I bought this movie recently because I have always thought that this was the best version. However, when I read that the horses that went over the cliff were blindfolded, and were really killed, I was so shocked! I can't believe they did that! I wonder how it made the cast feel, knowing this was going to happen. Does that bother anyone else?
shareStunt scenes like these were often filmed by a "second unit" that doesn't involve the stars. Yes, I don't like that they killed horses for a movie stunt though.
Polls... One of the Main Stream Media's Jedi Mind Tricks.
Awful treatment to the fine white-faced bay that spent so much time hauling and galloping with two men on his back. Likely died from painful bleeding and internal injuries and not said drowning as if that would help!(hence the thrashing after the long fall into the water, he must have been minced inside). My god people are *beep* up to accept that for a bare few seconds of action footage. What a waste of a film.
sharethe horses made a hard water landing. That had to hurt.
shareTwo men on his back? Hence the thrashing? I think you're watching the wrong film. Frank and Jesse each had their own horse. After each horse hits the water (same footage of one horse from different angles) the camera cuts away. There is no thrashing.
Just saw it in HD and don't see any blindfold either as others mentioned. I can actually see the horse's eye as it goes over the cliff!
is this true did they really kill those horses, im a big western fan but this is a horrible thing to do
shareIts been a long time, so my memory and details may be off.
Many years ago, I met a family from Joplin Mo. and they introduced me to some relatives that raised horses in the 1930's.
The production company came to them wanting horses for a movie. The horses were for the main stars so they had to look similiar. The movie production buyer also specified that the horses could jump or could be taught to jump.
The family sold the movie company maybe six horses, I dont remember the exact amount..
When the horse stunts were done, maybe three horses had broken legs or necks from the falls. That left the cliff scene.
They tried riding the horses off the cliff but, the animals refused to go. So the production company built a trip chute at the top of the cliff. Men stood on the chute while the the rider led horse on it. Then, the men stepped off and, the horse and rider went over the edge. They sent a second horse over the edge the same way. Both horses died due to broken necks.
When the filming was completed, the family was furious but there was nothing they could do. They sold the horses.
I'm glad to see someone who is actually caring and compassionate about all those animals that died for the sake of a movie.
Poor horses. Only someone with a twisted mind could do something like that.
Boycott movies that involve real animal violence! (and their directors too)
Saddly this type of practice was all too common at the time, so this film is hardly unique - John Ford was one of the few western directors of the period to employ specially trained 'stunt' horses rather than tripwires etc.
Having said that, it's hardly worth getting irate about a 70+ year old film especially since all participants are now as dead as said horse.
A lot of things bother me .....however, usually not things that happened 73 years ago. I wish all other problems in the world were also a thing of the past.The issue of animal cruelty in films has been resolved in part, due to what happened in this film. So, in affect, these horses didn't die in vain.
shareIt looks like the horses went over the cliff ass end first, how does that happen?
It also looks like stunt men went over the same cliff into the water with the horses, how is it the horses died but the men didn't? It wasn't that great of a fall, knowing about this stunt first I was expecting a very great fall, it didn't look that deadly, but it also depends on how deep the water is.
Doing this to the horses, along with other stunts like John Ford use to do with trip wires does disturb me, but I expected this to be much more horrendous, and it wasn't even done very well, it should have been cut out, and really not even done at all, it just wasn't necessary, it would have been just as satisfactory to show them start to go over the cliff, then cut to men on horses swimming down the river.
Hi Bill,
I agree completely...it should have not have been done at all! So unnecessary and so cruel! Thankfully, they stopped letting animals die for the sake of a script after this indicent. Too many people were outraged and protested loudly!
Hey Vikki, is this my Vikki? Vikki E aka Viktik?
shareYes! Hey Bill! How is it going? This is such an old movie, I wouldn't think you would watch a movie from the 30's! As I said in the initial post, I loved the movie, and the cast was stellar, but killing the horses went way over the line for me. So sad for all involved to go through that. Hope you are doing well! I've been watching Family Affair for a while. I love the show, and it is pretty cool to know that Brian Keith and Michael Landon were really close friends! Still love Little House too! :)
shareMovies from the 30's are my favorite! Especially the pre-code Stanwycks. Good to see you around Vikki.
shareIn a way these horses deaths saved many others in the future, as the American Humane Association began monitoring Hollywood after Jesse James (1939) to ensure this never happened again.
shareWell, now that is in question...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/
Wow it's been years since I have seen the film, but I never knew that.
share