Apache

Starring:Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, John McIntire, Charles Bronson, John Dehner, Paul Guilfoyle, Ian MacDonald, Walter Sande, Morris Ankrum, Monte Blue, Lonnie Burr, Rory Mallinson, Philip Van Zandt, John George, Dick Rich, Paul E. Burns
Director: Robert Aldrich
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Burt Lancaster was cock of the walk in 1954. The Lancaster-starred From Here to Eternity had just swept the Oscars®, his personal production company Hecht-Lancaster could do no wrong, and he had marquee magic in two back-to-back Westerns directed by Robert Aldrich, Vera Cruz and this one. There are moments in his performance as Massai, the Apache warrior who wouldn't surrender with Geronimo, that seem choreographed to express the actor's exultation. Massai has hard going all the way--starting with having to recross half the continent on foot after escaping from a prison train bound for Florida--but Lancaster the ex-circus athlete who insisted on doing his own stunts fairly sings with the ecstasy of movement as he scampers over rocks, rolls unscathed between the wheels of racing wagons, and generally makes the screen look like his private gym.

Amazon.com essential video

John Ford's 1948 classic stars John Wayne as a Cavalry officer used to doing things a certain way out West at Fort Apache. Along comes a rigid, new commanding officer (Henry Fonda) who insists that everything on his watch be done by the book, including dealings with local Indians. The results are mixed: greater discipline at the fort, but increased hostilities with the natives. Ford deliberately leaves judgments about the wisdom of these changes ambiguous, but he also allows plenty of room in this wonderful film for the fullness of life among the soldiers and their families--community rituals, new romances--to blossom. Fonda, in an unusual role for him, is stern and formal as the new man in charge; Wayne is heroic as the rebellious second; Victor McLaglen provides comic relief; and Ward Bond is a paragon of sturdy and sentimental masculinity. All of this is set against the magnificent, poetic topography of Monument Valley. This is easily one of the greatest of American films. --Tom Keogh

Description

The soldiers at Fort Apache may disagree with the tactics of their glory-seeking new commander. But to a man, they're duty-bound to obey - even when it means almost certain disaster. John Wayne, Henry Fonda and many familiar supporting players from master director John Ford's "stock company" saddle up for the first film in the director's famed cavalry trilogy (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande are the others). Roughhouse camaraderie, sentimental vignettes of frontier life, massive action sequences staged in Monument Valley - all are part of Fort Apache. So is Ford's exploration of the West's darker side. Themes of justice, heroism and honor that Ford would revisit in later Westerns are given rein in this moving, thought-provoking film that, even as it salutes a legend, gives reasons to question it.

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing example of the John Ford film legacy............2007-06-26

FORT APACHE, directed by John Ford, features John Wayne in a unusual detour, as the understated Captain Kirby York, Henry Fonda as an arrogant and hardheaded Lt. Col. Owen Thursday, and a grown up Shirley Temple as Philadelphia Thursday, Fonda's on-screen daughter. I viewed this film in a Native American Cinema course. We observed the tensions between soldiers, at the end of the American Civil War, with a local Indian tribe. While York (Wayne) believes that the Indians should be treated with respect, Lt. Col. Thursday thinks otherwise. Meanwhile, his daughter Philadelphia (Temple) is falling in love with Lt. Michael "Mickey" O'Rourke (John Agar). This is much to the great disapproval of her father.

This is a film that depicted Native Americans in a rare, sympathetic light. We also see the ample tension that exists in the experience of Irish-American soldiers following the war. The acting, here, is at times interchangeably compelling (John Wayne is great, as is Henry Fonda) as well as annoying (Shirley Temple's character becomes little more than a curiousity--yes, this is the same Shirley Temple best known as a tap dancing three year old with ringlets). John Ford did a great job crafting this film. It is very engaging and well done. I definitely reccomend this as your introduction to his cinematic storytelling.

Fort Apache.......2007-06-22

The first installment in Ford's illustrious Cavalry Trilogy, "Apache" soars to great heights thanks to Fonda, effectively playing an arrogant, rigid Easterner, and the brawny Wayne, superb as a savvy frontiersman who knows it's foolish to go up against Apache leader Cochise. Apart from critiquing the sensationalization of military heroics and the myth of the "savage," Ford works in sequences of everyday frontier rituals, like dances, chores, and even a romance involving Thursday's daughter, played by an all grown-up Shirley Temple. With its exquisite black-and-white shots of Monument Valley, assured acting, and Custer-esque storyline, "Apache" is an enduring Western winner.

Ford Defies Stereotypes of the Classic Western.......2007-05-09

'Fort Apache' is worth watching for John Ford's cinematography alone. Much of the movie was filmed in Monument Valley, Ford's favorite setting. But the movie offers much more. Ford crafts an entertaining movie-watching experience that includes some deft comedic scenes early on. Ward Bond turns in a strong performance as the burly Irish-American Sgt. Major.

Ford also defies some of our stereotypes of the classic Western. Owen Thursday, the embittered new leader of Fort Apache brilliantly played by Henry Fonda, is, despite his protestation to the contrary, a martinet and in the end a recklessly proud fool. Perhaps most interesting, Ford starkly calls into question the creation of military heroes. Thursday rides to his death in an unprovoked and fool-hardy frontal attack on Apache warriors. Cut to the closing scene, months later back at the fort, Thursday's memory is lauded by a group of uninformed reporters as a glorious hero to which John Wayne, the new leader of Fort Apache ironically accedes.

Highly recommended.

A Must-See in the History of Western Movies.......2007-02-03

It's fascinating to compare this 1948 pairing of director John Ford and John Wayne with Stagecoach, which they did together in 1939. In 1939 Wayne was a 'kid' and the Indians were a faceless menace which could not be reasoned with. Not even ten years later, Wayne is a weathered, wise Captain on a remote outpost, very sympathetic with the local natives. The Indians are now a complex, mistreated group who are deserving of respect.

The landscape and lifestyle is simply gorgeous in this film even though it's black and white. The love of music, the heartachingly gorgeous vistas and carved rocks, the soaring skies all make you want to immediately take a trip to the west. There are a variety of characters here - the defeated Rebels from the civil war, the stereotypical group of drinking Irish, the shopkeeps who take advantage of the natives and the men of honor who try to do the right thing.

