Son of the Morning Star

2 episodes1 season

US Release

~ TWO GREAT WARRIORS. ONE FINAL CONFRONTATION. THE LAST GREAT BATTLE FOR THE AMERICAN FRONTIER. ~

Overview:

The story of George Custer, Crazy Horse and the events prior to the battle of the Little Bighorn, told from the different perspectives of two women.

Created by:

Status:

Ended

Language:

English

First air date:

2/3/1991

Last air date:

2/4/1991

Key words:

flashback
native american
miniseries
sioux wars
american civil war
gold miner
historical drama
american indian wars (1609-1890)
battle of the little bighorn

Seasons

Miniseries

2 Episodes

Cast

Gary Cole

~ as ~

George Armstrong Custer

Rosanna Arquette

~ as ~

Libby Custer

Stanley Anderson

~ as ~

Ulysses S. Grant

Edward Blatchford

~ as ~

Lt. Cooke

George Dickerson

~ as ~

Gen. Sherman

Rodney A. Grant

~ as ~

Crazy Horse

Tom O'Brien

~ as ~

Charlie Reynolds

Terry O'Quinn

~ as ~

Gen. Alfred Terry

Nick Ramus

~ as ~

Red Cloud

Tim Ransom

~ as ~

Tom Custer

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

Wuchak
Written 7 year(s) ago
6
Realistic account of events leading up to Little Bighorn

RELEASED TO TV IN EARLY 1991 and directed by Mike Robe, "Son of the Morning Star" chronicles the story of George Armstrong Custer (Gary Cole) after the Civil War and to his death at Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. The story is narrated from the different perspectives of two women: Custer’s wife (Rosanna Arquette) and a Cheyenne woman, Kate Bighead (Buffy Sainte-Marie/ Kimberly Guerrero).

This was originally shown in two parts on TV 2.5 months after the theatrical release of 1990’s “Dances with Wolves.” Kevin Costner, the star of “Dances,” was even the first choice to play Custer, but he opted for the superior project.

Speaking of “Dances with Wolves,” “Son of the Morning Star” is very similar in tone, as well as other realistic Westerns of the general era, like “Conagher” (1991). But, despite the gushing of fans, it ain’t no “Dances with Wolves.” It’s just nowhere near as absorbing; and is more akin to semi-tedious history lessons like “Gettysburg” (1993) and “Geronimo: An American Legend” (1993). If the creators would’ve cut out at least an hour of material it would’ve made for a more compelling watch, but they HAD to fill out two 2 hour spots (with commercials) to make it a 2-part “mini-series.”

Still, it’s a fairly interesting history lesson and superior to absurd Westerns that tackle the same subject, like “Custer of the West” (1967). Everything leads up to the Battle of Little Bighorn in the last quarter of the movie and it’s worth the wait. At a certain point you can see on Custer’s face the horror that there were just too many fired-up Indians and he & his men weren’t going to make it out alive. It’s as if he was thinking: “What the **** did I get us into?” The humbled man was 36 years-old.

THE MOVIE RUNS 3 hours 7 minutes and was shot on private property near the Little Bighorn National Monument in Montana close to Billings, where a fort was built for $200,000, and South Dakota at Buffalo Gap and Badlands National Park. ADDITIONAL MAIN CHARACTERS: Crazy Horse (Rodney A. Grant), Capt. Benteen (David Strathairn), Ulysses S. Grant (Stanley Anderson), Gen. Sherman (George Dickerson) and Gen. Philip Sheridan (Dean Stockwell). WRITERS: Evan S. Connell (book) and Melissa Mathison (teleplay).

GRADE: B-/C+