War Arrow

Starring:Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler, John McIntire, Suzan Ball, Noah Beery Jr., Charles Drake, Henry Brandon, Dennis Weaver, Jay Silverheels, Jim Bannon, Stephen Wyman, Bradford Jackson, Lance Fuller, Dee Carroll, Roy Whaley, Darla Ridgeway, Bill Ward
Director: George Sherman
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

The One and Only Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow - James Stewart
Realistic Western from the 50's!
One of the Absolute Best

Broken Arrow
Starring: James Stewart , Jeff Chandler , Debra Paget , Basil Ruysdael , and Will Geer
Director: Delmer Daves
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hell and High Water

ASIN: B000OT6V0U
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Description

In 1870, when white men and Indians are fighting bitterly, Tom Jeffords (Stewart) strongly believes the Apaches are treated unfairly. After befriending their leader Cochise (Jeff Chandler) and arranging a truce, he is called upon by a U.S. Army general to negotiate a government peace treaty. Though he fulfills his mission, Jeffords soon experiences great tragedy when he, his Indian wife (Debra Paget) and good friend Cochise become targets of a renegade ambush.

Customer Reviews:

The One and Only Broken Arrow.......2007-07-04

A rare movie for the 1950's where the Indians are protrayed as real people.
Excellent casting and acting. Though Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget are not Native Americans.

Broken Arrow.......2007-06-27

Jimmy Stewart is always great. In this film Debra Paget is super great. While she usually plays a lady of fashion or a college student but as the American Indian girl she has hit her "ZENITH"!!!

Broken Arrow - James Stewart.......2007-06-17

James Stewart and Jeff Chandler have fine performances in thie 1958 Western. Good portrayal of the American Indians. This production was nominated for three Academy Awards, "damn good western" with plenty of action. Good performance by Debra Paget who plays the part of an American Indian woman. This is a Ten (10) excellent.

Realistic Western from the 50's!.......2007-06-08

This really is a terrific Western! The story you probably know by now, what you may not know is the great DVD tranfer, great color, and great Sedona Ariz. filming locations!
Jimmy Stewart starting doing westerns in 1950 with Winchester 73', a black and white film and a classic. Broken Arrow was his second entry and 5 more followed in the 1950's. But none were to top Broken Arrow. Or Winchester 73'!

Not only is the story very solid, fiction based on real events and people, but all the actors casting is flawless! Will Geer, an emotionally hurt settler, Debra Paget at 17 looking like a Indian instead of a young startlet, and Jeff Chandler as Cochise in a very believable good performance. Mabye his best!

And make sure to check out Jay Silverheels in the role of Geronimo, a top notch performance and I think biggest speaking part of anything he'd ever been in, including the Lone Ranger series. When he defies Cochise to follow the peace trail, his emotion is so powerful that it jumps off the screen. A truly great moment in the film. I had to replay that scene many times because I liked it so much!

I'm proud to place this among my Western Collection of DVDs!

One of the Absolute Best.......2007-06-07

From time to time on the net I come across these ever-present lists where someone is sounding off about what they say are the "best" of such and so . Frequently I see "best westerns" or "best war movie" lists and find myself laughing out loud when one of these things omits something universally acknowledged to be a Classic. When that happens you know you're dealing with a relative "newbie" in the world whose exposure to genre cinema isn't nearly as expansive as they think it is. War Movie lists that leave off "Sergeant York" (out of sight for along time) come to mind. So do "Best Westerns" lists that ignore "Broken Arrow" (another hard to find one for quite a while). This film is a treasure.

To all who think "Broken Arrow" is a John Travolta/Christian Slater military action thriller, I've got news for you: Travolta/Slater is just an "ehhh" popcorn programmer that happens to LIFT the title of one of the
most admired, acclaimed, respected, and loved westerns of all time; one that belongs up there with "The Searchers" , "Fort Apache", and others in the category of "the greatest".