The local cavalry group is happy hanging out in their remote outpost when Henry Fonda - Col. Thursday - shows up with his slightly ditsy but good natured daughter, Philadelphia (Shirley Temple!). Philly playfully explains that Pomfret CT and not Pennsylvania lay in her past. Soon the local west point grad is in love with her - but despite his officer rank and the fact that his dad won the medal of honor, Thursday feels the romance is entirely inappropriate - a breach of class etiquette.

In fact, Thursday calls the lad an "uncilized Indian" for taking his daughter out without permission. He feels he's educated and worthy of great glory - he researched the tactics of Khan, Alexander the Great and others. When it comes to real life, however, he is lacking in wisdom.

While the group is sitting around enjoying 1846 port, the natives are restless. Thusrday disdanfully complains that while others get to joust with "the 'great indian nations' of Sioux and Cheyenne, we get the gnat-stains and flea- bites of a few digger indians." Wayne, annoyed, responds, "You'd hardly call the Apaches digger indians." Says Thursday, "You'd scarely compare them with the Sioux ..." When Wayne tries to talk about the Apaches destroying the Sioux, Thursday ignores him.

Soon, because local trader Meacham has been only giving them rotgut whiskey, giving them "whiskey but no beef", Chochise, Diablo, Geronimo and others take off with numerous Mescaleros and Chiricahuas for the south border. Meacham is dismissive - "You know how children are". Wayne goes in to talk peace with them, and no sooner has he negotiated one but Thursday decides to kill them all for glory. When Wayne complains about the damage to his honor, Thursday sneers about the value of "Your word to a breech-clothed savage".

Unfortunately for Thursday's wild plan, the cavalry are soon surrounded and outnumbered four to one. Thurday reluctantly agrees to talk - and again his lack of wisdom shines through as he abandons all diplomacy and openly insults them. It's pretty inevitable what follows.

On one hand you could complain that even though there are supposed to be multiple branches of the Apache clan represented, you tend to only see generic indians on ridges with regular shirts and bandanas. But compared to the stories done just ten years ago, the changes are pretty stunning. Now it's the whites who are the senseless marauders, and the natives who are merely trying to find a peaceful way to live. Unfortunately, it's the cavalrymen who get stuck in the center.

A very important movie to watch, to see how the shifting sands adjust in perceptions over time - and to admire the gorgeous landscapes of the old west.

An unsatisfactory epic Western!.......2006-11-08

In portraying the history of the United States from the Revolutionary War to World War II, John Ford continually resorted to a deeply personal, nostalgic form of legend... If there is no doubt of his importance to the development of the Western, his uniquely sentimental, poetic glorification of the white American's conquest of the wilderness is both picturesque and reactionary...

The cavalrymen get a more honorable deal from three films made in succession by him: 'Ford Apache,' 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,' and 'Rio Grande.' These are quite properly referred to as his 'cavalry trilogy' as they deserve to be considered as a body of work dedicated to a particular theme, that of the life of the cavalry and their role as frontier protectors in times of Indian uprising...

'Fort Apache' is about the tensions in an isolated fort-social and military - hierarchy tensions, and, ultimately, the purely military tensions that arise when the commanding officer is transparently ill-fitted for his command...

Henry Fonda is a vain, domineering, and embittered colonel who can't get over losing his Civil War rank as general... He arrives at the Arizona desert outpost to take over from the experienced Indian fighter, John Wayne... He is arrogant, accepting no advice, and further alienates the hard-bitten veterans by refusing to support the romance of his lovely daughter (Shirley Temple) with a young lieutenant from West Point (John Agar) who happens to be the son of sergeant major (Ward Bond).

There are nice touches in the film here about army traditions, and undisciplined troops: Civil War veterans living in noisy harmony; amusing and touching moments with variety of vignettes that deal with the everyday lives of Fort Apache cavalrymen; and pretty Irish drunk humor from Victor McLaglen... The inevitable climax concerns, of course, the colonel's arrogance and ignorance leading his men into an Apache massacre...

'Fort Apache' is an unsatisfactory epic Western which yet contains sequences in its director's best manner... Ford consistently finds the most beautiful way to frame a scene, and the black and white photography is stunning... But the best of the trilogy is undoubtedly 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,' which remains for many their favorite Western movie...

John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searchers Ultimate Edition / Stagecoach Two-Disc Special Edition / Fort Apache / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / The Long Voyage Home / They Were Expendable / 3 Godfathers / The Wings of Eagles)

Average customer rating:

What a Deal.
Superb John Wayne
8 Films By Two Screen Legends
SPANISH SUBTITLES MISSING - IT'S A PITY!!!!
Duke classic collection

John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection (The Searchers Ultimate Edition / Stagecoach Two-Disc Special Edition / Fort Apache / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / The Long Voyage Home / They Were Expendable / 3 Godfathers / The Wings of Eagles)
Starring: John Wayne
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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John Wayne - An American Icon Collection (Seven Sinners/ The Shepherd of the Hills/ Pittsburgh/ The Conqueror/ Jet Pilot)
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ASIN: B000F0UUI2
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Amazon.com

There may be no better representation of America's love of the old West than the 10-disc John Ford-John Wayne Collection. The iconic star and iconic director collaborated on 14 films, eight of which appear here. Four--Fort Apache (1948), The Long Voyage Home (1940), The Wings of Eagles (1957), and 3 Godfathers (1948)--are appearing for the first time on DVD, and the two most famous, Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956), are represented in brand-new two-disc editions that add new and old featurettes as well as the outstanding American Masters documentary John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend. (This Ultimate Edition of The Searchers adds a variety of printed materials as well, such as reproductions of press materials and a 1956 comic book.) Two other landmark films previously available on DVD, They Were Expendable (1945) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), round out the set. The three non-Westerns in the set have military settings, with They Were Expendable arguably the greatest World War II picture ever.

