User reviews

The film tells about Burton family formed by the father (John MacIntire), his second Indian wife (Dolores del Rio) and two sons , one (Steve Forrest) of the first wife and another (Elvis Presley) results to be a half-breed . The latter will have to choose sides when the battles between white men and Kiowas (Rodolfo Acosta) go on the warpath . Burton family splits loyalties , the confrontation will be violent and lethal .

It's an interesting western with an exceptional interpretation by Elvis Presley who only sings two songs at the beginning of the film . He's a mestizo who along with his mother will be excluded for both races . Originally planned as a vehicle for Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift ; however , the picture is considered to be Presley's best western and along with ¨King Creole¨ (directed by Michael Curtiz) and ¨Jailhouse rock¨ (by Richard Thorpe) his greatest movies . Andy Warhol's famous diptych of Elvis Presley as a cowboy came from a shot in this movie . Steve Forrest (Dana Andrews's brother) as his kind brother is very fine . Dolores del Rio as his affectionate mum and Rodolfo Acosta as Kiowa chief , repeat well their usual Indians roles . Barbara Eden as a wonderful youngster who helps protagonists is enjoyable and enticing , though Barbara Steele walked off the picture after an argument with director Don Siegel , she then was replaced by Eden . Besides , in the secondary cast appears Richard Jaeckel (Dirty dozen) , L.Q.Jones (Peckimpah's habitual) and Karl Swenson . Glittering and shimmer cinematography is perfectly reflected on spectacular outdoors and colorful interiors by cameraman Charles Clarke . Lively as well as atmospheric musical score by Cryl Mockridge . The motion picture was professionally directed by Donald Siegel (Dirty Harry) . The flick will appeal to Elvis Presley fans and Western genre enthusiasts.

A lot of highbrows will dismiss that as another Elvis lousy movie.But just have a look at the name of the director:it's not Norman Taurog,it's Don "Body Snatchers" Siegel!And every Siegel movie is worth a watch at least or more with such gems as "invasion of the body snatchers" and "beguiled".

The screenplay is close to John Huston's "the unforgiven",Hepburn and here Presley are half-breed people and thus generate violence.But what seems fascinating here is Presley's part and his tragedy ,both in the movie,and in real life:the loss of his own mother.His performance is by far his most moving not only because he 's directed by a director with a genuine talent,but also because he probably searched his memories to give such a harrowing rendition.The old mom,an Indian herself ,who tries to go back to the mountain to die there is the moment which climaxes the movie.

This obsession with the mother's loss would continue in "wild in the country" ,Elvis's next movie,before he sank in an ocean of schmaltz.

Elvis stars as a half-Indian in this exciting Don Siegel-helmed Western with a ton of action and a meanstreak. Elvis's character is surprisingly tough and hard-assed, plus the songs are kept to a minimum (he sings the title song and does a little hoe-down at the beginning...that's it). Anyway, Indians are massacring farmers in an attempt to take back their land, and Elvis is torn between the Indians and the racist white folk. Elvis gives a great, understated performance...he seems aware that this is a Siegel film, not an Elvis film. All in all it's the King's best foray into filmland.

I have not seen every film starring the King, especially his musicals, but among those I have seen, this one remains the most memorable, and certainly because Don Siegel at directing. I am sure that the presence of Elvis brought many audiences but without Siegel as film maker, this would have been a lesser material. Elvis was a gifted actor, besides his skills as a singer. This is a good western, and not a singing one, not a Roy Rogers nor Gene Autry like feature, don't get misunderstood. It is moving, solid, worth viewing.

Flaming Star was a great movie and proved Elvis could act, the problem was Tom Parker didn't want him to learn his craft as an actor he wanted him to make those stupid theme movies and sell records so he could make more money, if Elvis had thrown himself into acting full time he would have been a great actor and music would have been pushed back. The sad ending to this story is that Barbara Streisand wanted Elvis to play the Kris Kristofferson John Norman Howard role, she was a fan of Elvis and knew this movie would show him as an actor not just a fat aging rock star and his career would rise again, Tom Parker talked Elvis out of it, Elvis died less than a year later. Flaming Star is Elvis best movie no doubt, it still rings true about racial injustice today forty years later.

