{"id":67804,"date":"2018-12-11T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=67804"},"modified":"2022-02-05T23:09:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T04:09:32","slug":"movie-review-ten-who-dared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/movie-review-ten-who-dared\/","title":{"rendered":"Movie Review: Ten Who Dared"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Image Copyright Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Based on the true story of the Powell Geographic Expedition of 1869, where ten men under the leadership of university professor and Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell undertook an arduous three-month journey through the yet-unexplored terrain and waterways of the American Southwest, including the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon, Disney\u2019s Ten Who Dared <\/em>was theatrically released on November 1, 1960. The live action drama is ninety-two minutes in length.<\/p>\n

Plot Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Green River, Wyoming Territory on May 24, 1869, Major John Wesley Powell (John Beal) and nine other men of varying backgrounds and temperaments\u2014Bill Dunn (Brian Keith), Walter Powell (James Drury), Oramel Howland (R.G. Armstrong), Seneca Howland (Stan Jones), George Bradley (Ben Johnson), Billy \u201cMissouri\u201d Hawkins (L.Q. Jones), Jack Sumner (Dan Sheridan), Andy Hall (David Stollery), and Frank Goodman (David Frankham)\u2014embark on a daring mission that will take them down the Green and Colorado Rivers, hopefully putting them on top of the world at the base of the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately for these men, limited supplies, personal antagonisms, Indians, and the many dangers connected with nature render their survival an extremely dubious proposition. Will they survive?<\/p>\n

Of the expedition\u2019s ten participants, John and Walter Powell and Oramel and Seneca Howland are, respectively, brothers. Additionally, Hall smuggles an eleventh being onto the trip: a dog named Jarvie.<\/p>\n

Powell Expedition<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Powell Geographic Expedition marked the first time that white man was able to successfully navigate the entirety of the Grand Canyon. Most of the territory explored by Powell and his companions had been annexed to the United States via the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War. The region\u2019s geologic, geographic, and anthropological features were noted and named by Powell and his team along the way, but detailed observations of their surroundings, including corresponding maps and scholarly reports, had to wait until the conclusion of Powell\u2019s second, better-funded, expedition in 1871. Of the ten men who started the 1869 mission, only six finished\u2014one man, Goodman, feeling that he had \u201chad more excitement than a man deserves in a lifetime,\u201d quit in late June, surviving to raise a family in Utah; and three more, the Howland brothers and Dunn, quit on August 28 at Separation Canyon, just before the final rapids, a calculated gamble that failed when they died in the desert. (1)<\/p>\n

Characterization<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ten Who Dared <\/em>would have likely been a more engaging movie had Disney used the expedition as one part in a story about John Wesley Powell\u2019s overall life. The numerous players inherent in a movie focusing solely on the 1869 expedition cause overload for the audience\u2014I had to watch the film twice to keep the characters straight. Considering that it was decided to focus the film entirely on the 1869 expedition, however, Disney did a good job of developing the characters through several coherent subplots. Not all of the characters are equally developed\u2014the Powell brothers, Dunn, Bradley, and Hawkins are more deeply understood than their counterparts\u2014but the film is better from this standpoint than might be expected.<\/p>\n

Harmony<\/strong><\/p>\n

When a group of friends agrees to undertake a months-long project, it does so at the risk of eventual disharmony caused by spending too much time together. When a group of strangers undertakes a similar mission, the potential problems are augmented. The latter scenario is the case in Ten Who Dared<\/em>. Here, the different backgrounds and goals of the adventurers naturally create friction between and among the men. Concerning the different backgrounds of the group, the Powell brothers were Union soldiers during the Civil War; Bradley was a Confederate soldier during the same conflict; Goodman is an Englishman; the Howland brothers are from Vermont; and Dunn is from Colorado. \u00a0As for the different goals of the adventurers, Major Powell is interested in increasing the scientific and geographic knowledge of the American Southwest for mankind; Walter Powell rides along to hopefully recover from the \u201cshell\u201d he has hid under since being a prisoner of war; Goodman is chiefly concerned with potential glory; and Dunn, interestingly, just wants to get away from people.<\/p>\n

Priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Towards the end of the film, Major Powell\u2019s companions begin to wonder if their leader is even remotely considering their lives when he insists upon making pitstops to explore the surrounding geological formations despite the dearth of remaining food available to the party. Although Major Powell mathematically calculates that finishing the expedition via the rapids as planned would be faster than walking overland, the others nonetheless question Powell\u2019s priorities, as well as his sanity. Major Powell is a realist, but his companions consider him an idealist. This dichotomy between idealism and realism is reminiscent of the debates among Aronnax, Conseil, and Land in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea <\/em>(1954) over the possibility of harnessing the evil genius of Captain Nemo for the good of mankind. Said dichotomy also parallels the battles between Walt Disney, the \u201cidealist,\u201d and Roy O. Disney, the \u201crealist,\u201d over the viability of Walt\u2019s proposed projects. As was often the case at Disney, the supposed idealist\u2019s plans prevail in Ten Who Dared<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Visuals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aesthetically, Ten Who Dared <\/em>is a mixed bag. Audiences witness great natural vistas, but most of the closeup shots of the boats during the river rafting scenes overtly incorporate blue screens. The segment towards the end of the film after Major Powell loses his temper about pitstop complaints is especially poor in this regard.<\/p>\n

Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ten Who Dared <\/em>has a solid, though not great, soundtrack. The film incorporates two major lyrical numbers: \u201cJolly Rovers\u201d and \u201cRoll Along.\u201d The former number is a catchy ballad that explains how ten \u201cjolly rovers\u201d lost some of their ranks. Interestingly, the song ends with six jolly rovers, the same number of men remaining at the end of the Powell Expedition. \u201cRoll Along,\u201d for its part, is a soothing number about the beauty of nature. Both songs are enjoyable in the moment, but you will probably not be singing them for hours after the movie ends. The background music, especially the triumphant tune that accompanies the final rapids ride, is well utilized.<\/p>\n

Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

Action scenes are scattered throughout Ten Who Dared<\/em>. Along the way, the men battle swift rapids in rowboats; Goodman and Hawkins fight in their rowboat after the former adventurer refuses to serve Hawkins more whiskey; Dunn sucker punches Walter Powell into the river after the latter insults the former\u2019s hygiene; Bradley, knowing that he is Powell\u2019s true antagonist because of their divergent careers in the Civil War, proceeds to engage in an extended brawl with the Major\u2019s brother; Major Powell and Dunn encounter a snake; and Major Powell must be rescued after slipping off a cliff.<\/p>\n

Humor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although Ten Who Dared <\/em>is not a comedy, the film contains a decent amount of amusing scenes. For example, a newspaper reporter, McSpadden (Ray Walker), awkwardly obtains the names of the ten adventurers; Major Powell and Dunn debate the respective merits of science and astrology; during the first night of camping, \u201cJolly Rovers\u201d is performed in an attempt to \u201cdrown out\u201d Goodman\u2019s unwanted recitation of English poetry; the men play hot potato with a jug of whiskey; the men have fun with the sound effects near Echo Cliff; Dunn swings a snake like Indiana Jones swings his whip; and Dunn and the Howland brothers engage in an awkward conversation with a hostile party of Utes.<\/p>\n

Relationship to Other Disney Films<\/strong><\/p>\n

Real events in United States history were also portrayed in Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier<\/em> (1955), The Great Locomotive Chase<\/em> (1956), Westward Ho, the Wagons! <\/em>(1956), Johnny<\/em> Tremain <\/em>(1957), The Light in the Forest <\/em>(1958), Tonka<\/em> (1958), The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band <\/em>(1968), and Pocahontas <\/em>(1995).<\/p>\n

Ten Who Dared <\/em>was the first of seven Disney films to feature Brian Keith, who subsequently appeared in The Parent Trap <\/em>(1961), Moon Pilot <\/em>(1962), Savage Sam <\/em>(1963), A Tiger Walks <\/em>(1964), Those Calloways <\/em>(1965), and Scandalous John <\/em>(1971) for the studio.<\/p>\n

John Beal had provided narration for So Dear to My Heart <\/em>(1949).<\/p>\n

James Drury appeared in two other Disney films released in 1960: Toby Tyler <\/em>and Pollyanna<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Debates between the two sides from the United States Civil War also occur in The Great Locomotive Chase <\/em>and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Disney produced a short documentary film \u201cGrand Canyon\u201d in 1958.<\/p>\n

In the Parks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grand Canyon dioramas are featured on the Disneyland Railroad attractions at Disneyland Park and Disneyland Park Paris.<\/p>\n

The towering fourth-floor atrium at Walt Disney World\u2019s Contemporary Resort is known as the \u201cGrand Canyon Concourse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Image Copyright The Mouse for Less<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The American West is the theme for the respective \u201cFrontierland\u201d sections at Walt Disney World\u2019s Magic Kingdom and the Disneyland Parks in California and Paris. The \u201cWesternland\u201d section at Tokyo Disneyland Park and the \u201cGrizzly Gulch\u201d section at Hong Kong Disneyland Park have a similar theme.<\/p>\n

Rapids can be tamed by guests on \u201cKali River Rapids\u201d at Disney\u2019s Animal Kingdom and on \u201cGrizzly River Run\u201d at Disney California Adventure.<\/p>\n

Walt Disney World\u2019s \u201cCoronado Springs Resort\u201d and Disneyland Resort Paris\u2019s \u201cHotel Santa Fe\u201d are themed after the American Southwest.<\/p>\n

Adventures by Disney is offering itineraries to Utah and Arizona<\/a>, including tours of the Grand Canyon and rafting on the Colorado River, throughout 2019.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ten Who Dared <\/em>has an overload of characters and subplots, but the story is suspenseful, exciting, and occasionally even funny. In comparison to Disney\u2019s other American history-based films of the period, I would rank Ten Who Dared <\/em>at the level of Westward Ho, the Wagons! <\/em>and Tonka<\/em>. The movie is inferior to Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier<\/em>, Johnny Tremain<\/em>, and The Light in the Forest <\/em>but better than The Great Locomotive Chase<\/em>. In sum, it is flawed but worth watching, especially if you are a history buff.<\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) \u201cJohn Wesley Powell’s Grand Canyon Adventure,\u201d Grand Canyon Adventures, December 5, 2016, accessed November 26, 2018, https:\/\/www.dothecanyon.com\/john-wesley-powells-grand-canyon-adventure\/<\/a>; \u201cThe Life of John Wesley Powell,\u201d Powell Museum, http:\/\/www.powellmuseum.org\/museum_powell.php<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do you think of Ten Who Dared? Let me know in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you like this article? Make sure to share it with your friends! Check below for easy ways to share!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want to visit a Disney Destination? Contact\u00a0The Magic for Less Travel<\/a>\u00a0for more information and a free, no-obligation quote.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Incoming search terms:<\/h4>
  • overland trip intitle:review<\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Based on the true story of the Powell Geographic Expedition of 1869, where ten men under the leadership of university professor and Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell undertook an arduous three-month journey through the yet-unexplored terrain and waterways of the American Southwest, including the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon, Disney\u2019s Ten Who Dared…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":67805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disney-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67804"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67834,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67804\/revisions\/67834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}