The Movies:
A favorite film of some of the world's greatest filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, John Ford's The Searchers has earned its place in the legacy of great American films for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most notably, it's the definitive role for John Wayne as an icon of the classic Western--the hero (or antihero) who must stand alone according to the unwritten code of the West. The story takes place in Texas in 1868; Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a Confederate veteran who visits his brother and sister-in-law at their ranch and is horrified when they are killed by marauding Comanches. Ethan's search for a surviving niece (played by young Natalie Wood) becomes an all-consuming obsession. With the help of a family friend (Jeffrey Hunter) who is himself part Cherokee, Ethan hits the trail on a five-year quest for revenge. At the peak of his masterful talent, director Ford crafts this classic tale as an embittered examination of racism and blind hatred, provoking Wayne to give one of the best performances of his career. As with many of Ford's classic Westerns, The Searchers must contend with revisionism in its stereotypical treatment of "savage" Native Americans, and the film's visual beauty (the final shot is one of the great images in all of Western culture) is compromised by some uneven performances and stilted dialogue. Still, this is undeniably one of the greatest Westerns ever made.

The landmark Western Stagecoach began the legendary relationship between Ford and Wayne, and became the standard for all subsequent Westerns. It solidified Ford as a major director and established Wayne as a charismatic screen presence. Seen today, Stagecoach still impresses as the first mature instance of a Western that is both mythic and poetic. The story about a cross-section of troubled passengers unraveling under the strain of Indian attack contains all of Ford's incomparable storytelling trademarks--particularly swift action and social introspection--underscored by the painterly landscape of Monument Valley. And what an ensemble of actors: Thomas Mitchell (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as the drunken doctor), Claire Trevor, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and the magical John Carradine.

Fort Apache stars Wayne as a Cavalry officer used to doing things a certain way out West at Fort Apache. Along comes a rigid, new commanding officer (Henry Fonda) who insists that everything on his watch be done by the book, including dealings with local Indians. The results are mixed: greater discipline at the fort, but increased hostilities with the natives. Ford deliberately leaves judgments about the wisdom of these changes ambiguous, but he also allows plenty of room for the fullness of life among the soldiers and their families to blossom. Fonda, in an unusual role for him, is stern and formal as the new man in charge; Wayne is heroic as the rebellious second; Victor McLaglen provides comic relief; and Ward Bond is a paragon of sturdy and sentimental masculinity. All of this is set against the magnificent, poetic topography of Monument Valley. This is easily one of the greatest of American films.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, the second installment of Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (which also includes Fort Apache and Rio Grande), continues the director's fascination with history's obliteration of the past. It features one of John Wayne's more sensitive performances as Capt. Nathan Brittles, a stern yet sentimental war horse who has difficulty preparing for his impending military retirement. It's a film about honor and duty as well as loneliness and mortality. And Oscar-winner Winton C. Hoch beautifully photographs it in Remington-like Technicolor tones. The combination of melancholy and farce (Victor McLaglen makes a perfect court jester) evokes comparisons to Shakespeare. Best of all, the scene in which Wayne fights back tears when receiving a gold watch from his troops is unforgettably bittersweet. If you view the whole trilogy, it actually makes sense to save this for last.

It's hardly shameful that Three Godfathers ranks as the slightest John Ford Western in a five-year arc that includes My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Wagon Master, and Rio Grande. The story had already been filmed at least five times--once by Ford himself. Just before Christmas, three workaday outlaws (John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank and flee into the desert. The canny town marshal (Ward Bond) moves swiftly to cut them off from the wells along their escape route, so they make for another, deep in the wasteland. There's no water waiting for them, but there is a woman (Mildred Natwick) on the verge of death--and also of giving birth. The three badmen accept her dying commission as godfathers to the newborn. Motley variants of the Three Wise Men, they strike out for the town of New Jerusalem with her Bible as roadmap. Ford's is the softest retelling of the tale, but it's all played with great gusto and tenderness--especially by Wayne, who's rarely been more appealing. Visually the film is one knockout shot after another. This was Ford's first Western in Technicolor, as well as his first collaboration with cinematographer Winton Hoch. What they do with sand ripples and shadows and long plumes of train smoke is rapturously beautiful. It's also often too arty by half, but who can blame them?

Eugene O'Neill loved The Long Voyage Home, the feature-length adaptation of his one-act sea plays, with intelligent bridging material written by Dudley Nichols and a final movement, both hellish and elegiac, appropriate to the onset of World War II. John Ford directed, in his more self-consciously arty vein but with no loss of power or passion. The focus is on the working seamen aboard a merchant ship making its way from the Caribbean to New York harbor and then England, with dangerous cargo on the transatlantic leg. Thomas Mitchell (who had won a 1939 Oscar in Ford's Stagecoach) gives a career-best performance as Driscoll; Ian Hunter plays the enigmatic shipmate known only as "Smitty"; Ford regulars Barry Fitzgerald, John Qualen, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields, and Joseph Sawyer fill key roles; and the top-billed John Wayne contributes a surprisingly effective supporting performance as Ole, a gentle Swedish giant who really belongs on a farm somewhere. Although neglected in recent years, this movie has a permanent place of honor in one of the most amazing three-year creative streaks any director ever had.

John Ford had a big emotional investment in The Wings of Eagles, and his favorite star John Wayne rewarded the director with one of his strongest performances. The subject is Frank "Spig" Wead, Naval aviation legend turned Hollywood screenwriter, who had written Ford's very good 1932 movie Air Mail and his magnificent WWII elegy They Were Expendable (1945). Ford was fond of exploring the theme of "victory in defeat." Wead's life was made to order for that. The hell-raising flyboy shenanigans, and his flailing marriage to a scrappy Irish redhead (The Quiet Man's Maureen O'Hara reporting for duty), were abruptly curtailed by a fall that left him with severe spinal damage. He should never have been able to walk again, but he fought his way back to limited mobility and built a new career as a writer. And when WWII broke out, Wead made a key contribution to the Pacific air war. It would be satisfying to report that The Wings of Eagles is a triumph--that the broad comedy of the early reels cuts brilliantly against the raw pain of the Weads' marriage, the grief of a family broken and mended and broken again, the film's specters of death and deep frustration. There are powerful moments, but the low comedy is very low, the visual style sometimes stark but more often just drab, and the screenplay is very choppy about the passage of time.

