MovieChat Forums > Grayeagle (1977) Discussion > As bad as I remember.

As bad as I remember.

posted 8 years ago by mlaiuppa
1 reply | jump to latest

When I was in junior high, my Mom went back east for a week for a funeral.

My Dad was left with us, cooking and doing laundry among other things after he got home from work.

He did his duty. I was sorta hoping we'd go out to dinner every night but no. He reheated what my Mom cooked and grilled steak, hamburgers and hot dogs.

But there was a surprise. On a bargain movie night he piled us into the car and drove to the next town to the movies. Now we rarely went to the movies so this was a treat. But it wasn't to see any movie we might enjoy. It was a western he wanted to see. You guessed it. Grayeagle. And the reason we had to drive that far was because it was the only theater nearby where it was playing. That should have been a red flag.

This movie has been a family joke ever since.

Now I'm all for a good western and I watched plenty with my Dad. All of the John Wayne. Plenty of those with Ben Johnson and Jack Elam.

But this movie was just awful. I couldn't help it. I giggled in parts. My Dad was stoic. But on the way home even he admitted it was the worst movie he had ever seen and laughed about it.

Now to be fair, my Mom did the same thing when the situation was reversed and my Dad was back east for a funeral. Only I was in high school and she took me to see The Graduate.

My Mom had much better taste in movies. Or maybe she just got lucky.

At any rate, after all these years time has not been kind to this movie. It is still awful. But it's now sorta campy. If it was going to gain cult status it would have by now.

But it really says something when the supporting actors, Ben Johnson and Iron Eyes Cody get the top billing and the main characters are way down the list. Lana Wood wasn't great but Alex Cord was just awful. Perhaps he was gritting his teeth the entire time in anger at his agent signing him up for this turkey.

BTW I think I actually bought the DVD for my Dad off amazon for a penny, plus shipping. That was still too much but what are you going to do? It was a great gag gift.

If you really want to see a great western along this story line, seek out the original, "The Searchers".

[–] Wuchak (8103) 6 years ago

While the plot is reminiscent of 1956's "The Searchers," it's different enough to not be a rip-off. "Grayeagle" is not a big-budget Western, like "The Searchers," but I much prefer it (as far as I'm concerned, "The Searchers" is a dud). It's not a cheapie either and it surprised me for a number of reasons:

For one, it's not a typical Western; it's just as much a Native American film as it is a cowboy/settler Western; and the Natives are portrayed pretty well, considering the time period (the mid-70s). Secondly, everything about the film is over-the-top, like the acting, the (melo)drama and the blaring score, which is quite good -- sometimes even moving -- albeit decidedly dated.

"Grayeagle" is full of gusto and must be respected because the creators gave it their all to entertain the viewer; however, the film is so overdone it sometimes borders on ridiculous, which explains the OP's loathing. So while it's often supremely entertaining the sacred words are fitting: "Just because you like a movie doesn't mean it's good."