Fort Apache (1948)

I was looking forward to liking this film so it came as a disappointment that things just didn't work for me. "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is one of my favorite westerns too. Shirley Temple never really made it on screen as an adult, regardless of how many times the system tried to use her. John Agar, her husband at the time (so I've read) was also lackluster so they matched on screen as well. We are all aware - or have been made aware - of John Ford's Irishness but in this case things got wildly out of hand. The humor was broad - extremely broad - and the "jokes" wore thin from the very beginning. What irritated me most, however, was the musical score. At the start of the film, already, with the magnificent vistas of Monument Valley, the score is overly forceful, staccato and as obtrusive as it is intrusive. The music is everywhere, even when it's not needed and spills off some scenes into others where it isn't even appropriate. It is consistently loud and impairs rather than aids what's on the screen. Someone should have edited the score!

Curtis Stotlar

Fmovies: Director John Ford's first entry in his cavalry trilogy is this excellent film about life on a military outpost far from the glamorous theaters of the Indian Wars on the northern plains. The film touches on character development of the officers and enlisted men on the post, family relationships and the class distinctions among the military social order. Henry Fonda is great as a bitter, unhappy colonel who feels unappreciated by the military hierarchy and is displeased by his assignment to the isolated desert areas. John Wayne gives the film just the right balance as a captain who looks out for his men and knows Indians. Ford has his regular cast on board for the film, and John Agar and Shirley Temple handle the romantic clinches. The pace is slowed somewhat by comedy bits that add nothing to the film's substance. The black and white camera work is stunning and the music is reflective and melancholy.

This is one of my top 3-4 movies made by the Duke. It gets better each time I watch it, and I watch it nearly every time it's on. If you haven't seen a restored version, you'll be amazed at the cinematography. Absolutely gorgeous. I don't think it would have been improved in color, as one of the earlier comments said.

The final scene reminds me of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" as well. In "Valance", at the end of the movie, the newspaperman says upon learning who DID shoot Liberty Valance, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." The same thing happens in Fort Apache, when the newspaper reporters talk about a famous painting of Col. Thursday's bold charge into the face of the enemy, when it was anything but the truth.

One hell of a movie that should be viewed by anyone who likes great entertainment.

Fort Apache fmovies. I know that many consider Red River or The Searchers to be Wayne's greatest cowboy movies, but for me, you can't get better than Fort Apache. It is the first of John Ford and John Wayne's cavalry trilogy and is the best of the lot.

I think the most interesting thing about the film is its rather sympathetic view of the American Indians--they were shown as being decent and 3-dimensional and Wayne repeatedly stressed the importance of our country keeping its word of honor to them as well. In fact, it was very funny seeing Wayne portraying the voice of reason while Henry Fonda was more of a martinet and could have cared less about honor and truth.

Along the way, these two great actors are supported by old familiars like Victor McLaglen and Ward Bond, as well as Shirley Temple and her then husband, John Agar. Despite criticism leveled towards Agar by the media over the years (and to a lesser extent, to the adult Temple), I think they did just fine in their roles and made a positive contribution to the movie.

And finally, the action and cinematography is tops. It's hard to imagine a more beautiful black and white film or one where so much care and effort was given to make a great film.

First entry in trilogy cavalry including glorification of military life , familiar drama , love and sentimental nostalgia with interesting character studio of a varied assortment of individuals . This is the initial outing in John Ford's trilogy cavalry continuing ¨ She wore a yellow ribbon¨ and ¨Rio Grande ¨ based on stories by James Warner Bellah . It's a first-rate Western masterfully directed by the great John Ford . This is a great Western drama, John Ford's lusty realization and a real classic . Commandant Owen ( Henry Fonda ) is a new and rigid Colonel who arrives along with his young daughter (Shirley Temple) in a fort nearly to Mexican frontier. Owen decides to do a name for himself by beginning a war with the Apaches Chiricaguas and Mezcaleros led by Cochise , against the advice of his two experienced captains ( John Wayne , George O'Brien ). Then the commandant of the far outpost - who has a difficult relationship to his underlings - leads a dangerous campaign against the Indians .