Released in 1950, this Delmer Daves film tells the true (with very little ...and, even then, only minor...fictionalization) story of ex-Army officer Tom Jeffords and his early-1870s interactions with the great Apache warrior Cochise; a relationship that led to a major degree of peace in Arizona in the long run. It is a tale well written, well told, and beautifully photographed. Nominated for several Oscars and Golden Globe Awards, it won the Golden Globe for best screenplay.

Shot in magnificent locations in Sedona and Flagstaff, Arizona, and Lone Pine, California, the scenics are just gorgeous and the color cinematography absolutely superb.

The cast is fabulous as well. Jimmy Stewart turns in a great performance as Jeffords (gee, what a surprise! Stewart ALWAYS delivers!) but the performance to watch is Jeff Chandler as Cochise. It is awesome and well worthy of the Oscar nomination he received for it. To those unfamiliar with Jeff Chandler , he was a VERY popular he-man (like Duke Wayne or Robert Mitchum) actor of the fifties who possessed a facial bone structure like carved granite and a head of thick, prematurely grey hair. This was a guy born to play in westerns and private detective thrillers.
Chandler was on his way towards icon status when he died unexpectedly much before his time. He lives on here as Cochise, though, and this is not a bad legacy to leave behind.

Also here is one of the greatest acting beauties of the 50s, the breathtakingly beautiful Debra Paget. Paget could hold a male audience spellbound and get them all agitated when directors would kill her off ,as in "Broken Arrow", and, when they had her jump into a volcano as a self-sacrifice in the 2nd version of "Bird of Paradise" ( I remember yelling "Noooooooooo!" when I first saw that on tv years ago).

Many familiar character actors turn up here, among them Iron Eyes Cody and Arthur Hunnicutt. Hunnicutt, bearded and carrying a bugle, would, some eighteen years later, appear as "Bull" with Duke Wayne and Bob Mitchum in Howard Hawks' "El Dorado". Here he is "Milt Duffield" a friend of Tom Jeffords.

Also making a splash in "Broken Arrow" is Mohawk character actor Harold J. Smith, playing Cochise's nemesis, Geronimo. Don't know him? SURE you do. You just know him as Jay Silverheels, and, at the same time he was playing hard-edged bad boy Geronimo for 20th Century Fox, he was off
also playing good guy Tonto with Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger for George Trendle.

All these elements combine here to make for a wonderful movie, western or otherwise.

It would also be interesting to note that this film has an affiliation with John Ford's "Fort Apache" in that, in "FA", Henry Fonda's unscrupulous "Col.Thursday" uses John Wayne's "Capt. York" character to deceive Cochise into a parley where he insults him (to Wayne's horror and disgust) and tries to capture his band. Fonda "gets his" because of this, deservedly so. One could almost watch "Fort Apache" and then "Broken Arrow" one right after the other and get a sense of this chief and his people...and understand that, in order to have any common ground with him, you did not try to trick him, con him, or lie to him. You did so at your peril.

One might also note that the popularity of this film carried over into a t.v. show in the fifties. The t.v. "Broken Arrow" starred John Lupton as Jeffords and Michael Ansara as Cochise. It featured mainly "keeping the peace" and "countering Geronimo" type stories.

Again, this one is real keeper. Rent it, buy it, watch it. You won't be sorry in the least. I am very glad its available again.

Average customer rating:

Featherweight Western
White Feather
Cinemascope masterpiece
Great Western

White Feather
Starring: Robert Wagner , John Lund , Debra Paget , Jeffrey Hunter , and Eduard Franz
Director: Robert D. Webb
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NO1XMC
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

