APACHE [1954] | Horror Cult Movies

Apache (1954)
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
Written by: James R. Webb, Paul Wellman
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Charles Bronson, Jean Peters, John McIntire

USA

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY: eighth December, from EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT

RUNNING TIME: 91 minutes

REVIEWED BY: Dr Lenera

It’s 1886, and defeated Apache chief Geronimo surrenders to the US Cavalry for the final time, alongside together with his males – nicely, not all of them. Massie refuses to submit. After a gun battle, he’s captured and placed on a practice together with the others, certain for the jail in Fort Marion, Florida, however escapes. Baffled by the unusual world of the white man, embarrassed by the docile nature of his tribespeople then betrayed by his girlfriend Nalinle and her father, he begins a one-man struggle in opposition to the palefaces and plans to kidnaps Nalinle then kill her out within the desert…

I’m sufficiently old to recollect the times when Westerns used to often be proven on TV, and I’d often watch them. John Wayne was truly my favorite actor for some time. Nonetheless, after some time I started to observe them another way. When the US Cavalry was combating the Indians [the term “Native American” wouldn’t be adopted until some time later], I’d be on the facet of the Indians, who often misplaced however by no means thoughts. This was as a result of my grandparents has a e book known as “Bury My Coronary heart At Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown, which detailed the “profitable” of the West from the facet of the individuals who had been initially residing there. Subsequently, when Apache got here on TV a number of occasions I completely liked it. I wasn’t bothered about Massie not trying very like an Apache; this was again within the ’70s when folks typically didn’t care if white folks performed non-white ones. This movie, about this Indian who simply wouldn’t give up, was simply so cool. I cheered him on when he was attacking whites, ignoring that the story is actually about accepting defeat, although even then the completely satisfied ending didn’t appear proper. Clearly when revisited a while later a lot of its lustre had gone, however it’s nonetheless a floor breaking effort, there having been pro-Native American movies earlier than, certainly two notable latest ones, however ones that also foregrounded white characters moderately than purple ones. It does typically undertake an clever, even balanced perspective to lots of the points it raises, whereas nonetheless sticking up for the Native American in a approach no movie had carried out earlier than. Probably the most dated side for some new viewers will not be “purple face” however Massie’s poor remedy of his beloved, however, contemplating the true occasions that impressed this movie, it’s truly each lifelike and possibly not grim sufficient, the movie going so far as it felt in a position to do in 1954 in displaying the darkish facet of its hero.

Sure – Massai was truly an actual particular person. A Chiricahuas Apache, he did certainly battle for Geronimo and escape a jail practice and go on the run to Mexico, however he was a bloodthirsty kind who robbed, raped and killed. He kidnapped the lady he married, a Mescalero Apache named Zanagoliche, and had  six children along with her. For a few years it was believed that he lived the remainder of his life in security within the Sierra Madre mountains in Sonora Mexico with a bunch of rebellious Chiricahuas who had refused to give up with Geronimo. Nonetheless, in 1959, historian Eve Ball interviewed Alberta Begay, Massai’s final surviving little one, and discovered that Massai was ambushed and shot lifeless whereas unarmed by a posse set as much as discover a group of horse thieves, proper in entrance of Alberta, which clearly contradicted some issues within the novel “Broncho Apache” by  Paul Wellman, which impressed this movie. Star Burt Lancaster introduced the challenge in April 1952, to be produced by himself and Harold Hecht. It was initially budgeted at $742,000. It was Robert Aldrich’s third movie. He’d beforehand labored for Hecht-Lancaster on different films as an assistant and had even tried to purchase the rights to the novel himself. Location filming occurred in Sonora, Mexico. plus Sedona, Arizona with some mountain views taken within the Excessive Sierras, California. Lancaster tore a ligament whereas falling off a horse, however quickly returned to filming and nonetheless did most of his personal stunts. The unique ending was a downbeat one, and United Artists pressured Aldrich into taking pictures a happier finale. Aldrich was dismayed when the movie was launched with this alternate ending, later concluding that “in case you shoot two endings, they’ll all the time use the opposite one, by no means yours”. Apache was a giant hit.