They Were Expendable is the greatest American film of the Second World War, made by America's greatest director, John Ford, who himself saw action from the Battle of Midway through D-day. Yet it's been oddly neglected. Or perhaps not so oddly: for as the matter-of-fact title implies, the film commemorates a period, from the eve of Pearl Harbor up to the impending fall of Bataan, when the Japanese conquest of the Pacific was in full cry and U.S. forces were fighting a desperate holding action. Although stirring movies had been made about these early days, they were gung ho in their resolve to see the tables turned. They Were Expendable, however, which was made when Allied victory was all but assured, is profoundly elegiac, with the patient grandeur of a tragic poem. "They" are the officers and men of the Navy's PT boat service, an experimental motor-torpedo force relegated to courier duty on Manila Bay but eventually proven effective in combat. Their commander is played by Robert Montgomery, who actually served on a PT and later commanded a destroyer at Normandy (he also codirected the breathtaking second-unit action sequences). John Wayne's costarring role as Montgomery's volatile second-in-command initially looks stereotypically blustery, but as the drama unfolds, Wayne sounds notes of tenderness and vulnerability that will take Duke-bashers by surprise. They Were Expendable is a heartbreakingly beautiful film, full of astonishing images of warfare, grief, courage, and dignity. This is a masterpiece.

Description

John Ford was easily one of the greatest, most prolific and versatile directors Hollywood ever produced. Combined with a star of the caliber and magnetism of John Wayne, what emerges is pure cinematic magic. WHV now introduces a ten-disc set featuring eight of the team's finest collaborations: The Searchers: Ultimate Collector's Edition (1956) Stagecoach: Special Edition (1939) Fort Apache (1948) The Long Voyage Home (1940) Wings of Eagles (1957) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1948) They Were Expendable (1945) 3 Godfathers (1948)

Customer Reviews:

What a Deal........2007-04-28

A lot has been said about this collection. I would just like to point out that the price can't be beat either. The Searchers disk alone would set you back 35 dollars. The Stagecoach another 20. The other six DVD's are free. About 60 to 70 dollars worth. Man you can't do any better. I already had The Wings of Eagles and The Long Voyage Home. The set DVD's are identical to the DVD's I already had, so this isn't a stripped down set at all.

Superb John Wayne.......2007-03-22

An excellent selection of John Wayne movies. The Searchers has been rated one of his best with She Wore a Yellow Ribbon my all time favorite. Fort Apache is excellent also. The Long Voyage and They were Expendable were minor roles for him but all in all a great collection of films. The man became the all american hero even before his passing.

8 Films By Two Screen Legends.......2007-03-19

This is one of the larger collections that came out last year and whatever else you may think about John Wayne, he was the most prolific star of his (perhaps of all) time, twice the output of Humphrey Bogart, for example.

John Ford was also quite prolific but many of his early ones are lost. Still, his place and time as one of the great auteurs intrigues many of cinephile.

Some favorites are missing but are available, such as "Rio Grande", "The Quiet Man" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". The extras for this set are in some cases, non existant, while some are repeats, but the main reason to own this set is for the films themselves.

"Stagecoach" - This 1939 Western stands as the turning point for both Ford's and especially Wayne's careers. This is also quite an ensemble piece for which Donald Meek, Thomas Mitchell (was Oscar for this), John Caradine, Andy Devine, George Bancroft, Louise Pratt and Berton Churchill spend much screen time as the occupants of the stagecoach along with JW and Clair Trevor. Wayne and Trevor provide the love story, she as the whore being run out of town, he the vengeful outlaw who Bancroft wants to lock up for Wayne's own good. But all are misfits in this journey and even though quite laughable today, a fun movie to watch. Alas, the native Americans are basically just ducks in a shooting gallery.

"The Long Voyage Home" is another ensemble piece and does have the odd casting of Wayne as the big Swede who doesn't hit back. Mitchell returns and is actually the main character in this movie, which does have the great bittersweet language of Eugene O'Neil. This offers what a good actor Ward Bond was when called to be when he has his death scene.

"They Were Expendable" Ford won two Oscars for documentaries shot in World War Two. Wayne made many war pictures but this is my favorite one. The dialogue and settings are quite believable for the most part and Robert Montgomery displays dignity as the one in charge. A nice haunting scene is when Wayne gets caught off talking to Donna Reed with the realization he might never see her again. This also has none of the crazy heroics that many films had (Wayne guilty in many of those) and a good humor with the supporting characters.

"3 Godfathers" is truly an offbeat film. Wayne, Pedro Amadariz and Harry Carey, Jr., are actually bank robbers, quite likable though, who save a woman's baby while running away from sheriff Ward Bond. It is through this baby that the three find redemption though it's only Wayne who has the happy ending. In its way, this is a very spiritual film.

"Fort Apache" is actually my favorite film here. Fords prints the facts and shows them distorted by Wayne for his benefit who he can effectively lead the troop. Henry Fonda plays quite the unsympathic custer character who tricks Cochise to come back. The scene that Fonda has with Cochise, who laments in Spanish the deplorable conditions but chills the white man's chilling response, is brilliant. The adult Shirley Temple provides support here with the bland John Agar. Also very good, Ward Bond, Victor McLagden and Pedro Armandariz.

"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is quite a melodramtic film with Wayne talking to tombstones and weeping half the time. Still, great comedic support from Victor McLagden. "Don't apolagize, it's a sign of weakness" Wayne repeats over and over. However, both Agar and Carey, Jr., aren't given much to do. Ben Johnson does what he does best. It's interesting that George O'Brien was Ford's big star in the silent era and here and Fort Apache just strictly a sad character actor. Still, John Wayne makes this watchable and the gold watch scene quite effective.

"The Searchers" which along with "Stagecoach" gets a second disk of extras. This is the definitive Wayne-Ford movie, as good as any film noir as the antihero makes good. Wayne plays the racist Ethan Edwards and Jeff Hunter co stars as the other searcher who must accompany Wayne before Wayne finds and murders his niece, played by the beautiful Natalie Wood. The firing into the dead Indian's eyes, the shooting of buffalo, the shooting of Indians in the back, the digust of looking at white women are among the most powerful scenes Wayne or Ford have ever done. It would have been interesting if Wayne actually killed Wood because that's the actual story, but thank God he didn't. This film is not a comfortable film to watch and it's not intended to be. The race issues it addresses still hold true today.

"The Wings of Eagles" is in my opinion, the weakest Wayne-Ford movie. There's no sense of period. The slapstick doesn't work for me and Maureen O'Hara's character's alcoholism is never addressed. However, Wayne's determination to move that toe, strongly assisted by Dan Dailey, makes up for a lot. Also, way too briefly, Ward Bond as John Ford. Also fun is hearing Wayne's comment of bringing in the seventh calvary when viewing an early Clark Gable movie.

