The Raid

Good performances
"The Raid" is a 1954 Technicolor western depicting a true Civil War incident in which Confederate soldiers raided St. Albans (Vermont) on October 19, 1864. The point of the raid was to force Union officials to send troops to guard the Canadian border, and to gain much needed funds for the nearly bankrupt South.

Civil War films have never been popular, with the possible exception of "Birth of a Nation" (1916). Hollywood followers claim they are sure money losers and generally speaking this has been true. Films with the Civil War as background (e.g., "Gone with the Wind", "The Outlaw Josey Wales", "They Died with Their Boots On", "Dances with Wolves") have fared better, but films that focus on the Civil War per se ("Andersonville", "Alvarez Kelly", "Gettysburg", "Ironclads") have done poorly at the box office.

Van Heflin (1910-71) plays the commander of the raid. Heflin is best remembered as the farmer from "Shane" (1953), although he won an Oscar for his...

Suspenseful action piece set in the Civil War
During the Civil War, a group of Confederate prisoners escape from a Union prison in upstate New York and cross the border into Canada. Once there, they plot to invade the sleepy town of St. Albans in Vermont and pillage and burn the town in revenge. Very loosely based on an actual incident known as the St. Albans raid (historically, the Northernmost action in the Civil War), the film concocts an unlikely narrative that is at odds with the actual facts. The changes actually work in the film's favor as on the day of the planned raid, something happens that turns the film into more of a thriller than a traditional western and the film portrays the raid's leader (Van Heflin) far more sympathetically than the actual raiders deserved. It's a minor effort but so well done that it deserves a better reputation that the film currently has. Directed by Hugo Fregonese (HARRY BLACK AND THE TIGER). With Anne Bancroft as the young widow who complicates matters for Heflin, Richard Boone playing...

terrific Civil War adventure
Van Heflin and company are Confederate soldiers who sneak into a Vermont town to lay waste to it. Exciting (and true) story is well-handled with a sporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft. Richard Boone and Lee Marvin. Transfer is full-screen but very good. A real surprise!

Click to Editorial Reviews