ferbs54 Released in July 1967, near the tail end of Hollywood's love affair with the traditional Western film, "Chuka" is a middling representative of that great cinematic genre, rescued largely by the thesping contributions of a bunch of seasoned pros. It was a disappointing performer at the box office and is largely forgotten today, yet a recent viewing has served to demonstrate for me that the film nevertheless contains many elements that make it worthy of reevaluation and commendation. The picture was coproduced, cowritten and stars Australian actor Rod Taylor, and those viewers who have only previously encountered Mr. Taylor as the handsome and well-groomed protagonists of such classic films as "The Time Machine" (1960) and "The Birds" (1963) might be a bit taken aback by how scruffy, craggy, grizzly and bloated he appears here. Only part of this seems to be a makeup job; Rod does appear to have aged a bit and packed on some poundage in those intervening years. And playing the part of a "pistolero," a hired killer since a young age, whose habit of loitering near chuck wagons has resulted in his nickname Chuka (we never do learn his real name), would conceivably have made him even more difficult to warm up to here. Not to worry, though; Taylor's innate charm manages to seep through Chuka's gruff exterior, and his "bad man" is ultimately revealed to have a heart of mush, despite the fact that he is said to have previously killed 16 men in fair fights.When we first encounter Chuka, he is sharing some of his food with starving Arapaho Indians in what this viewer assumed was Colorado, in November 1876. The gunman soon fetches up at Ft. Clendennon, an outpost of cashiered Army losers and assorted scum, lorded over by its drunken commanding officer, Col. Valois (the great British actor John Mills), and the brutish Sgt. Hansbach (another typically wonderful performance by the late Ernest Borgnine). Fearing a mass attack from Arapaho chief Hanu and his warriors (a legitimate fear, the viewer realizes, as the film is told in flashback, its first images being some shots of the decimated Ft. Clendennon), Valois compels Chuka to do service as a scout. Meanwhile, Chuka is having some personal problems of his own, as the fort is currently serving as the temporary residence of his prior love interest, Mexican senora Veronica Kleitz (Italian actress Lucianna Paluzzi, who this viewer has had a major "thang" for ever since seeing her in "Thunderball" in 1965, and who was, truth to tell, my sole inspiration for renting out this film), who is escorting her niece Helena (Angela Dorian, later known as Victoria Vetri, who would memorably appear in a "Playboy" centerfold in September of that year and go on to appear in such films as "Rosemary's Baby," "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" and "Invasion of the Bee Girls") to her wedding in California. But can even the resourceful Chuka protect these women and himself amid the seemingly inevitable doom of Ft. Clendennon?"Chuka" the film builds slowly to that grisly showdown between the riffraff of the lonely outpost and the desperate and starving Arapahos, and its ending is a surprisingly bleak and downbeat one, with a very high body count and hardly any survivors. And no, this is NOT a spoiler; as I mentioned, the aftermath of this battle, revealing the doom of the fort and its occupants, was shown to us at the film's onset. Besides this finely done battle sequence, the film offers at least two other memorable scenes, both of which feature Ernest Borgnine (who had just appeared in "The Dirty Dozen" the month before). In the first, Hansbach and Chuka engage in a lengthy and brutal fistfight, resulting in the sergeant beginning to have a grudging admiration for the grizzled gunman who he had previously regarded as only a "saddle bum"; in the second, Hansbach tells Chuka and others of his history with Valois, and of why he is so loyal to the man, and it is a fairly shocking story, indeed. In addition to the other fine performers already listed, "Chuka" features typically fine contributions from James Whitmore, as the fort's official scout, and Louis Hayward, as Clendennon's traitorous Maj. Benson. The film gives us some nice wintry backdrops (some very fine outdoor cinematography here by DOP Harold E. Stine), costumes by the legendary Edith Head, a pleasant but forgettable theme by composer Leith Stevens, and direction that is at times surprisingly inventive, from Gordon Douglas. (Douglas' list of credits is a huge one, in a wide variety of genres and formats; some of this viewer's favorites directed by Douglas are "Them!," "Call Me Bwana" and "In Like Flint," the last of which had been released just four months prior to "Chuka.") And as for Lucianna, well, she is just as gorgeous here as any 007 fan might recall, never more so than when she lets her hair down (literally and figuratively) before a lovemaking session with the lucky Chuka, hours before the Arapaho raid. All said, "Chuka" is a satisfying film, even a grim and startling one at times; certainly not in the front rank of classic Westerns, but a worthy addition to the genre, nevertheless....