The title refers to the symbol used by Indians to signal their intention to wage war, but White Feather is actually more about peace. Set in the late 1870s, director Robert Webb's film centers on efforts by the U.S. Cavalry, led by Col. Lindsay (John Lund), to negotiate a treaty with various tribes wherein the Indians will relocate and leave their Wyoming territory so white settlers can prospect for gold. The Blackfeet, Crow, Sioux, and Arapaho all seem willing; only the Cheyenne, led by pragmatic Chief Broken Hand (an affecting Eduard Franz) and his fiery son Little Dog (Jeffrey Hunter), are holding out. Enter Josh Tanner (Robert Wagner), a surveyor who's there to map out the town that will spring up once the gold is mined. Tanner makes friends with Little Dog and his sidekick, American Horse (Hugh O'Brian, who was about to assume the role of Wyatt Earp in the TV series about that legendary marshal), and falls in love with Little Dog's sister, Appearing Day (Debra Paget). Complications ensue, as this Western Side Story romance threatens to derail the impending treaty, leading to a final confrontation brought on by the delivery of the white feather. Notwithstanding the inherent absurdity of the treaty (as in most such agreements, the Indians were screwed), the filmmakers handle the issues even-handedly, taking a peaceful point of view that shows considerable sympathy toward the Cheyenne and allows both sides to proceed with dignity and honor. There are plenty of flaws: Wagner, just 25 at the time of this 1955 film, is handsome but bland in the lead role; the romance is handled rather clumsily (after their first kiss, Appearing Day tells Tanner, "I would like it again, please... but longer?"); and even though the Indians are depicted respectfully (of course, they didn't go so far as to cast actual Native American actors), the stereotype of the proud, noble savage so primitive that he can be entranced by a pocket comb persists. Still, White Feather looks good (it was filmed in Technicolor and CinemaScope) and more than holds one's attention throughout its 102-minute running time. Extras include an "interactive pressbook gallery," various still photos, and more. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Featherweight Western.......2007-06-05

Fox's "White Feather" (1955) is a pallid reworking of their seminal 1950 James Stewart western "Broken Arrow". Pallid indeed, thanks in no small measure to the leaden performance of Robert Wagner in the starring role and the wearisome screenplay by the ubiquitous and usually more astute Delmar Daves, who by the way, also directed "Broken Arrow".

"Broken Arrow" expertly dealt with the plight of the Apache Indian and one white man's efforts to make peace with them. The difference with "White Feather" is instead of it being the Apache it is the Cheyenne. Even Wagner's narration at the picture's opening informs us, just like Jimmy Stewart did in the earlier film, that 'this is a true story and when the Indian speaks he will speak in our language etc. etc.'
Also Fox starlet Debra Paget who played an Apache Squaw in "Broken Arrow" turns up here as a Cheyenne Squaw. She virtually plays the same part and, would you believe, is dressed in the same outfit. She must have had a vision of a future studio call sheet were she learned she was going to be a Cheyenne Squaw, so she saved the costume. Huh! The only difference in her role here is her name is not Sonseerahray and she doesn't die at the end. Thank heaven for that!

Limply directed by Robert Webb there is not one actor in this sorry affair capable of lifting it up above the banality bar. Webb has no idea of pacing or direction and not once is the movie intruded upon with anything that resembles style. The Fox bland brigade - Robert Wagner, Jeffery Hunter, Debra Paget, Virginia Leigh et al parade through this trite vehicle bemused and with a look of wonderment on their faces. Probably wondering when the day's shoot will finish so they can go home. We, on the other hand, are home and also have a look of wonderment on our faces as we wonder what the hell we're doing watching this rubbish?

However, after all that I'll have to give this vacuous effort a one star rating for the beautiful Cinemascope / Colour Cinematography by Lucian Ballard and the excellent score by the great Hugo Friedhofer who incidentlly also composed the music for "Broken Arrow" and here makes exceptional use of his love theme from the previous picture as his main theme. But ultimately, I'm afraid, "White Feather" is bottom drawer material that never hits the mark and gets my vote as one of the most pedestrain western ever made.

I really don't understand Fox Home Entertainment putting out poor movies like "White Feather", "True Story Of Jesse James" "The Proud Ones","Fort Courageous" etc. while left languishing in their vault are fine westerns like "Rio Conchos", "Rawhide" and "Two Flags West".
Go figure!!

