Son of the Morning Star is a two-part TV adaptation of Evan S. Connell's non-fiction book of the same name, and also covers George Custer and his final battle at Little Bighorn. I was drawn to this film after watching the heavily inaccurate Errol Flynn as Custer flick They Died with Their Boots On. Unfortunately the mini-series has still not received a DVD release, so I had to watch a VHS rip on Youtube (yes, it's completely free, albeit with some ad breaks). While the picture quality was fuzzy, I have to say that I was very pleased with this "movie" and feel that it deserves more attention for being the most accurate coverage of Custer and Little Bighorn. After seeing the laughable misrepresentation of history from Errol Flynn's film, this was an incredible experience for a Civil War/Old West buff such as myself.
Son of the Morning Star's screen adaptation is split into two parts. The first part starts in 1866 and goes up to the early 1870s. It establishes Custer (Gary Cole) as a contradictory man. For example, he is very harsh towards deserters, but practically abandons his regiment when he hears that his wife Libby (Rosanna Arquette) is sick. He also pulls off a brutal assault on the Cheyennes at Washita River (where many women and children were killed) but is later seen to be criticizing the government for abusing Indians on the newly created reservations. Overall Son of the Morning Star portrays Custer in a thankfully balances light, showing both his strengths and flaws. This is not the romanticized swashbuckler of They Died with Their Boots On, nor the bloodthirsty and somewhat idiotic butcher of Little Big Man.
One of the more fascinating aspects of this mini-series is that it covers Custer's oft-tense relationships with both his superiors and subordinates. We get the Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan combo as the former camp. Ulysses Grant (Stanley Anderson) starts off the film as the first-ranked general, than becomes the president, which further strains relations with Custer when the colonel questions his administration's integrity. Phil Sheridan (Dean Stockwell) is accurately depicted as Custer's staunchest ally. As for Custer's subordinates, the movie simplifies them by only featuring one other Custer brother It also gets into Custer's antagonistic relationship with Frederic Benteen (David Straithairn) and Marcus Reno (Michael Medeiros). Benteen is the competent voice, questioning Custer's more controversial decisions, while Reno is an incompetent who helps turn Little Bighorn into a disaster. I do have to say that the real Benteen had a critical and argumentative nature, so his views of Custer were not always justified. These disputes within the 7th Cavalry were all but ignored in many previous Custer films.
To compensate for time-skips and provide context, Son of the Morning Star employs two female narrators. My one main criticism of the mini-series is that these two voices constantly narrate the first 20 or so minutes in a big exposition dump. I understand that they were trying to set everything up without filming another hour of material, but it does give off a lazy storytelling vibe. Thankfully the narration is better employed after the opening stretch. Libby Custer is the first of the two narrators, providing a pro-Custer view and providing more insights into the man's personality. Kate Big Head (Buffy Saint-Marie) gives us the Indian perspective. Kate Bighead was a Cheyenne who witnessed the Battle of the Little Bighorn among other events involving Custer and the Plains Indian Wars. The mini-series in general shows all the Indians speaking their native language and without subtitles, so she's essential for laying out their viewpoints and characters. Aside from Kate Bighead, the most prominent Indian characters are Crazy Horse (Rodney Grant) and Bloody Knife (Sheldon Wolfchild). Grant manages to make Crazy Horse a charismatic commander despite having almost no lines. Bloody Knife was actually an Arikara scout for Custer with a personal vendetta against the Sioux and shows that the Indians were hardly a united force.
The second part of the mini-series centers on the build-up to and battle of Little Bighorn. The final battle is the most accurate depiction of the event, though still simplified in places. While many Custer films simply show the Indians surrounding and massacring the men, this mini-series shows how the 7th Cavalry split up, with Reno attacking the camp from the south while Custer led the main thrust from the east. In the real battle Custer actually divided his force again, but this was cut for simplicity's sake. The fighting itself is well-done, and it's fascinating seeing how the cavalry's two-pronged attack turned into an encirclement and massacre without turning Custer into a complete idiot. It also gets across the violence and horror of an Indian Wars fight (and massacre) in spite of television network restrictions.
Overall, Son of the Morning Star is the most accurate filmed depiction of Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn. Fans of history, especially of the period, will probably love it. The actors do a good job of representing the historical figures, the climatic battle is thrilling, and the musical score is not too bad (if a little repetitious at points). It's a shame that many have somehow forgotten this mini-series' existence and it's doubtful it will get a proper, cleaned-up DVD or Blu-Ray release. Until then, here's a link to the full movie on Youtube.
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