SPANISH SUBTITLES MISSING - IT'S A PITY!!!!.......2007-03-11

Despite the DVD label states subtitles available in English, French and Spanish, NO SPANISH SUBTITLES ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS FILM. Unbelievable such a top level collection with this mismatch!

I would have enjoyed a complete understanding of the film, given I am an enthusiastic cinematography student, and even worse: I am a Spanish speaker!!! My sister is now writing for me!!

Thanks to Amazon for its fine service in Argentina.

PABLO GALARZA

Duke classic collection.......2007-03-09

From his first efforts in "The Long Voyage Home" to the classic "The Searchers"-this set is a must have for those who are truly John Wayne fans. Watch them in chronological order to get a real feel for these movies and how John Wayne grew into the star he was. Again, John Ford utilizes supporting players who are great actors in their own rights. If you love the Duke-you'll want this collection.

Average customer rating:

A Peckinpah Film
Review of Major Dundee
Major Dundee
very satisfied
"Fall in behind the Major"

Major Dundee (The Extended Version)
Starring: Charlton Heston , Richard Harris , Jim Hutton , James Coburn , and Michael Anderson Jr.
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00083FZFY
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Amazon.com

This restoration of Sam Peckinpah's 1965 western Major Dundee is nothing short of magnificent, a noble attempt at restoring a famously wrecked masterpiece. When Peckinpah went over budget and over schedule during the Mexico shoot, unshot scenes were canceled and the footage rudely cut by the studio. The director disowned the results. In 2005, surviving footage was patched back in, and a new musical soundtrack commissioned to replace the score Peckinpah hated. This raises some legitimate questions about interpreting a director's intentions, and about messing with film history, but Major Dundee--The Extended Version is such a rousing, mysterious experience, one feels grateful.

Major Dundee (Charlton Heston) is a vainglorious officer busted to the decidedly inglorious job of overseeing prisoners in a fort in New Mexico. An abduction gives him the excuse to mount an expedition into Mexico, chasing the perpetrators and perhaps a shot at greatness. His ragtag posse includes Confederate POWs, notably one Captain Ben Tyreen (Richard Harris), whose intense former friendship with Dundee is tainted with a sense of betrayal on both sides. (Heston and Harris, two actors not known for subtlety, are splendid.) Part Ahab, part Alexander the Great, Dundee leads the expedition away from its purpose and into a near-mythic kind of wandering.

Peckinpah gets everything right--the landscapes, the sneaky humor, the code of men. He also takes time to distinguish the supporting characters, such as Jim Hutton's awkward young officer and Senta Berger's stranded widow. The Peckinpah stock company of amazing character actors is in place, too, including James Coburn, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, L.Q. Jones, and Slim Pickens. It will never be exactly what Peckinpah envisioned, but now Major Dundee rides suspiciously close to greatness. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

A Peckinpah Film.......2007-06-12

The only reason I gave it a 4 star instead of a 5 star is the length of the movie with a slow middle. Sam Pechinpaw movies are always action packed. Heston plays a tought Major who's only purpose was to hunt down some murdering Apaches, but falls in love along the way.

Review of Major Dundee.......2007-05-24

The disk arrived in a timely manner and was in excellent condition.
The film, although of course dated, was very interesting and enjoyable. I much prefer Charlton Heston in dynamic roles such as this to in his "epic" roles such as Moses in The Ten Commandments. He seemed a real person in this film. Richard Harris is also excellent, as are the supporting cast. All in all I enjoyed the film very much and am glad that I bought it.

Major Dundee.......2007-05-17

One of the finest western genre movies ever made...complexity of the characters interaction coupled with fine acting and action scenes make this movie a must see

very satisfied.......2007-05-10

I am very satisfied with the dvd movie Major Dundee. It was well worth the money. Very enjoyable.

"Fall in behind the Major".......2007-03-21

You can read all about the behind things that went on during the making of this movie, so lets talk about the movie itself.
I remember watching this movie as a child and loving it. I know that this isn't what Peckinpah wanted us to see but even in the form most of us have seen it the talent and strong direction make even this "flawed masterpiece" one of the great westerns and great movies period. Now after all these years they have found the missing scenes and we can see(at least as close as possible) the epic western that Sam wanted. With these new scenes,soundtrack(Sam hated the old one), and using his notes, the movie comes alive again and even better than before. Now if you are like me i loved the old soundtrack(yes it's corny and i hate to say it,but i do love it)not to worry as you can choose which one you would like to hear. With extras glore this is one of the better extended version discs out there. nothing is over looked and now "Major Dundee" can take its place beside "The Wild Bunch" as one of the best films Peckinpah made!!

Average customer rating:

Great technical achievements with stereotypes galore
a hard to find movie worth seeking out
"The Devil's Cabaret" is on this disc!
Cimarron
A profound old movie

Cimarron
Starring: Richard Dix , Irene Dunne , Estelle Taylor , Nance O'Neil , and William Collier Jr.
Director: Wesley Ruggles , Nick Grinde , and Rudolf Ising
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BYA4HE
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Amazon.com

This epic Western won the 1931 Academy Award for Best Picture. Heartthrob Richard Dix plays Yancey Cravat (yes, really, that's his name) a frontiersman, newspaper editor, and former gunslinger who's studly enough to fill in as preacher or lawyer should the situation demand. Yancey brings his young bride Sabra to the wild Oklahoma territory to taste the adventure, crusade for social justice, and leave his family for years at a time. Modern viewers will have trouble making it past one or two horrifying racist caricatures at the start, made doubly odd because of the film's intended message of tolerance. Once it gets underway, though, Cimarron can be quite a bit of fun. Most of its pleasures are of the guilty variety--Dix's performance in particular is endearingly huge--but there are a few genuine highlights. The Oklahoma Land Rush sequence is still exciting and wet blanket Sabra turns out to have far more gumption than anyone imagined. --Ali Davis

Description

Spaces were neither wide nor open in most early Sound Westerns. Not so in Cimarron. It starts with one of the most renowned giddy-ups in cinema history: a thundering recreation of the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush. From there Cimarron, based on the bestselling epic by Giant and Show Boat novelist Edna Ferber, traces the generations-spanning saga of that land. There rugged Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) and his resourceful pioneer wife Sabra (Irene Dunne) sink roots, persevere, give shape to their dreams. It's a saga of change, told with an authenticity that moviegoers who had lived through that era recognized - and told with a skill that earned it three Academy Awards * including Best Picture!