White Feather.......2007-06-03

I saw this movie three times when it was first released and again about four years after at a tiny movie house reserved for 'quality' films. At long last, it is now available on DVD. Congratulations to the 'powers-that-be' for bringing it to the public at long last! I have had a taped copy of the movie for sometime, which I watched periodically. I am glad to own now it on DVD. Great to see it again in widescreen format. I find the storyline compelling and also find that the actors play their roles with conviction. I especially enjoy Eduard Franz at the Chief. He expresses his pain remarkably well on his face. John Lund is suitably sympathetic as the army officer. The main roles are played well by a cast at the start of their careers. Jeffery Hunter is especially noteworthy as Little Dog. I recommend this movie to everyone - and even to those who do not enjoy westerns. This is not a movie to be dismissed and, again, although it has been a 'long time coming', the wait has been worthwhile. Now, all I need is for 20th Century Fox to make available the DVD of 'The Egyptian' and 'That Lady' and my collection will be complete.

Cinemascope masterpiece.......2007-05-31

I got White Feather last Thursday and I've been watching it once, even twice a day since. I saw this movie on television in 1977 and never thought I'd ever seen it again. Thirty years later, it's still very powerful. I must admit that the very beginning where Little Dog(Jeffrey Hunter)and his party are watching surveyor Josh Tanner(Robert Wagner) taking care of the killed miner I couldn't help but grin at Jeffrey Hunter's delivery of his lines. But then remembering he had broadcasting training he had to project his voice a little bit more dramatically. My favorite scenes I like to watch over and over is the scene where Little Dog and his party intercept Josh Tanner and Anne with Tanner being so bold as to pluck a feather out of the testy Little Dog's hair and awarding Little Dog a fold out comb. I was just as fascinated with it as Little Dog because I, too, have never seen such a comb, and of course the dramatic death scene at the end. Gradually did Josh Tanner grow to love Appearing Day(Debra Paget)Little Dog's sister. Paget by the way played an Apache maiden courted by Jimmy Stewart in "Broken Arrow", whose music appears in a few scenes of White Feather which I wasn't too thrilled with. Little Dog's build up to his dramatic end gives me goose pimples no matter how often I play it back, especially with his shrill war cries that make my spine tingle.I enjoyed Little Dog's humor about the stolen Crow horse and why Tanner shouldn't ride alone busting the myth that Indians have no humor.I'm still touched no matter how many times I play Little Dog addressing his friend, Josh Tanner, before the soldiers by saying amongst other things:"I will not go with the soldiers. I will die here..." busting the myth that every Indian went quietly, bending mindlessly to the will of the white man. What I found annoying with the movie are blatantly bad stunt double work such as the scene where Crow are chasing after the Cheyenne, Jeff Hunter falls off riding backwards and we hear him war cry for help, we see him staring at a Crow going after him, then we plainly see another man pull the Crow off his horse by yanking his lance, then we see Jeff again popping on the horse. Did the studio think the audience too daft to notice a different man? Did they think a sharp-eyed watcher wouldn't notice during the fort rescue scene where Little Dog must rescue American Horse another man is plainly shown jumping down to the fort ground after scaling the wall, hide behind a tree, only to see Jeff Hunter pop out? It's insulting that studios then and now think audiences too stupid to notice when an actor is being replaced by a stunt 'double' who doesn't even barely look like the actor he's replacing. Some people actually *do* notice for those few seconds because they're actually paying attention not mindlessly watching. I thought movies are supposed to have people in charge of continuity. White Feather's continuity problems were sloppily obvious.Little Dog's sister,Appearing Day, would be wearing one color of braid ties and then a second later in the same scene they'd be a different color. After Little Dog's first confrontation with Josh Tanner and Anne, and Tanner leaves, American Horse shifts his horse and a second later he's shown not moving from his spot as if the two scenes were hastily spliced together, and near the end when Little Dog and American Horse get ready to confront the soldiers and they were putting on their ornaments, both forgot their lances leaning against