Easily Presley’s most satisfying film overall and a first-rate if slow-moving Western in its own right which, once again, benefits from the assured guiding hand of a strong director who is an expert of tough action to boot. Curiously enough, some sources give its running-time as being 101 minutes but the DVD version I watched is only 92 minutes long!

For the record, the lead role was originally intended for either Frank Sinatra or Marlon Brando (for whom Nunnally Johnson specifically wrote the script), but against all expectations, Presley gives an excellent, brooding portrayal of a half-breed (for which he was even inducted in a Native American society!); Barbara Steele was supposed to have played the female lead but proved unsatisfactory during a screen test (the principal film-makers reportedly didn’t want her from the outset because she was taller than Elvis and also since, in their view, she couldn’t act but the Chairman of Fox was clearly rooting for her behind the scenes!) and she was eventually replaced by Barbara Eden. Frankly, I feel that Steele would have been miscast anyway in this secondary role and, thankfully, the direct result of her missing out on this film was her iconic performance in Mario Bava’s Italian horror classic BLACK Sunday (1960) and a subsequent career as the reigning “Scream Queen” of Italian Gothic horror films!

The title tune, naturally sung by Elvis himself, is very good (the “Flaming Star” being the Indian sign for impending death) and Presley was originally supposed to sing 10 songs throughout the film but, given its unusually somber tone, wiser heads prevailed and these were reduced to just two, which were then disposed of within the very first reel! Unsurprisingly perhaps, the end result of all this was that FLAMING STAR underperformed at the box office and Presley would basically never again be allowed to stray from the tried-and-true “formula” or develop his burgeoning thespian skills in dramatic pictures.

Anyway, to get to the film’s plot proper: Presley’s family comprises white folk John McIntire and Steve Forrest (Dana Andrews’ brother) and an Indian mother, movingly played by Dolores Del Rio. Rodolfo Acosta appears as the aggressive new Kiowa chief who wants Presley to join him in his fight against the white man while, on the other hand, the whites also ask Forrest to choose sides. Eventually, this leads to much confrontation (also familial) and bloodshed – culminating in Elvis’ showdown with his tribe which actually occurs offscreen, and the film’s surprisingly downbeat ending is all the more effective because of it. Incidentally, that same year saw another Western in which a family is despised by the townspeople because of their mixed blood – John Huston’s THE UNFORGIVEN, which I should be rewatching soon in honor of the 20th anniversary of its director’s passing...

One of Elvis's best films. Legendary film director Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry) gets the most out of Elvis and the King proves here that when he had something of substance to work from, he was more than capable.

This film not only has a gripping and tragic storyline, it looks and feels authentic enough in dealing with an important chapter in American history. The film is packed with emotional moments and action and an all round good cast. If Elvis had gotten more film roles like this one, he could have become one of the great movie stars. 8 out of 10.

I fancy there was huge amounts of hype, when it hit the screens there wouldn't be much gripe (accepting the somewhat dodgy acting), but you'll cast a modern eye, over the plot and ask just why, those filmmakers didn't break, stereotypes. As the folk who had preceded have a case, to evict pillaging raiders from their place, to recover what was stripped, from long held ancestral grip, living freely undeterred, in their own place. Suffice to say the prejudice leaves a bad taste, so don't let Elvis halt retreat just make haste, some of the language is just wrong, like the minstrels without song, it's just history that's been defaced, debased.

Basically, Elvis does not sing much in this one. It is a dramatic role in which he plays a half-breed youth, raised in his father's white world, but now caught in the midst of an Indian war.

This film is a sad statement of what might have been. Here we glimpse the natural dramatic talent that was never allowed to blossom. There would be no "From Here to Eternity" for Elvis as there was for Sinatra. Contracts later forced him in to the musical-comedy roles that he grew to hate. He was told you will do these movies with this starlet or that starlet, sing this bad music with ducks or cows in the background, play the race car driver, the speed boat driver, the motorcycle racer, or you won't work at all.

