be the one that was hit by the arrow. Back at Cook's ranch, Westgate wins his freedom when Cook has a seizure and Westgate operates on him. When he arrives in town, Westgate has to flee because the townspeople want to lynch him for killing Baird. Ahab disguises himself as Westgate and leads the lynch obsessed mob on a wild goose chase. Westgate believes that if he can bring in Red Cloud to identify the horse that he can get McKay to arrest the rancher. Later, the devious Cook learns about Westgate's plan and burns down the stable that houses the horse.

Mind you, there is no seeming shortage of plot here. Eventually, Westgate proves that Cook is the culprit that stole from the Indians. Indeed, Westgate talks the Sioux and other Indian nations out of joining the Confederacy when Southern General Stan Watie (Glenn Strange of "Gunsmoke") furnishes them with carbines and tries to incite them against the Union. The villains get their comeuppance and our hero recovers and puts back on his uniform. Again, Bacon keeps the contrived plot moving along at a steady pace with some action scenes. There isn't a lot of time for romance between Chandler and Domergue. Peter Whitney shines as the garrulous Ahab and Bettger makes a menacing villain with a shred of humanity. "The Great Sioux Uprising" is a standard-issue horse opera with an interesting plot but it lacks a larger-than-life clout.

The very definition of mediocre!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 6 July 2022]

Have you ever watched a film and thought to yourself "This isn't bad....but it also isn't good, either". Well, that's the impression I had in watching "The Great Sioux Uprising".

The story is set in the west during the Civil War. Apparently, the Union army needs horses and they've contracted with an unscrupulous dirt-bag to get them. But Stephen Cook (Lyle Bettger) doesn't seem to care where he gets them or if he starts a war with the various Indian tribes...all he wants is the money. So, it's up to a traveling doctor (Jeff Chandler) to save the day.

The action is fair. The villain is fair. The story is fair. The treatment of the natives in the film...fair. Nothing really stands out as good nor bad. It's purely a time-passer and nothing else.

Veternarian captures horse thief, then performes appendectamy on him!

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 18 January 2018]

My title summarizes one of the more unusual features of this Universal Technicolor Civil War western. I should explain that that the veterinarian(Jeff Chandler, as John Westgate) used to be an army surgeon, before he got discouraged trying to save limbs and lives. The screenplay basically is about a major procurer of army horses(Lyle Bettger as Steve Cook) from the northern and central Plains , who has been recently obtaining his horses by stealing from the Sioux , in order to fulfill his contract with the army. Independent horse procurer Joan Britton tried to buy horses from the Sioux, but Red Cloud declined. .... Some of the subplot components are as follows: 1)Joan's friendship and romance with business competitor Cook vs. newcomer Westgate. It didn't take long for Joan to forget Cook, and team up with Westgate. 2)Cook vs. the small procurers, who look at him with envy, with his army contract. Westgate suggests they band together and pool their resources. But, for a while, they want to lynch Westgate as a suspected murderer.3) The question of whether Westgate will eventually reverse his decision to give up on human surgeries, especially after he does the appendectomy on Cook. 4)The question of whether the Plains tribes will join up with Cherokee Confederate General Stand Watie. After the General gives a pro-Confederate speech at a council of all the major Plains tribes, Westgate gives a speech advising them to stay out of the War..... Stacy Harris, as one -eyed Uriah, serves as Cook's sidekick, who has a penchant for shooting or knifing anyone he sees in his way. ...Peter Whitney turned out to be a friendly blacksmith, who often neglected his work to follow Westgate around as his sidekick. They were often seen with Joan....John War Eagle served as Chief Red Cloud, who did nearly all the talking for the Sioux. ... Glen Strange, who played General Stand Watie was appropriately part Cherokee. His name was derived from that of real Cherokee general of the Confederacy.....Stephen Chase served as Major McKay, commander of the nearby fort.. His detachment helped to capture Cook, after Cook had a tussle with Westgate: the second such episode...... Cook stole horses from the same Sioux , not once, but several times, with the Sioux giving chase the last time: constituting 'the great Sioux uprising'....The film is moderately interesting, not pretending to be a classic. At least, the Sioux Chief was played by a real Indian. Don't confuse this film with "The Great Sioux Massacre", which is yet another expose of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