Customer Reviews:

Great technical achievements with stereotypes galore.......2006-12-22

Often, in the early talkies, you'll notice what you thought were sane actors talking to inanimate objects instead of their fellow castmembers. Of course, what they were really doing was talking into the hidden microphones, but the whole image can be quite a hilarious spectacle to the unknowing audience. Cimarron was an early talkie that made great strides in sound, allowing natural interaction between the cast and a more natural movement of the camera, allowing the filming of some truly spectacular scenes.

The film is very impressive when taken in the context of its technical achievements. The shots of the opening of the Oklahoma Land Rush, and the Land Rush stampede itself involve ground-breaking sound and cinematography that make it one of the most realistically shot scenes up to that time. Other well filmed scenes include those of Osage's dusty streets with the camera tracking the main characters as they walk along while hundreds of extras bustle about them, showing the life of a busy boom town shortly after the land rush. Unfortunately, this is pretty much where my praise of this film ends.

This film stars Richard Dix as Yancey Cravat, a man who was born under a wandering star. Unfortunately, that didn't stop Yancey from taking a wife and having children, it just stopped him from taking any responsibility for that same wife and children. Yancey goes after one hair-brained scheme after another while his long-suffering wife Sabra (Irene Dunne) must come up with ways to clothe, feed, and house herself and their children. Sometimes Yancey's adventures keep him home, other times they take him away for years at a time. It's all the same to Yancey as long as he is in the midst of excitement of some sort. The film focuses on Yancey's adventures, while the whole time I'm wondering what Sabra is up to. In modern times, her story is much more compelling and sympathetic.

Richard Dix's performance is quite hammy by modern standards. You'll find yourself laughing in places that were not intended to be funny by the film's creators, and in spite of your laughter, you'll still find Yancey to be completely unlikeable. He would make a great politician in the 21st century - he is very apt at doing one thing, saying another, and still finding time for splendid oratory.

The worst thing about this film, which was not unusual for its day, was the rendition of Cravat's servant Isaiah. The stereotypes are truly jaw-dropping. For example, in one scene Isaiah gets very excited when Yancey points out a cart full of watermelons at his new home. It makes you wonder how the actor portraying Isaiah felt about this, how the filmmakers felt about this, and how the audience felt about this sort of material back in 1930. Honestly, what were they thinking?

The extras on this DVD are stingy. There's a vintage color musical short - `The Devil's Cabaret' - which is a very strange musical number with an even stranger pre-code storyline, and an example of something that could only have been done pre-code. At "Satan & Co., Inc.", the Devil is upset because too many people are going up to Heaven rather than down to Hades. He gives his assistant, Mr. Burns the task of getting more people to his domain. In front of a nightclub, Mr. Burns invites a crowd of people to come inside to "The Devil's Cabaret" and be entertained. After they enjoy songs and dancing, the people go willingly to Hades. To me, this was more entertaining than the movie. The second extra feature is a classic cartoon - `Red-Headed Baby' - that runs six minutes. It's an early Merry Melodie that focuses primarily on a Baby toy that Santa is building. After Santa goes to sleep, the toy sings a song for the other playroom toys. The animation has that primitive charm that is trademark Merry Melodie, but as a whole there is nothing really special about it. There are no extras related to the film itself.

Remarkably, this film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1931. Even more remarkably, Richard Dix was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in this film. Less remarkably, Irene Dunne was nominated for Best Actress for her performance, in spite of the lack of depth of the examination of her character in the film. There are two reasons to watch this film (a) To see the very good technical achievements it featured in sound and cinematography (b) To see the very bad things about it including Dix' hammy performance, the stereotypes that were common in films of that era, and the fact that in the early twentieth century nobody apparently thought that the long-suffering Sabra was doing anything other than her duty as a wife in spending most of her time waiting for her husband to come home from his misadventures.

a hard to find movie worth seeking out.......2006-08-03

one of the first best picture oscar winners, this was (appallingly) the only western to win until "unforgiven". like other adaptations of edna ferber novels, the source material is too sprawling to work, but its fascinating in its (for the time) relatively compassionate views towards race and towards "working girls". richard dix is pretty wooden as the male lead and irene dunne gives little early evidence of the glory that was to come, but as usual in this type of film there are wonderful performances in smaller roles. also, the scene depicting the beginning of the land rush in 1889 is spectacular, and one wishes a certain mr ron howard had studied this sequence before he made that crappy tom & nicole thing. a historical curiosity maybe, but i enjoyed myself nonetheless.

"The Devil's Cabaret" is on this disc!.......2006-02-22

There is another reason to pick up this DVD: the inclusion of the pre-Hays Code short film "The Devil's Cabaret." This short was created as a vehicle for comedian Edward Buzzell, but the highlights are the sequence with secretary Mary Carlisle (who is amiably daffy and cute to boot), and the extended "nightclub from Hell" sequence where girls strip off their clothes and happily sell their souls to the Devil. This is a vintage reminder of how racy the times were before the government piddled on the party.

Cimarron.......2005-09-18

One of the best films ever made in America..a milestone of the transition from silent films to talkies.

A profound old movie.......2004-04-30

You know, I have to agree with Mr. Erdelac - the movie is progressive for its time. For those of you who judge a movie by the degree to which it beats a political or social drum, there is much here to admire.

But there is more. There is something artistic. There is an odd balance between melodrama and something really substantial, something actually edifying to the viewer. I think a large part of why this movie doesn't descend into the sludge of cinematic slop is because the characters are all flawed, and in those flaws the viewer cannot help but recognize a touch of human frailty. Every individual in this movie is at times ridiculous and at other times supremely dignified. This, I believe, gives it a certain depth.

The characters in any great movie MUST be larger than life if the piece is to avoid being either a documentary or a soap opera. But here the larger than life characters seem firmly rooted in the earth, which brings them closer to us. I like that.