The truly sad thing is that if this part of Elvis' talent had been cultivated, if his musical career had been kept separate from a dramatic acting career, perhaps his life would have traveled a very different road. It is a horrible thing to know that you have talent & to want to be able to use that talent, but be forced to waste it. IMHO, it was something that gnawed at him and played no small part in his own self-destruction.

At the beginning I thought this was going to be cheesy musical, similar to Oklahoma... It wound up being a serious western that really showed a surprising (for the time) take on "cowboys & Indians". It also showcased Elvis' excellent acting ability. Also a young Barbara Eden in a serious role.

Half-breed Elvis Presley is caught between warring sides in the Old West circa 1870. Clair Huffaker's book, adapted by Huffaker and the esteemed Nunnally Johnson, has now become a vehicle for the leading man, and Presley the Actor never really did carve out his niche on the movie screen. He's a quiet, some may say stolid, presence, acting a great deal just with his eyes--though one aches for him to loosen up. The hot "Elvis Sings Songs From Flaming Star" album is much preferable to the movie, which cuts the musical performances down to a minimal two. The film has some action, a fine supporting cast, lots of melodrama; the critics liked it and certainly Charles G. Clarke's beautiful cinematography is worth seeing in widescreen. ** from ****

This is definitely one of the King's best flix, his best performance surely. It was nice to see him play a taciturn guy but be believable, the surrounding cast-from LQ Jones to Jeanie there to Del Rio to John McIntire-were all pros, plus Don Seigel's record(Dirty Harry, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, etc.) speaks for itself.

Elvis, in Walter Matthau's opinion(co-starred with Elvis in 'King Creole')had some talent and could have become a decent actor if he'd stuck to things like this.

By all means, give it a look, its worth watching-Elvis gives it his best and it's a solid flick all around.

*** outta ****

Flaming Star is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden and one of Hollywoods first Golden Age beauties, Dolores del Rio who was then about 50 years old. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of Black Star. Elvis Presley plays Pacer Burton, the son of a Kiowa mother, played by Dolores del Rio, and a Texas rancher father. His family, including a half-brother, Clint, live a typical life on the Texas frontier. Life becomes anything but typical when a nearby tribe of Kiowa begin raiding neighboring homesteads. Pacer soon finds himself caught between the two worlds, part of both but belonging to neither. The film was released only one month after G.I. Blues but failed to ignite the charts, reaching number 12 on the Variety Box Office survey for the week. Presley's next film, Wild in the Country, also failed to impress fans or critics, and Colonel Tom Parker used this to persuade Presley that his audience didn't want to see him in straight acting roles. This led to musical-comedies such as Blue Hawaii and Kid Galahad, which set the precedent for many of his roles during the 1960s. I gave this movie 7 out of 10, mainly watched it because I wanted to see Dolores del Rio!

White settlers battling Indians is a standard Hollywood storyline. But what happens when one frontier household contains both Whites and Indians? Which side does the household identify with, and support? That's the question, provocative for its era, in this early 1960's Western from director Don Siegel.

The story's characters are mostly stereotyped, especially the Indians who lack individuality. They are the story's antagonistic force, consistent with racial bias of previous decades. Further, that they speak English instead of their native language supports their status as two-dimensional cartoon figures, hardly more than movable set pieces.

On the other hand, the film's dialogue at least provides the Indians with a motivational rationale for their hostility. At one point in the film, their chief, Buffalo Horn, tells Pacer, the half-breed: "Whose land is this? Who has lived here since the beginning of time? They (the Whites) come against us, forever cutting deeper and deeper into our land, forever pushing". That's a big improvement in dialogue from earlier Westerns.

Filmed unfortunately in Cinema Scope, the visuals have an annoying letterbox projection. But the lonesome "Texas" landscape is beautiful and, when combined with the sound of a howling wind, creates an evocative, melancholy mood. The use of camera filters is obvious in this film. And I could sometimes not tell if a scene was supposed to be day or night.

Casting and acting are acceptable. For a professional singer, Elvis gives a fine performance.

The "flaming star" title refers to a personal vision at the onset of death, as described in the title song, which is quite beautiful and haunting. But the film's nondescript score is super annoying, especially toward the end, when it overwhelms the plot action.