The titles happen over a mountain, then we see Geronimo, within the aftermath of a battle, strolling in direction of rows of troopers with a number of others in give up mode. “Do you suppose he means it this time”? “We’ll see”. Geronimo did certainly give up then escape and battle once more a number of occasions. Then abruptly a man rides in and shoots lifeless one among Geronimo’s companions earlier than he’s shot off his horse. That is, in fact, Massie, and what an introduction he has! As he exchanges gunfire with a number of others, his woman Nalinle needs to stay with him however he needs her to go. “No less than you’ll be alive, now get again the place you belong”! he orders, not even thanking her for giving him a belt with masses extra bullets. He’s then overpowered. “You need us to kill you don’t you Massie?….to allow them to begin one other struggle in your honour”. Nalinle tries to sneak him a knife however is seen, then we get a second that may’t assist however appear foolish at the moment, somebody saying “there’s one of many similar breed, an actual Bronco Apache” and Lancaster turns spherical to the digicam in closeup, trying no extra Apache than I do. By no means thoughts – that is atoned for by the touching sight of the Apache girls and youngsters left behind by the practice carrying the boys to jail. Massie escapes whereas all consideration is on Geronimo who has to undergo the indignantly of being photographed [“cover up the irons or we’ll have a bunch of old ladies screaming”] by Mr. Weedle, the person who’s taken credit score for capturing him [and he was indeed there earlier but probably did little]. We don’t even see him get to the door and get off – in a pleasant contact we rejoin him having already jumped off, Massie then severing the chain binding his fingers with a shifting wheel. He’s free – nicely, kind of.

We now get maybe the movie’s most fascinating part, one which we want was longer despite the fact that that will have slowed the tempo down. Massie passes a scarecrow with some puzzlement, takes its hat, then walks down one other practice observe and hops on one other practice to a city the place he wonders round St Louis in some confusion at what he sees, taking cash from a beggar and questioning at Chinese language people in a laundrette, girls’s clothes and a piano. This can be a unusual new world for Massie. He’s by no means even seen a canine earlier than, so is understandably uneasy when solely a small one targets one among his legs; sadly this attracts unwelcome consideration and Massie has to flee by means of again alleys, over roofs and thru rooms. After weeks and weeks of strolling, although the montage doesn’t appear completed, he encounters a Cherokee who lives like a white man as a result of it’s higher than continuously waging struggle and getting defeated. Massie is initially puzzled by this curious perspective and approach of doing issues, although appears to be most perturbed on the man carrying a water jug as an alternative of his spouse, which truly properly units up that, rightly or wrongly, Massie is from a male-dominant tradition. The person offers him some seeds to plant and develop so he may reside in peace with the whites, and after Massie has carried out one other big trek, he suggests this to others of his tribe of their reservation as a result of, as he says, “I’m a warrior, what I do can by no means be girl’s work”.  However Nalinle is now being romanced by Native American scout Hondo who’s understandably disrespected by the opposite Apaches there, and troopers abruptly seize him whereas he’s speaking to her father, who’s maybe the saddest character within the movie, hooked on liquor by the white man, which actually was one other approach by which the Native People had been subjected. Massie escapes once more to trigger havoc to the whites and kidnap Nalinle, wrongly considering that she betrayed him, whereas Hondo and one other man Al Sieber are on his path.

Lancaster does persuade us that he’s this robust warrior, and he’s in a position to present his athleticism: what number of occasions can we see him leaping 15 ft off big rocks? He kills many, together with one man who he lets stroll again to the fort earlier than then taking pictures him lifeless in stated fort proper in entrance of his males. One other, considerably amusing scene has him soar on a cart containing 4 troopers, after which we lower to him driving into the foreground with a pair of rifles whereas we are able to nearly glimpse the wrecked carriage. Even at the moment, the depiction of his struggle on the whites, from a destroyed bridge to a horse stampede, might need some children cheering. Massie has sufficient integrity to inform some escaped criminals that he doesn’t need them to hitch him in his battle, although now we have to ask ourselves if he’s significantly better. Because the story turns into extra about Massie and Nalinle, issues do decelerate considerably, although we do get a climax the place Lancaster will get a very cool bit the place he dodges the bullets of the troopers firing at him and golf equipment them together with his personal rifle. Will we hate Massie when he ties Nalinle up and leaves her proper in entrance of a river which she will be able to’t fairly get to [so basically torture then], then to cease her following him clunks her on the pinnacle and takes her footwear? And do we discover her continuous love for him unbelievable? If seen by means of a contemporary prism there are issues to object to, even traces like, “I’m solely a lady, made for bearing kids, cooking, stitching, If I misplaced you I’d be nothing”,  however, as can be doubtless if the movie was remade at the moment, if Nalinle was an impartial woman who takes no crap, that will be anachronistic and never true to the time and the characters. I’ll counsel that Nalinle’s determined mountainous crawl after Massie, her fingers and ft bleeding, is a robust and touching portrayal of unconditional love. And that Massie’s eventual respect and adoration of her is moderately stunning and completely acted by Lancaster.

