MAJOR DUNDEE: THE EXTENDED VERSION
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah.
Produced by: Jerry Bresler.
Written by: Harry Julian Fink, Sam Peckinpah & Oscar Saul.
Director of Photography: Sam Leavitt.
Edited by: Howard Kunin, William A. Lyon & Don Starling.
Music by: Christopher Caliendo.
Released by: Sony Pictures Repertory.
Country of Origin: USA. 136 min. Rated: PG-13.
With: Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, James Coburn, Michael Anderson Jr., Senta Berger, Mario Adorf, Brock Peters, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones & Slim Pickens.

Originally released in 1965, Major Dundee was a confusing mess of a film, cut by Columbia Pictures and completely disowned by its director, Sam Peckinpah. Now, 12 minutes have been put back and a new score added. Set during the Civil War, Charlton Heston stars as the title character, a Union officer smarting after a significant setback at Gettysburg. With his cavalry broken and bloodied, Dundee is forced to join forces with Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris), a Confederate leader he has taken prisoner. They lead a ragtag crew of soldiers, including Apache guides and black volunteers, across the Rio Grande into hostile Mexican territory, in pursuit of a renegade Apache who slaughtered a New Mexico settlement.

Though Major Dundee is a seminal Western, it is by no means perfect. Heston's performance is laudable, but Richard Harris steals the show as the rebellious, alternative voice to Dundee's command. Harris is a swashbuckler in cowboy boots, playing a ladies man in between keeping his Confederate soldiers in line and saving Dundee's life. James Coburn lends the supporting cast much needed charisma as a fearless, one-armed lookout. Colorful minor characters played by Peckinpah regulars L.Q. Jones, Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, and Slim Pickens enhance the cast.

While the extended version does clarify some plot points and adds depth to Dundee’s character, it drags considerably, especially during the scenes of Dundee's relationship with Teresa (Senta Berger). Restored is a "Lost Weekend" sequence, where Dundee and his men camp out and mingle with locals, indulge in women and alcohol, and have playful knife fights. The film does make more sense thanks to these changes, but they don't make it any more entertaining. What does heighten the tension is the addition of Christopher Caliendo's score, commissioned because Peckinpah had been discouraged by the more upbeat score that was originally used. While Major Dundee: The Extended Version is more the epic Peckinpah envisioned it to be, the final result is not quite the shadow of a masterpiece. Jeff Sneider
April 8, 2005