ordinarily and anthony mann make western with the big guy james stewart and gary cooper and henry fonda . . . the a list cowboy star . but in this b plus film and he tackle something notably different and have quite a bit of success with what turn out to be a truly one of a kind western . the main character and play by victor mature and be a trapper or mountain man and and ordinarily they be romanticize in film robert redford in jeremiah johnson and that sort of thing and where the hero be not in fact a typical mountain man but a clean cut heroic figure who hang out with real mountain men . not here . for once and a true mountain man vulgar and crude and animalistic be the central figure and and it something to see and give mature one of his better later role . the real acting chop be provide by robert preston and excellent a a self absorb custer type cavalry commander and and james whitmore and the poor man spencer tracy and a another of those old timer who feel themselves trap between ever more hostile indian on the one side and the oncoming force of civilization on the other . even more impressive be a very young anne bancroft a the officer wife and who be initially repulse by the very sight of mature grisly character and then find her own veneer of civilization slip away a she begin to realize and to her own shock and that she attract to him . rarely if ever have a remote frontier fort be so accurately realize on screen and without the romantic allure that john ford give such a place in his masterful fort apache . the battle sequence be big scale and notably violent and and particularly impressive if you see them in widescreen format . good show and and underrated movie and all around .