As issues progress, Nalinle is proven to be a robust and constructive factor in Massie’s life, particularly the lowering of his need to battle everybody and all the pieces. If solely the couple might be left alone. It’s fairly touching, the movie virtually feeling like a product of the late ’60s / early ’70s in its outlook, its craving for an protected, idyllic existence in nature alongside however not likely a part of mainstream society which is out to cease them. Though Jean Peters is even much less convincing a Native American than Lancaster, the 2 do share chemistry – after which there’s additionally one of many extra distinguished of Charles Bronson’s pre-stardom roles as Hondo. Aldrich, in all probability greatest identified for No matter Occurred To Child Jane? and The Soiled Dozen, went on to make Ulzana’s Raid in 1972 which handled comparable subject material to this. In that, Lancaster performs a scout known as John McIntire, the identify of the actor who performed the scout Sieber right here. Aldrich overdoes the closeups on this one and fails to completely make the climax, the place Massie is trapped in a corn area, work. For probably the most half, it’s very suspenseful, however each on occasion we get a excessive angle that reveals the corn area to be too small and skinny for somebody to cover in for various seconds. The elimination of these pictures would assist. I initially used to noticeably dislike the completely satisfied ending, however I’ve grown to just accept and even [shock horror] prefer it. In spite of everything – it doesn’t appear that completely satisfied. Realizing what we all know concerning the West, does any viewer suppose that their idyllic existence will final? I prefer to suppose that Aldrich made peace with it and noticed it the best way I now do, becoming in with the cynical world view he so typically displayed afterward. And it’s nonetheless a fairly nifty Western anyway that tries about as arduous to be Revisionist as 1954 Hollywood would have allowed.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Restricted version O-card slipcase that includes unique poster paintings [2000 copies]

Restricted version booklet that includes new writing on Apache by Western scholar Jenny Barrett and movie author Richard Combs [2000 copies]

1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray
Apache was first launched on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in North America in 2020. Eureka have in all probability given their print a brand new encode, and appear to have improved it, some claiming the sooner launch was too darkish and moderately blotchy, despite the fact that some notable scratches has been repaired. The picture right here is pretty clear, although some pictures and sections are softer than the remainder of the footage; these are usually very quick scenes bridged by dissolves which use dupes for stated dissolves. The colors are high quality.

Uncompressed unique mono audio

Non-obligatory English subtitles (SDH)
I used to be watching this late so had the subtitles on. I seen one discrepancy which may confuse. The textual content has Massai say “why did you warn me concerning the troopers”, which doesn’t make sense, however he truly says “why Did you warn me concerning the troopers”,

The Story of Massai – new interview with Austin Fisher, creator of Radical Frontiers within the Spaghetti Western [10 mins]
Fisher offers a pleasant overview of a movie that comes between is available in between two different notable pro-Native American Westerns, all of which make use of purple face, one thing that was deemed needed “when a local character demanded complexity or emotional involvement from the viewers”. He states that Apache shouldn’t be actually radical or confrontational like some later movies had been, it supporting settling down [though I’d argue that realistically it was the better option anyway], however it was knowledgeable by the civil rights motion demanding social justice for African-People which was turning into large on the time, despite the fact that films tended to shrink back from displaying black Cavalry troopers and cowboys, despite the fact that many did exist

The Final Sundown in Vera Cruz – new interview with movie historian Sheldon Corridor on Robert Aldrich and the Western [16 mins]
Corridor tells us that Aldrich made six Westerns which kind three pairs. In fact he focuses totally on Apache and Ulzana’s Journey, although we do study a bit concerning the others. He additionally sees the ending as okay despite the fact that it’s unrealistic, and in addition sees Apache as a product of the civil rights period, whereas Ulzana’s Raid, which was criticised for its portrayal of its Apaches but has a “progressive conscience” and tells us of “the incompatibility between totally different modes of thought” in reverse to Apache, and was knowledgeable by the counter-culture motion and the Vietnam Conflict. We additionally study that Aldrich, a filmmaker arduous to pin down thematically, by no means shot in widescreen as a result of he appreciated specializing in interplay between foreground and background.

Authentic theatrical trailer [2 mins]

“Apache” is a extra vital movie than may at first appear obvious, seeing how little it appears to be talked about, and has quite a bit to advocate it regardless of a number of points that are extra due to when it was made than the rest. Eureka have given it its greatest dwelling media launch. Advisable!