The Great Sioux Uprising review

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 15 April 2020]

A crooked horse dealer threatens to spark an Indian uprising during the Civil War when he steals horses belonging to the Sioux. It's only 80 minutes long, but The Great Sioux Uprising seems to go on forever thanks to a pedestrian screenplay from no less than four writers. Jeff Chandler, one of Hollywood's blandest leading men, plays a Union doctor suffering from battle fatigue who gets wind of bad guy Lyle Bettger's plot to steal hundreds of horses belonging to the Sioux, who, a little unusually for an early '50s Western, are portrayed as victims pushed to violence by the treacherous white man. Don't hold your breath waiting for that uprising - this is a title that fails to deliver on its promise.

better than average

[jromanbaker · 8/10 · 18 May 2019]

I have a great affection for both Faith Domergue and Jeff Chandler. I do not feel that they got the scripts they deserved, and I believe this was the first time they acted together. The chemistry was good, but sadly the film should have expanded Domergue's role more than it did. Given the grand title the film needed more playing time and probably would have had if Cinemascope had been on offer in 1953. Bur given these quibbles the film is solid, thoughtful and has a liberal feeling to it often lacking in Westerns. The friendship between the Indian woman and Domergue is one example. I will not give any spoilers but just say that I would prefer to see this kind of Western than many others that have an over masculine bravado and a total indifference to the loss of the Indian populations which was too often portrayed.

Enjoyable western with unusual elements

[coltras35 · 8/10 · 19 March 2021]

Universal westerns are quite enjoyable, they are recognisable by a particular gunshot and galloping sounds, and there's are enough in display in this enjoyable western starring the underrated Jeff Chandler and Faith Domergue, who is the romantic interest. Ace villain Lyle Betger, he the one with that perpetual grin which can easily turn into a snarl, is up to his villainous tricks again, this time stealing horses from the Indians, and Jeff Chandler, former union surgeon, now vet, is out to stop him before an uprising occurs. A subplot featuring confederate officers - one of them is an Indian - trying to get the Indians to fight with them is an unusual feature, as is the anti-race stance Chandler makes. But what is really unusual is the villain getting his appendix's removed by Chandler, right after having a fight with him.

Lloyd Bacon's shadow

[searchanddestroy-1 · 20 November 2022]

No one of earth could guess that this western could be made by the great Warner studios director Llyod Bacon, who gave us so many gems such as SAN QUENTIN, RACKET BUSTERS, MARKED WOMAN during the thirties and forties. Universal studios also hired a Hollywood veteran in the early fifties, for one western, Alfred Green, for SIERRA, starring Audie Murphy. But later Universal will get Nathan Juran and Jack Arnold for westerns, science fiction, and some crime dramas. I don't mean that this Universal Pictures western is lousy, bad or whatever else of this kind, but I just would have never believed any one about the fact that Bacon made it. I guess he needed money when he accepted the contract. Anyway, it was nearly his end of career and life too. Any Universal western is very entertaining, colourful, and that makes this company the best specialist during the fifties of great B westerns, starring the likes of Audie Murphy, Jeff Chandler or Rock Hudson in the leads. So, yes, this movie deserves to be watched, if you are a western buff, but if you are a big Lloyd Bacon's fan, with the memory of his Warner years, well, you should be warned or get away from it. That depends of you taste and state of mind....

Couldn't rate

[cartjos · 26 March 2020]

I couldn't rate this as I stopped watching early on. There are scenes that are really wrong, but not enough to make a movie bad. This movie had one, at the start, that was too much for me. I started watching after the opening credits had already passed and was only watching to see who the star was. It took, it seemed, a long time before I saw that it was Jeff Chandler. The scene early on that killed it for me was when a small band of Whites rustled a large amount of Indian horses. It seemed like the whole Indian Nation went into pursuit. One rustler, only using his six gun only, fired three rounds. That was all it took to stop the Indians. The Chief was the only one that fired back and that was with an arrow. That was enough for me.