 Join our Discord!
|
| If you have been locked out of your account you can request a password reset here. |
Major Dundee
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Major Dundee is a 1965 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah. Set in the midst of the American Civil War, the film stars Charlton Heston as US Army cavalry officer Major Amos Dundee, who leads a motley band of volunteers on an unauthorized punitive expedition against an Apache warband. Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, and James Coburn also star. The film is noted for its difficult production, which saw Peckinpah clash frequently with the cast and crew, as well as frequent arguments among the cast themselves. Columbia Pictures, the studio backing the film, feared Peckinpah would be unable to complete the shoot, resulting in drastic cuts to the shooting schedule and much of Peckinpah's original vision for the film being left out. The film was critically panned upon release, but modern reappraisals of the film are much more positive, especially after a 2005 extended cut DVD release that restored large chunks of missing scenes.
The following weapons were used in the film Major Dundee:
Handguns
Colt 1860 Army (Richards Conversion)
Major Amos Charles Dundee (Charlton Heston) and Capt. Benjamin Tyreen (Richard Harris) use the Colt 1860 (Richards Conversion). These are anachronistic as the Richards conversion only began to be produced in 1871, although these cartridge firing revolvers are likely standing in for the original cap and ball 1860 Army.
Remington New Army (mocked up Single Action Army)
Sgt. Gomez (Mario Adorf) and Sgt. Chillum (Ben Johnson) are seen carrying what are supposed to be Remington 1858 New Army revolvers. In reality, these revolvers appear to be Single Action Army revolvers with a mock cylinder rod added to resemble the Civil War-era handgun (the Colt SAA did not enter service until 1873). Similar mockups are seen in such films as John Wayne's Rio Lobo and The Horse Soldiers.
Rifles
Winchester Model 1892
Many characters in the film are armed with anachronistic handguardless Winchester Model 1892s, which is likely standing in for the more period-appropriate Henry 1860.
Springfield 1873 "Trapdoor"
The Springfield 1873 "Trapdoor" is used by a few soldiers throughout the film. This anachronistic breechloading rifle is likely standing in for muzzleloading Springfield rifled muskets like the Springfield 1861.
Springfield 1873 "Trapdoor" Cavalry Carbine
The US Cavalry and Apache riders are equipped with anachronistic Springfield 1873 "Trapdoor" cavalry carbines.
Maynard Carbine
Some soldiers from Dundee's unit carry Maynard Carbines.
Unidentified Rifle
French guards at the fort are armed with unknown rifles, which are modified to resemble Charleville Muskets. The use of the smoothbore Charleville by the mid-1860s by French forces is unlikely as the French Army had adopted percussion Minié ball-type rifles at this point.
Shotguns
12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun
Hunters and travelers use 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotguns of varying barrel lengths. The shotguns seen in the film are more modern break-action, cartridge-firing shotguns, as opposed to the muzzleloading Percussion Shotguns that would have been common in the 1860s.
Others
Howitzer
Artillery Lieutenant Graham (Jim Hutton) supplies Dundee's unit with one lightweight howitzer.
