alexandre michel liberman (tmwest)
As a young boy in 1952, I went to visit Acoma, a Native American village, near Albuquerque, New Mexico together with my parents and uncle. The scenery was so impressive that it remains alive in my mind , and I remember the houses where to reach the upper floor you had to go through an external ladder. So it was a deception to see this film where such a beautiful scenery is wasted. The DVD I purchased is in black and white, but I read in the IMDb it was made in Ansco Color. I wonder what happened. The story is interesting, about a truce made with the Chief Acoma, which is broken . Lew Ayres is an army captain on a mission to capture Acoma. Marylin Maxwell is Cherry, who joins them against all logic and even provides some musical numbers!!! She is not a bad actress, but here her character does not work. The script is good, but could have been brought to the screen in a much better way. Overall, frustrating, considering what it could have been.
dbborroughs
Old school western has peace with an Indian tribe collapsing after the death of President Lincoln. An evil colonel and inspector run roughshod over the native population. A captain, who was decorated by Lincoln for keeping the peace tries to keep things calm however war flares which put everyone in danger.Okay western is very much run of the mill. Its nothing you haven't seen before, especially if you're a fan of the genre. certainly its done well but at the same time the sense of having been here before makes everything seem less than it is. I liked it but at the same time I don't think I'll ever see it again, or really even remember it.
NewEnglandPat
Cavalry-Indian skirmishes highlight this film that somehow has been forgotten and seems to have passed from western movie memory. President Abraham Lincoln's death sets in motion the corrupt practices of a territory commissioner whose abusive policies destroy peace initiatives and the Indians go on the warpath. Lew Ayres, an army captain, leads a cavalry troop to track down his erstwhile friend, a chief who becomes an implacable enemy. The soldiers are plagued by thirst and dissension but find water and a large cache of rifles and ammunition. The fighting between the soldiers and the Indians is intense and quite violent for its time. The cast is good and the color captures the dry, dusty mesas and deserts of New Mexico.
mamamute
The movie centers on a strong clear plot structure strongly defined in the beginning. The story progresses to a seige, where pure character takes over the plot as the main element that defines the fine quality of this movie. For some reason I did not know at the time, I loved this movie as a child. Later in theater I learned the quality aspects that New Mexico writers and actors used. I wish it was available in DVD or VHS.
AD