The film has a Hollywood look and feel that screams: studio production. Yet, the story of a family caught in the middle of racial conflict, with attendant thematic implications, and the script's intelligent dialogue deserve respect from viewers. Further, some of the visuals are captivating. And my overall assessment of this film is mildly positive.

... Said the BBc announcer just before the broadcast of FLAMING STAR at 12 noon yesterday . So let's see a movie made in 1960 starring Elvis Presley and broadcast at mid day is a " tough western " . No doubt we'll be getting a horror double bill featuring THE TELETUBBIES at one point later in the day . Things don't happen like it says on the tin when the opening sequence features Elvis pulling out a guitar on his homestead and by this point I was looking forward to seeing Po and Lala appearing in THE TELETUBBIES AXE MURDERS . However things improve a few minutes later when a bunch of ranchers are brutally murdered by an Indian war party which causes some serious internal conflict for Pacer Burton , Presley's half breed character

For an Elvis star vehicle FLAMING STAR is far more intelligent and compelling than I could possibly have thought . This is down to the simple fact that the script is very good . It's not in the same league as SHANE or THE SEARCHERS but it deals with similar themes , being a half breed Pacer finds himself with a serious internal dilemma when the white man and the red skin prepare for all out war and Pacer realises he'll need to pick one side in order to survive . Elvis isn't exactly Oscar material in this movie but I've seen him worse , and at least it's not a musical

Six out of Ten

A great film !! Not only Elvis's best film BUT a GREAT WESTERN and a GREAT film. Always overlooked by the general public, because Elvis is in it, this is one of the best westerns of the 1960s. Directed by legendary auteur director Don Siegel this film has the action and tension of his best films as well as dramatically beautiful landscapes.(I would kill to see this on the BIG screen). Based on a book by western writer Clair Huffaker ( War Wagon, Posse from Hell, The Last Warrior) who with the legendary Nunally Johnson ( Prisoner of Shark Island, Jesse James, Grapes of Wrath, Dirty Dozen) have written a small action western with a statement on racism. A white man with Indian wife and their two sons ( one white and one half breed) must try to avoid choosing sides during an Indian uprising. Interestingly most films about racism deal with the causes of racism however this film deals with the consequences of racism. Also many of the other films of the time, unlike this film, reduced racism down to nasty individuals rather than societal forces. There are no sides taken although the Indians come off as more noble and intelligent that the white man. (It won a number of awards when it came out from Indian groups for its depiction of Indians) The story of a family's disintegration and descent into violence by external forces beyond it's control is truly moving. There are great performances and bits of beauty in John McIntire's and Dolores Del Rio's performances. Elvis is great also as the half breed son full of anger. Only 2 songs in the film ( one over the credits and one at the start in a party scene). A Bit of trivia : other actors slated for the role at one time or another include James Dean and Marlon Brando. Also I've read somewhere that the film had an underground street cult in the late 1960s with Black Urban youths in the US ! A great film.

As an actor, Elvis always wanted to be taken more seriously. Elvis's is acting ability grew tremendously during the period of time between this movie and Love Me Tender. Elvis was trapped by the fact he was so popular that just about anything he stared in was going to be a hit. Therefore, he was forced to crank out one silly singing movie after the other for Colonel Parker and the studio bosses.

Elvis always wanted to be considered as much of a serious actor as Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen or any of his other contemporaries. He could have gotten his wish, but for the fact he was known as a singer first and an actor second. Can you imagine Elvis in the starring role of a movie like On the Waterfront, Rebel Without a Cause or some other movie that did not involve any singing? Sadly, we will never know.

"Flaming Star" is a Western hailed as one of Elvis Presley's best serious-acting gigs. It came out in 1960 and was his 6th film in four years.

Elvis stars as Pacer, a half-breed, living in the wilderness with his white father (John McIntire) & older brother (Steve Forrest) and Indian mother (Delores Del Rio). Barbara Eden is also on hand as a britches-wearing girl with eyes for Pacer's brother. Things get tense when a band of Kiowas starts attacking settlers and request Pacer's assistance.