Amazon.com

Paul Newman stars in this harsh portrait of a police station in a crumbling neighborhood. Newman plays John Murphy, a veteran policeman who's been on the force long enough to be tired, but not so long that he's lost his idealism. The plot is loosely tied to the arrival of Connolly, the new precinct captain (Edward Asner). Is he a crusader who's going to finally whip a corrupt, apathetic force into shape, or an interloping by-the-book bureaucrat who can't possibly understand the neighborhood and will do more harm than good? The movie is gratifyingly ambiguous on this point and many others. While Newman's character is almost by default the hero, he is far from perfect--most all the major characters get complex personalities, just like real people. The Bronx itself is given complex, thoughtful treatment as well, full of both overwhelming problems and hope for the future. Fort Apache, the Bronx also has action sequences, but doesn't make the mistake of reveling in violence. Here, black and white are far less defined and, consequently, far more satisfying. --Ali Davis

Description

In a bombed-out wasteland stands a police station less a precinct house than a fort in hostile territory. Outside its walls are the murders, the riots, the drugs, and the everyday lives that texture the bleak urban landscape. Inside, amidst corruption and indifference, each officer does what he must to survive his tour of duty in "Fort Apache, The Bronx."

Customer Reviews:

IF ONLY LUMET HAD DIRECTED!.......2006-04-05

If the GREAT Sidney Lumer (12 Angry Men, The Verdict,Q & A) had directed this film it would have had the potential to be a classic.No one is better than Lumet in getting at the bitterness and tension of the streets of New York,especially the racial and ethnic (Irish,Jewish,Black,Puerto Rican).Paul Newman plays an 18 year veteran Irish cop(Murphy) team up with a younger cop,palayed by Ken Wahl .This South Bronx police district is nicknamed "Fort Apach" because of its hign crime rate.Junkies,bad cops abound and Newman (excellant) trys to cope the best he can and thats' not easy considering what he is up against-High crime, a by the book new commander (Ed Asner) and very, very bad cops.The divorced Newman finds romance with a Puerto Rican nurse, movingly played by Rachel Ticotin and encounters a wacked-out hooker played by the very beautiful Pam Grier.This film needed LUMET and this DVD needed a commentary.Otherwise very good.

Paul Newman at his best!.......2006-03-22

I remember watching this movie on a VCR back in 1981, and ever since then the picture of Paul Newman in his cop uniform is embedded in my mind. I was so happy when I found out Amazon.com had this on DVD. This movie is one of the best portrayals of The Bronx in the early 80's. I definitely would recommend this movie to anyone who is into cop movies that are realistic.

Fort Apache on DVD.......2006-03-10

This is not one of my favorite movies, but my husband remembered it fondly and wanted to see it again. I had the hardest time finding any place to rent it, let alone to purchase, so I was estatic to find it at Amazon and in DVD, not VHS, format.

where am i buying this product from.......2006-02-24

most dissapointed in time taken to receive this product.
I was under the impression was buying product from amazon in u.s.a. not germany. I note that cheap cardboard case has bar code imbedded in case.
note u had my money for at least 30 days before i got it

not happy amazon

Slice-of-life, NYC style.......2005-08-28

Set in the crime-ridden war zone of the South Bronx, Paul Newman is a cynical (but honest) cop on the beat. Ken Wahl is his young partner and Ed Asner the chief. The story is the craziness and ugliness of the city in general; specifically it's about Newman witnessing two other cops throw a kid off a roof during a riot and finally deciding, against the wishes of his fellow cops, to turn them in. The love interest has Newman falling for a nurse who's a junkie (she dies). Newman is in top form as is Wahl, and the setting couldn't be any more realistic. (For 1981; NYC has really cleaned up its act since then.) It's not an upbeat movie at all, but it's true and human from beginning to end. One thing that is annoying is Newman and Asner trying to talk in a tough Bronx accent - both sound plain funny at times and not at all natural. A good movie, and definitely worth a watch.

Average customer rating:

One for the whole family
Eight Below

Eight Below [Blu-ray]
Starring: Jason Biggs , Wendy Crewson , Duncan Fraser , Bruce Greenwood , and Lightning
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000H7J9LM
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Description

The unforgiving terrain of Antarctica comes to life through the wonder of Blu-ray Disc technology in this amazing tale of courage and loyalty. Eight incredible dogs, left behind when their research team is forced to flee, band together to survive the subzero elements that blister the screen in eye-popping 1080p. The astonishing sound quality of the 5.1 48 kHz, 16-bit uncompressed audio will have you practically feeling the wind chill factor as guide Jerry (Paul Walker) races against time to save his four-legged friends. Experience this heart-pounding adventure like never before through the magic of Blu-ray high definition.

Customer Reviews:

One for the whole family.......2007-04-05

A brilliant family movie that has a superior video and audio transfer with Blu-Ray. A true Disney non animated movie of old, the scenery is spectacular the acting is first rate.

Eight Below.......2007-03-29

Eight Below (Widescreen Edition)I found it to be wonderfully entertaining a great family movie one of the best i have seen

Gunsmoke Movie Collection (Return to Dodge/The Last Apache/To the Last Man)

Average customer rating:

gunsmoke movie collection
great DVD collection

Gunsmoke Movie Collection (Return to Dodge/The Last Apache/To the Last Man)
Starring: James Arness , Amanda Blake , Buck Taylor , Fran Ryan , and Earl Holliman
Director: Vincent McEveety , Charles Correll , and Jerry Jameson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001NBND4
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Customer Reviews:

gunsmoke movie collection.......2004-07-14

All 3 movies were very good. My favourite was return to dodge. It was based on the series episode Mannon, which was a very good episode. The series was one of the best shows on television. The stories would still hold up today. The movies in my opinion were weak versions of the TV episodes. I am glad the movies are out on DVD but only because I hope it leads to getting TV episodes on DVD. It would be like a choice for lets say seinfeld fans having a choice between 3 seinfeld movies over a box set of the whole series. I think that would be an easy choice. Or choosing between 3 law and order movies over a box set of the whole series, another easy choice. I will take the movies for now, and I will probably buy the other 2, and they are all good, but I really want the whole series on DVD eventually. I just bought have gun will travel first season, it didn't come yet, I will probably like it but I bought it mainly for a vote to get some of these great classic western series on DVD, mainly gunsmoke. Most of the old TV series released on DVD are pretty weak TV, I hope to see old TV shows that had a good run and were popular, and gunsmoke was the perfect example of this. I hope to see it soon.

great DVD collection.......2004-05-12

Just watched the Gunsmoke movie collection and all three movies are excellent. Return To Dodge is my favorite, but Last Apache is damn good too. All three movies hit the mark. Arness had seen better days, but his performance is top notch in all of these. He looks older than the mountains he rides past, but I liked him more as Matt in these movies than on the Gunsmoke show. The show was classic, but Arness' personality and character got better with age. Too bad all five Gunsmoke movies aren't in this set, but Return and Last Apache are the must haves for my collection. I'm glad to have 'em on DVD. This is a fantastic set.