a rock and Little Dog left his war chief feathered bonnet on its rock.What's the point of bringing all that extra gear when all you're going to really use is your carbine? Did the studio think no one would notice? Then there's Josh Tanner first being seen riding a buckskin, then another colored fort horse as he's crossing the river after his Cheyenne dinner date. Why on earth was he given another horse when his buckskin was good enough? Then he rides the Crow horse the rest of the movie. He changed horses more often than Appearing Day changed her braid ties. Since we're informed that the characters actually existed, one would think the real American Horse and Little Dog wouldn't have been caught dead wearing body paint that made them look like they were scribbled on by a studio hired kindergartner.I'm appalled by the DVD's back jacket synopsis:"In an effort to peacefully coexist with white settlers the Cheyenne tribe agrees to resettle, sacrificing valued Wyoming hunting grounds to make way for gold prospecting. Led by Colonel Lindsey, the tribe's resettlement journey is also guided by a rugged land surveyor Josh Tanner and his Cheyenne tribesman friends-Little Dog and American Horse. But an attraction between Little Dog's fiancee(Debra Paget) and Tanner threatens to ruin the resettlement plans and the tribe sends an arrow with a white feather-a symbol of their intention to wage war!" Obviously whomever wrote that didn't bother to watch the movie at all and should be spanked for making things up! The Cheyenne didn't give up their hunting grounds, they gave up *all* of their land because their neighbors the Sioux, Arapaho and Blackfeet agreed to leave. Cheyenne would be alone to fight the whites and as Chief Broken Hand said, their food supply in the buffalo herds had been drastically cut again and without food to sustain them, without their tribal allies helping them fight, the Cheyenne would have too many more young men die. The move was reluctant. Had he been young, Chief Broken Hand said he would've stayed to fight. The settlement journey wasn't guided by Tanner, Little Dog and American Horse. Tanner originally came to help build a town eventually and the fort was his stop over. He just got caught up in the mix, became friends with Little Dog and American Horse who admired his courage, and he fell in love with Chief Broken Hand's daughter, Appearing Day, which ticked American Horse off because she was his reluctant fiancee, not Little Dog's. Appearing Day was Little Dog's sister. Tanner's attraction to Appearing Day didn't threaten to ruin anything! The only thing that threatened to ruin the resettlement was Little Dog and American Horse who rightfully refused to be relocated. Lastly, the white feather wasn't attached to any arrow, but to one of the Bowie knives Josh Tanner gave to Little Dog and American Horse.The white feather wasn't a symbol from the Cheyenne as a whole to wage war. It was a challenge from Little Dog and American Horse who prefered to fight the army single handedly. They weren't bound by the treaty giving up their land because they weren't in camp when it was signed. One who has never seen White Feather and read the innacurate DVD's synopsis wouldn't know the difference. Afterwards however, I have a feeling they'd be miffed at the blatant innacuracies because I assume they care. The DVD has some special features. You can select any scene and go on from there. You can select your languages from English, French or Spanish, or you can watch the entire movie in French and use the subtitles you need. The dubbing into French doesn't work well if you're a decent close up lip reader. There's an Interactive Pressbook gallery where, even though there are many articles, only some you can highlight and actually read. There are pictures and posters and an original theatrical trailer. One side you can see the original version of the movie which is letter box. At first I found it distracting until I watched the other side where you get a full screen version but characters have a tendency to be cut out of the picture. One has a tough decision to make. Watch the letter box version where characters look smaller on your monitor but you get everyone in, or put it on full screen and see everything bigger but have people reduced to disembodied voices. On both versions however it starts off in letterbox then changes. If you want to see a decent Western with strong characterizations, Durango Mexico that looks convincingly like Wyoming, White Feather is a Cinemascope masterpiece without having to have John Wayne swaggering and blustering nearby to be watchable. This isn't a movie for fans of the late Jeffrey Hunter to overlook.