Poseidon-3 An unfortunate veneer of artificiality hangs over this otherwise rugged western, giving it a cheap feeling despite its impressive cast. Taylor plays the title character, a drifter and a gunman, who comes upon a distressed stagecoach and escorts it to a nearby fort. On the coach is a former love of his (Paluzzi) and her ward Vetri. Once inside, rather than finding the relief of security, Taylor and the others discover that the fort is actually manned by inept, almost mutinous soldiers and run by a stubborn tyrant with esteem issues. The colonel in charge (Mills) is about to incite an attack from local Indians because he reuses to aid them with food or supplies. Taylor urges him to desert the fort before everyone in it is slaughtered, as they are mightily outnumbered, but Mills is steadfast in his decision. Soon enough, Indians are attacking with rage as the fort's inhabitants options dwindle. Taylor, a reliable and appealing actor, was co-producer on this film. He clearly saw it as an opportunity to essay a serious, deep character. Unfortunately, his inherent amiability makes his tough character a harder sell than it might be for another actor. Still, he does a decent job. Oddly, his character's name comes from the fact that, as a boy, he could always be found around the "chuck wagon", hence the pronunciation "chuck-a" which looks like it would be "chew-ka" (why not just spell it "Chucka"?? Why not "Chuckie" or "Chuck-O" for that matter?) This is stupid and makes viewers glad that Taylor didn't hang out at the "sh*t hole" as a boy. Borgnine is pretty good as one of Mills devoted flunkies who clashes with Taylor in an extended fight sequence. Mills has a badly written role to play and comes very close to embarrassing himself at times. Thankfully, he had an Oscar with his name on it just around the corner for "Ryan's Daughter". Paluzzi, best known as a Bond girl from "Thunderball" is mostly made to stand around and stare, which she does attractively. Vetri barely registers. Her initial scenes are distracted by having a huge crueller stapled to her head. Later, she's basically furniture. If she'd been allowed to show any type of skin besides her face and hands, maybe she'd have been more memorable. Speaking of clothing, this must be a low point for the legendary costume designer Edith Head (if she even, in fact, had anything to do with the dull, non-evocative costumes.) A few other actors pop up in supporting roles including Whitmore as a boozy scout, Hayward as a jaded major and Cole (soon to be one of TV's "The Mod Squad") as a rebellious soldier. Noted voice-over actor Sirola appears as the stage coach driver and a pal to Taylor. Apart from Taylor and, to a lesser degree Borgnine and Mills, the only creative or arresting acting comes from the ever-reliable Whitmore. The script, derived from a novel by the novel's author, is not cohesive enough and really should have been streamlined in order to retain a particular focus. It allows too many characters and subplots to chip away, to no great effect, at the primary story. Even so, the movie is nearly undone by the horrendous lack of authenticity in the settings. A key outdoor scene features plainly artificial snow made up from chipped tissue paper. The fort is almost entirely constructed (obviously) indoors. All the distress to the set, such as char, aging, etc..., is done with all the skill of 4th grade art students. Time and again, the cheapness and confining restriction of an indoor set takes the viewer out of the moment. There is also an atrociously bad matte painting of an Indian camp. These things brand the film as being just above a TV show, if even that! Most of the action occurs at the tail end of the film and it isn't staged in any grand way. This is for die-hard Cavalry and Indian buffs or for fans of the stars only.

Richard Green Just recently I found a video store in New Haven County where fine old westerns can be had on VHS. One of the ones I had long wanted to see was "CHUKA" or Chuka: the Gunfighter, from 1967.The video transfer was high quality and so watching this movie on tape was an enjoyable experience. Luciana Paluzzi is stunningly beautiful.Indeed, Chuka is something of a Hollywood fantasy but the tone and the settings of the story are fairly well done.Both Paluzzi and her niece, played by Victoria Vetri ( as Angela Dorian ), do very well in this western oddity. Ernest Borgnine is good as ever, at being Ernest Borgnine. Rod Taylor was also very good and very believable as the cowpuncher turned hardened hired killer.The most interesting part of the story was about how Fort Clendennon became a dumping ground for misfits, rejects, and bad officers. This is a well-known but seldom portrayed part of the truth of how the U.S. Army operated in the late 1870's. It is true that in this fiction, many of the soldiers and civilians seem to be just a little too clean for that day and age, but it doesn't really detract from the rapid pace of the events in this drama.Additionally, the extreme deprivation imposed on the Arapaho tribal nation by the Army at this time is another important element. The "injuns" are rather cartoonish in their depictions but at least some aspects of their true grievances are relayed in the plot.Perhaps this Chuka -- pronounced Chuck-Uh -- is a lot more savvy than circumstances in that day and age might have permitted, but Rod Taylor does really well at being fast-as-lightning and very tough.This film gets a vote of 7 from me, which was really a six with a kicker for the beautiful Vetri and the beautiful Paluzzi.Many of the better westerns have been good about presenting the Mexican culture of that time in a favorable light, and this is one of them, and neither Vetri nor Paluzzi appear as simply being "eye candy" for a rough-and-tumble western. The dinner sequence where Colonel Valois rakes his officers over the coals and embarrasses them all is a piece-de-resistance in western drama. Other elements are not so convincing but this is fun way to see a good western drama from a by-gone era of movie making.Chuka derives its power from the high quality of the story on which it is based. I can recommend it heartily for western fans, for Victoria Vetri fans, and for Rod Taylor's excellent, dynamic performance.

dinky-4 When "Chuka" was released back in 1967, who knew it'd be one of the last of those westerns which used to come out of the studio system with annual regularity? As an example of the genre it's quite competent and it benefits from a better than average cast -- including Oscar winners John Mills and Ernest Borgnine -- but the market for this kind of movie was drying up in the late 1960s and has never really recovered. Look for a sweaty Michael Cole, (soon to achieve fame on TV's "Mod Squad), getting a flogging as the stagecoach rolls into the fort. This flogging ranks 15th in the book, "Lash! The Hundred Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies." Also look for the scene near the end when a freshly-dug grave is mentioned. Opinions may differ as to just who is occupying this grave.