Average customer rating:

An intriguing example of the John Ford film legacy.....
Fort Apache
Ford Defies Stereotypes of the Classic Western
A Must-See in the History of Western Movies
An unsatisfactory epic Western!

Fort Apache
Starring: John Wayne , Henry Fonda , Shirley Temple , Pedro Armendáriz , and Ward Bond
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F0UUHI
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Amazon.com essential video

Description

DVD Features:
Featurette:Monument Valley: John Ford Country
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing example of the John Ford film legacy............2007-06-26

Fort Apache.......2007-06-22

Ford Defies Stereotypes of the Classic Western.......2007-05-09

A Must-See in the History of Western Movies.......2007-02-03

An unsatisfactory epic Western!.......2006-11-08

Average customer rating:

Well-intentioned but not entirely successful
Hollywood and History Collide
Thoughtful Lancaster Western
Good Story but Needs More Context
An exciting Western with colorful action and a surprising ending...

Apache
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Jean Peters , John McIntire , Charles Bronson , and John Dehner
Director: Robert Aldrich
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000059TFS
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Amazon.com

Burt Lancaster was cock of the walk in 1954. The Lancaster-starred From Here to Eternity had just swept the Oscars®, his personal production company Hecht-Lancaster could do no wrong, and he had marquee magic in two back-to-back Westerns directed by Robert Aldrich, Vera Cruz and this one. There are moments in his performance as Massai, the Apache warrior who wouldn't surrender with Geronimo, that seem choreographed to express the actor's exultation. Massai has hard going all the way--starting with having to recross half the continent on foot after escaping from a prison train bound for Florida--but Lancaster the ex-circus athlete who insisted on doing his own stunts fairly sings with the ecstasy of movement as he scampers over rocks, rolls unscathed between the wheels of racing wagons, and generally makes the screen look like his private gym.

Apache wasn't the first Western to sympathize with Native Americans done wrong, but it's among the liveliest--although, ironically, it was destined to be outshone in power and complexity by Aldrich and Lancaster's masterpiece Ulzana's Raid nearly two decades later. Typically of its time, Apache features non-Indians in all the Indian roles, including Jean Peters as Massai's beloved Nalinle and Charles Buchinsky (later Bronson) as her other suitor, Hondo, one of the tribesmen who has donned U.S. Cavalry blue. John McIntire contributes his crusty moral authority as Al Sieber, the real-life scout who helped defeat Geronimo and then Massai, and respected both. John Dehner is, as usual, a real bastard. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Well-intentioned but not entirely successful.......2007-06-17

Despite fond childhood memories, Apache has dated badly. One of the vogue for pro-Native American westerns during the mid-50s (Broken Arrow, Devil's Doorway, etc), this is definitely one of the lesser offerings despite the promising pairing of a painfully miscast Burt Lancaster and Robert Aldrich, who would make amends some 20 years later with the remarkable Ulzana's Raid. The script is a prime offender here, both simplistic and patronising, offering little for either man to really get their teeth into. There are a few good moments, but the sight of Lancaster and Morris Ankrum in brownface remains the film's lasting image.

MGM/UA's transfer is acceptable, although the colour system used to shoot the film originally has not held up well and leads to a variable look to the film. The original theatrical trailer - bizarrely played as a breaking news report - is included.

Hollywood and History Collide.......2007-03-10

Great movie that shows how the Native Americans were treated and is based somewhat on history itself. There was an Indian named Massai, and a Mr. Wettle, along with Seiber. It is not a history movie, but more of a movie based on the degredation of the Native Americans and one Indians war with them and himself. The ending is one of compromise, but in reality, this was never to be for most of the Apaches.
Burt Lancaster is at his ever popular, ripped body, and makes you believe that he could do all that the true Native American Massai did do.
For some reason this movie has just struck me as one I like to watch when I get tired of everyone else complaining that they have it so hard in life today. Especially some minority groups who did not have it so, or still are, as the Native American.

Thoughtful Lancaster Western.......2006-12-20

Apache finds Burt Lancaster not only in his element, as he was a fantastic Western (and a great all-around) movie actor, but finding space to create great sympathy and pathos in this film, one of the earlier films to show Native Americans in a more humane light.

Lancaster plays Massai, who refuses to surrender with Geronimo, and escapes to plan a one-man revolution against the Army and settlers. Along the way, he finds love with Jean Peters and gains the respect of chief Army scout Al Sieber, played by John McIntire.

Lancaster infuses Massai with great dignity and honor, and even though we already know that his cause is bound to fail, we celebrate his triumphs and bemoan his defeats. His character has the kind of nobility that may seem Hollywood inspired, but at the end of the day, he's a man who wants to live as he chooses.

Apache is an excellent film, and a wonderful showcase for Burt Lancaster.

Good Story but Needs More Context.......2006-12-01

I certainly appreciate that Apache was trying to tell a Native American story from the point of view of the Native Americans. The Apache had happy lives before the government came along and tried to squish them onto reservations. Masai, a member of the Apache tribe, is rightfully indignant when they unceremoniously toss him into a boxcar and ship him off to Florida with Geronimo.

True to the famed Apache long distance running talent, Masai escapes and manages the long, arduous trek back to his homeland. He even has a right to be cynical about his native american friends, when he is sometimes helped and sometime hindered by them. It gets to the point that he wages a one man feud against everyone around him.

That all being said, it was hard for me to setle into a mindset where I could really relate to Masai *being* a Native American. He's played by Burt Lancaster. He always looked like Burt Lancaster with red paint on him. His sweetheart in the film is J