Ten Who Dared (1960)

'Ten Who Dared' is a largely forgotten and not very good Disney movie (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide described it as "rock-bottom" among the studios canon), that tells the true story taken from the journals of Major Wesley Powell of his and nine others 1869 mapping expiation down the Colorado River. Seemingly made to be shown in classrooms this man vs. nature story is generally quit dull and the mix of location and obvious studio shooting for the great outdoors doesn't work well. The film suffers from the lack of a good heavy, and is episodic in nature. Nobody here is all that interesting and the Disney/educational approach smothers what might be a compelling story, so I'm open to a gritter remake. Interesting as a double artifact, both of the period Disney factory film making, and of the celebratory manifest destiny historical world view I associate with both the studio and America in general at the time. *1/2