Aside from the title song over the credits, Elvis only sings one song near the beginning. Beyond that, this is a serious Western with flashes of tragic violence. It's worthwhile for Elvis fans and a few other worthy factors (great wilderness locations, Barbara Eden, etc.), but it's not really a good film.

As a Western, "Flaming Star" has too much of what made Westerns in general laughable before the 60s. There are many exceptions, like "The Last Wagon" from 1956, but -- generally speaking -- the downside of Westerns before the 60s include contrived plot elements, an unrealistic vibe, bad music, white actors playing Natives and dumb Indian dialogue. "Flaming Star" is guilty on at least three of these counts.

As far as contrived plot elements go, there are just too many "Yeah, right" moments. For instance the guy who survives the Indian raid and hides out in a hole in the desert for days, half-dead and half-mad, just waiting to be used to move along the story. Or the scene where Pacer and his brother threaten a little girl to attain the services of the town's doctor -- they let the girl go BEFORE taking the doctor. Why would the doctor go with them if the girl was no longer in danger? Why wouldn't the town's people attack them once the girl is freed? Or the two cowboys who seek hospitality at Pacer's ranch, would ANYONE really be that rude and savage to two people kindly offering them help, half-breed or not? Bad scripting like this just takes the viewer right out of the story.

The white actors in Indian roles present a huge problem visually. How could anyone assume Pacer is an Indian since he looks (and dresses and sings) exactly like a white dude, not to mention the other Indians. Delores Del Rio looks more Hispanic than Native, why assume she's an Indian? Despite this, the Natives are portrayed fairly realistically. What kills it is the lame dialogue they're stuck with, words & phrasing that would make Tonto proud. I couldn't help mimicking such lingo with my wife after the film: "Me Chiefy Wiefy go to front room to listen to pleasant noise while moon lodge high in sky" (lol). At least "Flaming Star" is entertaining in this respect, it's just not the kind of entertainment the filmmakers intended.

If you want to catch a great Western from the same period check out Marlon Brando's "One-Eyed Jacks," released in 1961. It's the seminal 60's Western and far superior to most of the Spaghetti Westerns it influenced. What's really interesting is that Brando was originally supposed to play the role of Pacer in "Flaming Star" and the script was later rewritten for Elvis. Marlon, thankfully, chose to invest his time, money and talents into the making of "One-Eyed Jacks."

"Flaming Star" was shot in Utah and Thousand Oaks, California, and runs 92 minutes (but seems longer, in a bad way).

BOTTOM LINE: "Flaming Star" is worthwhile for Presley fans and a few other factors. It's got a good, serious vibe and is sometimes violent; it also has great wilderness locations. But it's shackled by most of the things that made Westerns eye-rolling experiences before the 60s and 70s (not that all Westerns in the modern era are good, of course). You could sum it up as a curious Elvis-led period piece.

GRADE: C-

Elvis Presley really stretched his acting talents to the limit in Flaming Star. Though the singing King is kept to a minimum, Flaming Star is one of his finest acted films. And musically the title song which Elvis sings over the opening credits is a great one for him.

The only other musical number is right at the beginning of the film where Elvis sings a country hoedown during a party. Right after that the world of Elvis's character Pacer Burton falls apart. He's the son of John McIntire and his wife Dolores Del Rio who is a Kiowa Indian. The rest of the family consists of older brother Steve Forrest. The Kiowas with their new chief Rudolfo Acosta go on the warpath and when their formerly friendly neighbors turn on them the Burtons are all alone on their Texas frontier spread.

Being of mixed race Presley feels the conflict from within. Elvis under the direction of Don Siegel gives a wonderful performance with pain registering from every pore every minute he's on screen when the Kiowa War starts.

Flaming Star is the most negative film Elvis Presley ever did in his career. It's a stinging indictment of racial prejudice, one of the best ever put on screen. Elvis rarely stretched his talents on the screen like this and Flaming Star is one of his films that's quite a bit more than a showcase for his music.

Elvis portrays the son of an Indian and a White Settler that is torn when the townsfolk and the local Indian Tribe look to war with each other.

Sad subject matter and lots of the characters die through the course of the film.

Worth a view if you are an Elvis fan.