Fort Apache (1948)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I think I had read/heard somewhere that John Ford's favourite things to capture on camera were a man riding a horse and a couple dancing to music. These two things are present in abundance in 'Fort Apache'. There is a rhythmic similarity between the dance scenes and the horse riding scenes which maybe because of Ford's use of Richard Hageman's beautiful music. The film has absolutely breathtaking visuals when it comes to the outdoor scenes. When it comes to capturing the sight of a man riding a horse in the wide expansive desert of Monument Valley, John Ford is second to none. The moving camera capturing the running horses in this film, just like the case was in 'Stagecoach' is a sight to behold. Ford makes the white American cavalry officers look tiny and minute in this wide landscape which serves a thematic purpose similar to the opening shot of Werner Herzog's 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' - it shows that these officers are completely out of their elements and somewhat insignificant in terms of having any effect in resolving the disputes against the Native Americans. When it comes to some films from this era of American cinema, especially the Westerns, I've come to realise that the viewer will have to expect some problematic racial politics. The portrayal and overt vilification of Native Americans in many of these films is tough to digest while watching them in the 21st century. But interestingly 'Fort Apache' actually is comparatively far more progressive than some of the other Westerns of this era that I have seen. I'm not saying it doesn't involve some questionable racial content, but at the same time it subverts a number of tropes and conventions. The Apaches are shown to be dangerous, but at the same time honorable people who have a code and a sense of morality. But for me the more significant surprise was the portrayal of Lt. Col. Owen Thursday played by Henry Fonda. At first it seems as if Thursday will be made to look like the honorable, hard and badass soldier. But over the course of the film, Ford, screenwriter Frank Nugent and Fonda deliberately make the Thursday more and more unlikable. He falls prey to his bloated ego, his foolish ignorance as well as a rigid and inflexible subservience to the established rules. For a film released in 1948, to show a U.S. Government officer being an absolute jerk and be far less honorable and trustworthy than the Apaches. Fonda is really good as Thursday. But I think John Wayne has to be given a mention too for giving a grounded and emotive performance as Capt. Kirby York who pretty much remains the voice of reason and empathy. I especially loved the ending to the film which(again acted brilliantly by Wayne) is rich with sarcasm. On one hand due to the upbeat music, it might lead one to think that it is supposed to be a patriotic ending honoring the army. But if Wayne's performance in the scene as well as the writing is examined closely, I think it becomes clear that the ending to the film is pro-soldiers instead of pro-army. The ending underlines how myths and legends can be perpetuated by pigments of fiction and convenient, 'necessary' lies.

John Wayne and Henry Fonda are iconic actors, and you have a tendency to know what sort of characters to expect from them. "Fort Apache" is a good movie, but what makes it really interesting to watch is that both Wayne and Fonda are cast a little bit against type in this. That's a bit jarring, and it forces you to watch, because you don't know exactly what to expect from them as the movie goes on. For a western that has surprisingly little action (the requisite "cowboys and Indians scene comes only in the last half hour) the performances from these two alone make this worth watching.Fort Apache is a lonely US army outpost in the years after the Civil War. Nothing much happens there, and it's not a particularly prestigious assignment. The officers and men are comfortable and unchallenged under the command of Wayne's Captain York. Things change when Fonda's Col. Thursday shows up to assume command. Thursday is a bitter character. He thinks he's better than Fort Apache, and he resents being assigned to the command. You get the impression that he was a well regarded Union officer in the Civil War who just got overlooked in peacetime. But he's an officer, and Fort Apache is his assignment and he's determined to make it the best outfit in the US Army. No more comfortable outpost. The men wear proper uniforms, they drill, they train. Thursday's awkward in the command. Fort Apache is a close knit post, and he just doesn't fit in. His interactions with the soldiers and other officers are stiff and formal. Wayne's relaxed York and Fonda's by the book Thursday make this an interesting character study more than a western for the most part.For all his attention to detail, though, Thursday has a basic problem: he yearns for glory, and he's not especially competent. Given the chance he orders his men to attack a group of Apaches returning from Mexico who've been promised by York that they could negotiate. But Thursday wants to beat them in battle and make his name, over York's protests. Not surprisingly, the end result is not unlike Custer's Last Stand.This is a character study, and the characters are strong. It's not only Wayne and Fonda. There are other good performances in this as well. I was quite taken with the very pretty 20 year old Shirley Temple as Thursday's daughter. Interestingly, her love interest in the movie is played by John Agar, her real life husband at the time. Ward Bond was also very good as Sgt. Maj. O' Rourke. The battle scenes are restricted to the last half hour or so, and they serve primarily to show Thursday making blunders and rejecting the advice of those who know the Apache better than he does. The last scene of the movie is the classic example of a manufactured hero. Killed by the Apache after his own incompetence doomed him, Thursday is turned into a gallant national hero. York assumes command of Fort Apache, but the portrait of Thursday hangs over him. Those we recognize as heroes aren't always the real heroes apparently.It's a well done movie. If you're expecting a traditional cowboy and Indian shoot out, you won't find it here. BUt it has a few humorous moments, and if you're looking for a solid, character driven western featuring two very good actors, Fort Apache will definitely satisfy. (7/10)

"Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday" (Henry Fonda) is a former American general who served during the Civil War and has since been demoted due to a draw-down in the military. Along with that he has just been assigned to an isolated post in the Southwest which he feels is a dead-end assignment with little chance for him to demonstrate his leadership capabilities. Traveling with him to Fort Apache is his daughter "Philadelphia Thursday" (Shirley Temple) and a young lieutenant by the name of "Michael Shannon O'Rourke" (John Agar). As the three of them arrive at Fort Apache they discover that a number of Apaches have recently left the reservation and are in the process of trying to link up with the great Apache chief "Cochise" (Miguel Inclan) who has relocated his band of warriors just south of the Rio Grande in Mexico. "Captain Kirby York" (John Wayne) wants to try to convince Cochise to return his entire tribe to the reservation. Lt. Col. Thursday also wants Cochise to cross into the United States for a different reason. Anyway, rather than detail the rest of the story and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is a classic western in every sense of the word. I especially liked the performances of Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple along with the way in which the movie depicted the drab conditions of the soldiers assigned to such an isolated outpost. Definitely above average.

Having loved the Ford/Wayne collaboration The Searchers and in general become more positive towards "classic movies" since I last saw Fort Apache, I was hoping it would have something of a renaissance now, but no, it's still pretty lame. It's not downright bad, just very…not interesting in any way. The barren Arizonan landscapes are cool when they don't look too much like a set, although the colorization I watched looked slightly cheap. Henry Fonda is pretty good as the overzealous colonel, determined to gain glory despite having been sidelined by the US army, and when his conflict with good guy John Wayne intensifies, it is elevated to a decently interesting question of honor and the rights of the Native Americans.