Great Western.......2007-05-29

This is great movie and a must have for anyone who loves the classic Western. Robert Wagner plays the leading role as surveyer Josh Tanner. Tanner befriends the young chief Little Dog of the Cheyenne (Jeffrey Hunter) and falls in love with the young chiefs sister played by Debra Paget. The Cheyenne and other tribes are to be moved from their Wyoming hunting grounds and John Lund as Colonel Lindsey leads U.S. army's push to resettle the indians. Tanner's attraction to the chiefs sister threatens to endanger a peaceful settlement. The highpoint of the tension between army and Cheyenne arrives when Little Dog and his friend American Horse send an arrow with a white feather their symbol to wager war.

Average customer rating:

Maureen O'Hara movies
All right! But not very imaginative...
Entertaining Chandler/O'Hara Western
Entertaining little oater....
Here Come the Cavalry !

War Arrow
Starring: Maureen O'Hara , Jeff Chandler , John McIntire , Suzan Ball , and Noah Beery Jr.
Director: George Sherman
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

Maureen O'Hara movies.......2007-03-20

This is a good movie for those out there putting a Maureen O'Hara movie collection together. The story moves along well and you might even recognize some other upcoming stars in supporting actor roles. The bottom line ? Maureen O'Hara looks great and has that "spark" that set her well ahead of the pack.

All right! But not very imaginative..........2006-11-09

"War Arrow" opens with major Jeff Chandler arriving at Fort Clark, Texas, and discovering that Colonel John McIntire openly opposes the government endorsed plan to make use of displaced Seminole Indians to stop the bloody Kiowa uprising on soldiers and settlers...

In fact, the only person at the fort who is friendly to Chandler is Maureen O'Hara, the attractive widow of Captain James Bannon...

All the action leads to a tidy end: Chandler discovers Bannon is very much alive (at least at the climax of the movie) and is really the renegade white chief of the Kiowas...

In the small assigned action-packed moments in this slight entrance, the pillaging Kiowas are totally controlled... For a rare change Maureen had some harsh competition in the fascinating department, which was supplied by Suzan Ball as the passionately sensual daughter of the Seminole chief...

The film is more of an excuse to show that excellent guys, always end up with excellent girls--even when the best guy resists authority and tries to match one tribe of Indians against another... All right! But not very imaginative... don't you think?

Entertaining Chandler/O'Hara Western.......2006-03-02

War Arrow is one of those Westerns that has fallen through the cracks over time. One reason is that there were so many of them. Another reason is that its male star, Jeff Chandler, was still in the early stages of superstardom before his untimely death in 1962. Another reason may be that War Arrow would never be considered one of the all-time great Westerns.

But War Arrow is also a very fun, entertaining Western with a great cast and top-notch execution. Chandler plays a cavalry officer sent to an outpost surrounded by besieging Kiowa Indians. Joined by fellow soldiers Charles Drake and Noah Beery, Chandler immediately annoys the fort's superior officer (played by John McIntire with his usual solid but natural acting style). Chandler accomplishes this by suggested that neighboring Seminole Indians would make a perfect weapon against the warring Kiowas.

Chandler also immediately becomes smitten with O'Hara, a widow of a recently killed cavalry soldier. O'Hara veers wildly from being madly in love with Chandler to being confused about being a widow in love so soon after her husband's death.

Chandler begins to train the Seminoles to fight, all the while realizing that McIntire is a rival for O'Hara's affections. Meanwhile, the Kiowas are working toward an attack on the fort.

The plot moves along crisply, with a number of nicely staged action pieces. Everyone does their job well and War Arrow is more than worth a Western-lover's time.

Entertaining little oater...........2004-06-08

Okay, this vehicle for Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler isn't top drawer; still, it's nicely entertaining and filled with rip-snorting action. Universal-International put a lot of good production values into their '50s Westerns, and their output with Jimmy Stewart, Audie Murphy, Rock Hudson, and even Rory Calhoun, is admirable. War Arrow has those good values, and some decent acting, as well. Not maybe in the league with NO NAME ON THE BULLET or CANYON PASSAGE or some of the other Universals of the period, but still worth the relatively inexpensive price charged.

Here Come the Cavalry !.......2004-06-08

While "B" westerns died out in the early 50s, with the rising popularity of television, Hollywood continued to make dozens of "A" westerns with name stars and more adult situations. Some were true classics like "Shane" and "The Searchers"--some were just "product"--something to fill half of a double bill. "War Arrow" falls into the latter category.