This classic picture ranks as one of the best of John Ford's work. It contains Ford's usual themes as familiar feeling , a little bit of enjoyable humor, a community decided to build the civilization on a virgin territory , friendship and and sense of comradeship among people . Furthermore , ample shots on cloudy and nebulous skies , prairies and mountains filmed at Monument Valley and Professor Valley. Interesting screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface is written by Frank S. Nugent based on a story by James Warner Bellah , booth of whom are John Ford's habitual . Spectacular scenes when the Apaches Indian-Chiricagua and Mezcaleros-spontaneously attack the unit in its last stand .

This excellent film featuring a magnificent performance by whole casting . Awesome John Wayne in a larger-than-life character . Enticing and intimate Shirley Temple , Irene Rich , Anna Lee in sensible roles with sensational performances . Excellent co-starring cast , introducing John Agar - subsequently remembered as the lieutenant in 'she wore a yellow ribbon' , here his first main role . Good cinematography by William H. Clothier and Archie Stout reflecting splendidly marvelous outdoors from mythical Monument Valley , a place that Ford was often to revisit and he befriends Indians tribes . Emotive and vivid score by Richard Hageman based on traditional music ; it contains a wonderful song that is sung on some touching scenes among sweet glances of John Agar and Shirley Temple . In the movie appears all habitual Ford's friends as War Bond , Dick Foran ,Jack Pennick , Hank Worden , Grant Withers , Jack Pennick , Guy Keebe, Pedro Armendariz and , of course , the great Victor McLagen as grumpy sergeant in charge of training the new recruits . The movie is stunningly produced by Merian C Cooper - Argosy Pictures Production- and magnificently filmed by Ford with direction assistant by Cliff Lyons . Avoid a horrible version shown in computer-colored . Rating : Very good, better than average.

"Fort Apache" is the movie of respect. John Ford's message seems to be that everybody deserves respect. First of all, as natural in Ford's poetic ideology, the simple, low-class horse soldiers, with their sense of community, their sober courage, their stoic dedication to duty. Also the veteran officers Capt. York (John Wayne) and Capt. Collingwood (George O' Brien) share these plain but strong feelings with lower ranks, and have a deep friendship towards them. Then the Indians, here the Apaches, are represented as noble, brave, fair warriors, forced to war only by patent injustice. Important is the scene in the finale, when the winning Apaches nobly spare John Wayne and the other soldiers of the supply lines.

But Ford in not yet satisfied: even the arrogant, dumb, haughty colonel Thursday (Henry Fonda) deserves respect. His problem is that he's stupid, that's all. Actually, Thursday is a pathetic figure: he is the unique miserable character in the film, mainly because he is alone, an out-cast in the tight community of other soldiers. Moreover he is frustrated in his ambitions of career, and he is, in some sense, constantly humiliated in his pride by the veterans of Fort Apache. For instance, Thursday arrogantly wonders why the son of Sgt. O' Rourke (Ward Bond) was admitted to become an officer; but he readily realizes that the sergeant got this privilege from his outstandingly heroic actions on the battle-field, something that Thursday probably had always dreamed and never got. The priceless experience of the veteran officers is always understated by Thursday, in a somewhat childish, whimsical way. But perhaps he has a guess that he's wrong, and his reaction is to close himself into an armour of upper-class-pride, scorning the love of her daughter for the sergeant's son.

However, the movie develops through magnificent images of the Monument Valley, subtle psychological touches, sense of humor, moments of emotion, action, suspense. Then we get to a great scene that proves how cinema can be deep art. The horse soldiers are ready for the final attack; everybody is perfectly conscious that they will be slaughtered by the Apaches... everybody but the dumb colonel. They accept their fate quietly: well, their job is to face death, possibly to die in the most idiotic way, why not? This seems nonsense nowadays, but here Ford gives us a perfect representation of the spirit of the Nineteenth Century. Then, suddenly, Thursday accuses York of cowardice and commands him to the supply line, together with the reluctant Lt. O' Rourke (John Agar). Then York, in a plain way, informs Sgt. O' Rourke that his son will not participate to the suicide attack. These news immediately raise the spirits of the soldiers: not caring their own deaths, they roar an hurrah. The boy (their son) is safe, he will marry his girl, they will have children, the life will continue. Here Ford touches an extremely profound chord, something even deeper than our human souls, the core of our animal essence. Here we have the instinct of the mammal which offers itself to the predator, in order to save its puppies.

The remainder of the finale, with the ambush and the partial redemption of Thursday, is superbly filmed and crowns a timeless masterpiece of cinema: "Fort Apache".