Unconquered

Unconquered (1947) is a miracle of bad filmmaking. This is Cecil B. DeMille overindulging himself for two and a half hours, offering us a healthy heaping of camp, costumes, sexual titillation, and over the top action.

Where does one even begin? The characters are all idiots who wander from scene to scene, somehow surviving an onslaught of ridiculous events ranging from plunging from a waterfall to surviving an attack courtesy of offensive Native American stereotypes. Poor Paulette Goddard finds herself spending 75 percent of the movie trussed up, leered at, threatened with phallic objects, and in her undergarments, usually several of those things at once. I'm surprised the Code was okay with such sadomasochistic elements in the picture, but maybe they just laughed it off because it was so silly.

The cast is made up of a talented bunch, but their performances are largely uneven. Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, and Boris Karloff seem embarrassed to be there and alternate between being wooden and cartoon-y. Only Howard Da Silva as the lecherous villain comes off with his dignity intact, knowing that when you're in schlock, you have to go gloriously all out with the camp.

The whole look of the film is studio-bound and garish, so it's not visually appealing either. If you are a connoisseur of kitsch or have a group of like-minded friends, then this turkey is a fun one.

It's 1763 and two men Capt. Christopher Holden (Gary Cooper) and trader Garth (Howard Da Silva) taking the same ship back to Virginia from London bid for the contract of a woman named Abby (Paulette Goddard) who was given a choice between execution in England or 14 years of indentured servitude in the colonies. The winner Holden gallantly frees her and leaves the ship to join his girlfriend about to marry her . The loser who illegally sells guns to the local Seneca Indians destroys the contract and manages Abby working in his saloon . Along the way Cooper suffers assaults and has to help the settlers fight Indians and escaping from savage natives. Crimson-haired slave girl . . . desired by a man of destiny! Together they shared the thrills of the most daring spectacle De Mille ever filmed !They live again¡ Dauntless men and women who kept America unconquered ¡. I bought this woman for my own..and I'll kill the man who touches her!From A People Like This Came America's Heritage. In A Story Like This Lies America's Greatness!

Lavish film , in fact producers spent a reported 4 million dollar to bring to life this thrilling and moving melodrama , and most of it shows up on the big screen, while outstanding the heroic derring-do of Cooper including the overwhelming getaway by Gary along with Paulette over treacherous and wild rapids and falls that result to be most notable among the colorful set pieces . This is a spectacular adventure combining melodrama with improbability and garnishes it with hokum enough . Containing some splendidly staged scenes in which Gary Cooper has to keep rescuing Goddard throughout the film as well as fighting Da Silva . As Gary Cooper is very good , as usual , as the brave hero attempting to foil plans of controlling the Ohio Valley and to deliver peace belts to the Indians who have already sent out war belts. And female strring Paulette Goddard is frankly gorgeous . Adding a nice gallery of villains as Howard Da Silva as an eminently hissable nasty playing the scurvy trader , Boris Karloff making an unusual appearance as an Indian chief . Furthermore , other illustrous secondaries as Cecil Kellaway, Ward Bond, Katherine DeMille , Henry Wilcoxon , C. Aubrey Smith ,Mike Mazurski , Porter Hall, Jane Nigh, Alan Napier , Raymond Hatton and Marc Lawrence .

It displays a colorful photography from Ray Rennahan , and shot on location in Allegheny Mountain, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, , Big Mesa Falls, Ashton, Idaho, Wolf Creek, New York State,Conejo Grade, Los Angeles,Snake River, Clearwater River,Idaho . Including excellent special effects by Academy Award winning Gordon Jennings . Along with impressive production design by Hans Dreier and Walter Tyler . Thrilling as well as romantic musical score by the classic Victor Young . This vigorous motion picture was realized in Cecil B DeMille's ordinary style , supported by a magnificent second unit by Harold Rosson ; both of them made some greatests spectacles of all time .DeMille especiality was spectacle and he certainly delivers a full measure of it. Although a nimbler action filmmaker than Cecil might have made even more of the Oscar-winning effects work . Cecil produced and directed 70 films and was involved in many more . Many of his films were romantic sexual comedies , as he is supposed to have believed that Americans were curious only about money and sex . His best-known were biblical epics that further established him as the symbol of Hollywood such as ¨King of Kings¨ (1927), The ten Commandments (1923) , ¨The Crusades¨(1935) , ¨Reap of the wild wind¨ (1949) , and , of course , Charlton Heston's ¨Ten commandments¨ (1956) and he made two versions about ¨The Buccaneer : 1938 and 1958¨ that was ended by Anthony Quinn and Arthur Rosson . Rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Better than average

If you hate political correctness, you may love, "Unconquered." This film, from 1947, doesn't have the contemporarily familiar themes of evil settlers, or land thieves. In fact, the Indians are the bad guys in this one. The Indians, aided by a corrupt Englishman, have decided to wipe out white settlers in a race war. Gary Cooper is quick to the rescue. All the while he attempts to regain his bond slave, escape the gallows for treason, and fight his nemesis who happens to be the Indians' best friend. This is a strong film.

It's Saturday Afternoon at the Bijou time, courtesy of the over-the-top presentation of Cecil B. DeMille. The film is rich in atmosphere and with an eye for detail in capturing colonial America, no matter how ludicrous the situations may be at times. Yes, the casting of Boris Karloff as an Indian chief is a camp enthusiast's delight but, if taken in the right spirit, only adds to the fun.

The film is highlighted by an action set piece involving an escape from the Indians and a plunge over a waterfall. No credibility whatsoever as far as the real world is concerned. But who says this is the real world? It's the movies where the impossible can happen and we are along for the ride which includes the wonderful Technicolor enhancing of its many visual pleasures.

I can't recommend Unconquered enough for those adventure seekers fully prepared to suspend their sense of disbelief in advance, and it may be the only film ever made about Pontiac's Rebellion, although, Pontiac is never mentioned.

I saw this film in the theater when I was nine. All I and my contemporaries cared about was shooting and dying. Years later I wondered why Colonel Bouquet spoke accented English. Some mild research turned up the fact that Colonel wa an historic figure. Bouquet was a Swiss mercenary who commanded troops for the Brits. Who ever expected that level of hitoricity from De Mille. I leave to others to research whether the flag over the british fort was correct.