Jeff Chandler stars as a US cavalry officer who tries to use a "good" Indian tribe--the Seminoles--against a "bad" tribe of marauding Kiowas. Let's not get into "political correctness"--the film is over 50 years old. Not only does he have his hands full with these Native Americans, the commanding officer of the local fort, played by a gruff John McIntyre, resents his presence and "progressive" ideas. A beautiful "widow"--Maureen O'Hara--is trapped at the fort, and she soon has Jeff practically drooling over her. Since John wants her too, the "rapport" between the two men plunges further downhill. The movie toddles along for about an hour, before a climactic attack on the fort by those nasty Kiowas--led by Jay Silverheels, taking a break from his "good guy" Tonto image !

Jeff Chandler, with his piercing eyes and prematurely grey hair, gives the film more dignity than it deserves. He was a good actor, and his early death deprived the movies of a fine leading man. Maureen O'Hara has always been a stunning woman--that red hair, those flashing eyes, the fiery "Irish colleen" personality--yet, in this film, she seems to be going through the motions. Perhaps after "The Quiet Man", movies like this were not exactly inspiring for her. Comic relief is provided by Noah Beery as one of Mr. Chandler's sidekicks--Charles Drake is the other. Suzan Ball sizzles as an "Indian maid", while Henry Brandon is solid as her father, the Seminole chief--not the first or last time that Mr. Brandon would play a Native American. Another member of the tribe, with totally understandable "hots" for Ms. Ball, is played by Dennis Weaver--not too well--a good thing that "Gunsmoke" was just around the corner ! "B" western actor, Jim Bannon, is also featured--he may bill himself as "James" here, but his acting is as wooden and one-dimensional as ever.

The DVD exhibits a colourful, if slightly hazy, full-screen picture, and mono sound.

Description

"AS HEROIC AND MOVING AS ANYTHING IN SAVING PRIVATE RYAN" -Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times

On Common Ground is the true story of a reunion of American and German soldiers nearly 55 years after they fought in the Huetgen Forest Battle, one of the bloodiest campaigns of WWII. This time they meet in reconciliation, but vivid memories from the war and unanswered questions are never far beneath the surface. Includes commentary by Tom Brokaw, Walter Cronkite, John Kenneth Galbraith, and never before seen historical footage from American Combat Cameramen.

Customer Reviews:

