Seminole (1953)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Please don't spend money on this.

Fantastic!

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

One thing that can be said without fear of contradiction in this fictionalized but surprisingly balanced story of the Seminole Wars in Florida, is that Richard Carlson as the stern and punctilious Commander of Fort King has never given a more energetic performance.He's hardly recognizable as the thoughtful amateur astronomer of "It Came From Outer Space." His voice seems to have soared to a new octave. He paces back and forth, spitting out his plosives, explaining to the newly arrived Lieutenant Rock Hudson that the Seminoles, previously peaceful, refuse to be relocated to Oklahoma like any reasonable tribe. Instead they've become a "renegade band" under the leadership of Anthony Quinn as Osceola, a real historical figure.Hudson looks a little ridiculous in the Army uniform of 1835 -- that toy soldier hat, those fringe-dripping golden epaulets -- just as all the other soldiers do, just as our soldiers will look to the people of 2135. This is an early performance and it's earnest and artless.Let me anticipate a post-script. First, the Seminole weren't the original inhabitants of the Everglades. They replaced a less sophisticated society called the Calusa, now represented only by buried artifacts and momentous mounds of sea shells. Second, the Seminole are still there and still live in huts called chickees. The Seminole didn't hold with slavery and they were joined by many runaways, which didn't endear the Seminoles to their white neighbors. Now they seem to survive through tourism and by keeping out of the way. When an Eastern Airlines passenger aircraft plowed into the Everglades about 20 years ago, no Seminole showed up in the rescue party. They can hardly be blamed. The Everglades are slowly being drained to provide water for communities elsewhere. It's changing the National Park from swamp to grassland, which seems like a bad idea, but that's just my opinion.Out from behind the lectern and into the movie. It's a product of the 1950s. After a grueling three-day trudge through the swamp, the men remain closely shaved by the studio barber. A clip on the jaw suffices to render a man unconscious for as long as the script requires. The sound track employs cries of the kookaburra, an Australian kingfisher that first was used in "Tarzan and the Green Goddess" (1938), in which Tarzan of the Apes discovers an ancient recipe for salad dressing.The female interest, Barbara Hale, is pretty, wears her hair in a modern style instead of the unsightly loaves of the period. She wears Max Factor and is never without precisely applied lipstick. And her role is a familiar one that has always worked -- she's torn between the uniformed Rock Hudson and their old friend, Anthony Quinn, who now leads his tribe in the swamp. Hudson is a tall, handsome white man. Quinn is a poor, proud, impassioned half-Indian. Guess who gets her.If you've seen John Ford's "Fort Apache" (1948) you'll have a decent idea of the plot. Martinet (Henry Fonda) wants war; younger officer (John Wayne) tries to discourage him.

Most people, especially in the future, will see the credits, and miss a lot of the plot simply looking for the Professor. Russell Johnson barely appears.This is a fairly decent adventure. It's tempting to call it a Western, but technically that would be hard to do. It's West of Europe, but the location of Florida is more of a "Southern".Still, this is a basic Western adventure. We have the hero struggling against a thick headed officer in handling the local natives.The truth be known, most Westerns of the golden era were like this, depicting the native Americans as basically honorable and victims of corrupt white men. Here, we get the super honorable natives, and a few honorable white men, trying to "do the right thing" with a few malcontents messing things up.What sets this above the average "western" or "southern version of a Western", is the famous battle scene. This was one of the most dramatic skirmish scenes ever filmed. It involves about twenty five soldiers against hidden natives, who do appear from hiding to attack. It is well blocked, and very exciting. It ranks as one of the most memorable battle scenes ever.The journey through the swamp is also well done, and dramatic.Aside from that, the story is a little routine. Sme major stars, and a beautiful woman add to the attraction.This is a fairly well done film, that should rank moderately over a "5" in a realistic rating. Not as slow paced as most modern movies, but not as fast paced as most golden age Westerns.

Seminole is a tale of those Indian Wars the United States fought with the native tribe of Florida and of their charismatic chief and martyr Osceola. Although Rock Hudson and Barbara Hale starred, the real star of the film and one who would have made a great Osceola had the real story been told was Anthony Quinn.One thing that is true was that Osceola was of mixed heritage. Hudson plays a newly minted US Army lieutenant who is from Florida and assigned back there to do scouting for Major Richard Carlson commander of Fort King. The Seminoles are hostile now as they've not been before, with good reason considering President Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy. They're not about to let happen to them what happened to the Choctaws, Cherokees, and Creeks to the north.Quinn and Hudson knew each other as kids and both are rivals for Barbara Hale who serves as an intermediary. If a peaceful settlement of things were ever possible, it won't be because Richard Carlson, a spit and polish martinet is looking for military glory. Carlson really chews the scenery here, he should have dialed it down a bit.In one respect the film is daring, showing an interacial romance between Hale and Quinn. Hudson is distinctly second fiddle to Quinn in his pursuit of Hale.The story is told in flashback by Hudson at an army court martial presided over by Zachary Taylor played by Fay Roope. Although Osceola died in army custody, the facts here are totally wrong. He was tricked into captivity and was transported to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina where he died. I won't tell the story of the film, but do know that this ain't the way it happened. They've got the year wrong, Osceola died in 1838 and the film at the beginning identifies the time as 1835. Also the army is firing revolvers, not yet invented by Samuel Colt, though director Budd Boetticher spotted that one and he carefully edited the movie so as not to show anyone firing more than once. The cap and ball was still in use then. Budd Boetticher took some time away from working with Randolph Scott and he would have been a good director to have told the real story of Osceola. He and Quinn would have made a great team.

Before his famous films with Randolph Scott, Budd Boetticher made some excellent westerns and Seminole is one of them. The most impressive thing about it is the scenery, the beautiful colors, the everglades, the body painting and the costumes of the Seminoles. Rock Hudson is Lt. Lance Caldwell that goes to Fort King in Florida but does not get along with his superior officer Maj. Harlan Degan (Richard Carlson). Also his girlfriend Revere (Barbara Hale) seems distant. Both Caldwell and Revere had a common friend, half Seminole, who has disappeared. Degan wants to catch the Seminoles off guard and forces his men to go on a senseless mission on the everglades,carrying an enormous cannon. The group is not prepared to face the savage jungle, their own uniforms look out of place in that heat, where they are constantly sweating. Most of the film is told in flashback when Caldwell is in a court martial. This is an eastern western, entertaining, that did not age and that shows the Seminoles with respect and dignity.