Cheyenne Autumn Overview:

Cheyenne Autumn (1964) was a Drama - Historical Film directed by John Ford and produced by John Ford and Bernard Smith.

SYNOPSIS

The last Western from director Ford and a farewell to his familiar Monument Valley locations. After portraying Indians as villains in many of his classic Westerns, Ford cast them in a compassionate light in this rueful, elegiac film. The story follows the Cheyenne Indians as they flee their squalid Oklahoma reservation and return to their traditional homeland along the Yellowstone River in Wyoming. Cavalry officer Widmark gets the call to return the tribe to the reservations, but, after he sees the starvation and sickness endured by his quarry, he questions the government's decision. A cast of great stars (including a brief nod from Stewart as Wyatt Earp), and available in a restored version with additional footage.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

.

Academy Awards 1964 --- Ceremony Number 37 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best CinematographyWilliam H. ClothierNominated
.

BlogHub Articles:

Cheyenne Autumn (1964): John Ford’s Western Swan Song

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 10, 2021 From 4 Star Films

If we had to provide a broad sense of Cheyenne Autumn, it would be all about the mass Exodus of the Cheyenne in 1878 as they journey from the arid land they’ve been subjugated to back to the land the white man had promised to return to them all along. This is a Hollywood rendition so, obviousl... Read full article


Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

By Beatrice on May 20, 2018 From Flickers in Time

Cheyenne Autumn Directed by John Ford Written by James R. Webb, suggested by “Cheyenne Autumn” by Mari Sandoz 1964/USA Warner Bros./Ford-Smith Productions First viewing/Netflix rental This beautiful movie represents the peak of John Ford’s later career. It is 1878. ?The Cheyenne In... Read full article


See all Cheyenne Autumn articles

Quotes from

Spanish Woman: They are angry... because my son fired the first shot.
Deborah Wright: Does it ever matter who fires the first shot?


Deborah Wright: Dull Knife, the old chief is much too sick. He'll never make such a trip. Listen...
Dull Knife: If he lives to ride even a mile closer to home, he will die as a man should. There will be no more dying in this place.


Spanish Woman: They will not go back. Life there is not life. They will die here.


read more quotes from Cheyenne Autumn...

Facts about

The "Cheyenne" are actually Navajo, telling dirty jokes in their native tongue.
When film critic Peter Bogdanovich visited the set to interview John Ford, he was introduced to Nancy Hsueh, who played Little Bird, whom Bogdanovich later cast in his first film, Targets. While Bogdanovich was on the set, Sal Mineo recommended the book "The Last Picture Show" by Larry McMurtry to him, which became his second film as director seven years later.
John Ford would not allow Sal Mineo to speak any English dialog in the movie due to the actor's Bronx accent.
read more facts about Cheyenne Autumn...
Share this page:
Visit the Classic Movie Hub Blog CMH
Best Cinematography Oscar 1964











See more Academy Awards>>
Also directed by John Ford




More about John Ford >>
Also produced by John Ford




More about John Ford >>
Also released in 1964




See All 1964 films >>