A Heart-warming Pilgrimage of Reconciliation.......2004-09-11

"On Common Ground" encapsulates the the journey of reconciliation embarked upon by veterans of the 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division during their visit to Europe in 1999. The film culminates in a meeting of American and German veterans who opposed one another in the deadly Huertgen Forest Campaign during the fall of 1944. "On Common Ground" lends a real-life look at the best of "Saving Private Ryan," and "Band of Brothers" combined. The emotions expressed by the American and German veterans, and the memories they share about their war time experiences are priceless. The film combines veteran interviews with historical themes throughout. The instrumental character is Michael Eliasof, president of the 28th Regiment Association, and a gifted story-teller. Of the thirty-man platoon who landed with Eliasof at Utah Beach on July 4, 1944, only six survived the war. The producers chose to focus on the veterans and allow them to tell their own stories. We see a true to life heart retching experience, reminiscent of "Saving Private Ryan" in an American military cemetery. Here, Stephen J. Butko of Pittsburgh, Pa. visits the grave of a fallen comrade. In 1944, Butko was offered a promotion from private to sergeant. He refused, but recommended his friend Elmer M. Miller get the job instead. Miller was killed two days later, and Butko has blamed himself ever since. Butko was eventually evacuated with combat exhaustion, and his segments are some of the most honest and moving in the film. Allowing the veterans to tell the whole story, presents problems, however. A more careful campaign structure on the 8th Division, would have provided a more solid framework from which to support the veteran's perspective. There was a military historian, Steve Bowman with the group, but apparently, most of his comments wound up on the editing room floor. The vets mention the various campaigns - Normandy, Brittany, Huertgen Forest, the German cities of Duren and Cologne, the Ruhr Pocket, liberating the concentration camp at Wobbelin, and eventual link-up with the Russians - but, only briefly. Anyone not familiar with the 8th Division, an outfit that sustained a 140% casualty rate, will not be any more informed from this documentary. A more careful telling of the campaigns would have underscored the ordeal these brave vets endured. The view from the foxhole was a narrow one. Grand strategy did not trickle down to the M-1 toting grunt. For instance, Eliasof contends that the Americans could have "advanced through the valley near Aachen, and been to the Rhine River in days" instead of fighting for months in the Huertgen Forest (He is referring here to the "Aachen Gap"). Likewise, a German veteran reinforces this claim by stating he is amazed that the Americans entered the Huertgen Forest in the first place. The film leaves it at that. The American strategy, of course was not that simple. But this is the crucks of the controversy that has vailed the Huertgen Forest Campaign ever since. The producers tightly kept the lid on a perpetual can of worms. To lend "professionalism," the producers injected brief comments by Tom Brokaw and Walter Cronkite. Cronkite was a war correspondent who accompanied combat units in Europe, and a much loved grandfather figure. Brokaw, getting more mileage out of the success of his "Greatest Generation" book, is a suave talking head. He is a top-notch professional journalist, not an historian, and by no means an expert on the history of WWII. Lastly, the producers chose to add a bitter controversy about German concentration camps and whether or not "ordinary Germans" were aware of their existence at the time. Eliasof wisely concludes that the German infantrymen opposing him apparently did not know of the true nature of the camps. The German infantryman, argues Eliasof, like his American counterpart, was merely trying to survive the riggers of combat, and was most likely not any better informed about the camps existence than Eliasof and his buddies were. One German admitted he had some knowledge of them, but assumed they were forced labor camps, and that the prisoners were fed and treated reasonably well. Others, claim they were totally unaware of their existence until after the war. Interestingly, two of the German veterans reveal that today, they are looked down upon by the younger generation of Germans (including members of their own families) as "murderers" for having been in the German military, and not opposing Hitler. As a spokesman of his own generation, he pleads with the viewers to reconsider this sentiment. The producers add a rebuttal (special feature) by Daniel Goldhagen, author of the book _Hitler's Willing Executioners_. Goldhagen's book is required reading in colleges. He argues that all Germans, at every level of society knew about the existence of the camps, and because of that knowledge, are deemed "perpetrators" in the Holocaust. On the one hand, this topic certainly cannot be ignored. The Holocaust was horrible beyond description. Since the 8th Division did take part in the liberation of the Wobbelin concentration camp, these vets saw the ghastly results with their own eyes. On the other hand, one gets the feeling that the German veterans who agreed to meet with the Americans in the Huertgen in 1999, were set-up and pummelled by the producers with the added weight of Goldhagen. But unfortunately, living with this dark chapter in German history is a fact of life for all Germans. If anything, the film brought that out. With American and German World War II veterans dying at an alarming rate, this film is indispensable for its historic value. I hope it finds it way to PBS, or other educational cable channels, so a wider range of viewers will benefit from its content. Despite this mild critique, this documentary comes highly recommended. Gregory Canellis son of Sgt. Nicholas Canellis, 13th Infantry, 8th Division 1941-1945 (deceased 1962).

Incredible.......2004-06-06

It's an excellent film. I never truly felt like I understood the sacrifices and trials that our soldiers went through in World War II. The reunion between the American soldiers and the German soldiers makes you think.

Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Great Britain ]

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Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Ian Sharp
Manufacturer: Arrow Films
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ASIN: B000ER175G

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Great Britain released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: Not so aged widow Thelma Caldicot is coerced into a resthome by her manipulative son and daughter-in-law after the death of her bullying husband. Apathy turns to anger and then action as the medication is discarded and Thelma discovers her mettle. She and her aged cohorts stage a rebellion but the result is something nobody envisaged. SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu,

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WWII: Strategies

Manufacturer: Arrow Entertainment
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3 film DVD Set includes 2 Academy Award Winning Documentaries:

-True Glory is an Academy Award winning documentary, introduced by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Produced in 1945 as an official war department film, this vivid story contains outstanding combat footage.

-The Big Picture is a 1960 US Army War Documentary that follows the campaigns in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to Bataan, Corregidor, Coral Sea, Guadal Canal, Leyte Gulf and the bombing of Hiroshima.

-Target for Tonight is a 1941 Academy Award Winner that tells the story of an actual bombing raid on Germany from the the planning stages through the actual execution.

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