Arrowhead

Paramount had a box-office hit with this fine cavalry-Indian adventure starring Charlton Heston. The dry, dusty adobe country of southwest Texas comes to life as the soldiers battle the Indians in several hit-and-run skirmishes until the troopers are forced to rely on a disliked army scout to rescue them from disaster. The picture doesn't explain why the scout, who was raised by the Apaches, hates them so much. The movie's theme of racial animosity against the Apaches is unpleasant for many viewers although the picture claims to be based on the life of an army scout. The film has great action scenes, believable characters, beautiful color cinematography and a brooding score by Paul Sawtell. Heston as the scout is well-matched against Apache leader Jack Palance and the supporting cast is solid, namely Brian Keith and Milburne Stone. In spite of its subject matter, this western was one of the best of the 1950s.

(possible spoilers)

It's a shame that the world has gone so Politically Correct these days that a straight-forward film like ARROWHEAD is so maligned and probably couldn't be made today. It starts off with Charlton Heston as a very despicable and prejudiced cavalry scout who hates Apaches with a passion (he's grown up with them and claims to know their ways), and continually foils any efforts at peace talks between the Indians and the white men. When his bigotry results in the killing of a group of Apaches as well as his own people, he is fired and his boss Brian Keith wants nothing more to do with him. But even while ousted from his duties, nobody is spared Heston's personal wrath -- not even his pretty half-Mexican, half-Apache laundress (the beautiful Katy Jurado).

When the respected Indian Chief Toriano (Jack Palance) arrives on the frontier to make peace, Heston still warns not to trust him. And in an old-fashioned turn of events (by today's standards that is), everything Chuck has tried to impress upon his men from the very start actually turns out to be true... Toriano and his followers are in fact planning an ambush. So in a very bizarre twist, Heston's hateful character is hired back to help the fight and turns into the hero.

Not a "great" film, and a tad long at 105 minutes. But it's a strong depiction of the personal animosities and prejudices from both sides that often get in the way of progress. The performances of Heston, Palance and Keith are all good. Those who wish to change history and act as if these things never really happened should remember that this film was based on factual, real events. *** out of ****

Charlton Heston plays an Indian-hating scout very loosely based on famed frontiersman Al Sieber (who, in reality, was a German immigrant who not only didn't hate Apaches but often lived with them and spoke fluent Apache dialects; he spoke almost no English because he detested American whites and refused to learn any more English than he considered necessary). He goes up against Jack Palance, an Apache he knew from his boyhood who is returning from several years at an Indian agency school that is supposed to have "civilized" him (also based on fact; many Indian children were forcibly sent to such a school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania). Heston, unlike the local military and civilian authorities, doesn't believe that Palance has been "civilized" and suspects that he's secretly planning to lead the Apaches in attacking and massacring the local white population. This is a tough and, for its time, brutal little western, well written and directed by Charles Marquis Warren, and pulls no punches in its depiction of racism on both sides; Palance hates whites as much as Heston hates Indians, and both have no compunction about killing those on the "other" side they've known for years simply as a matter of course. Palance and Heston are suitably intense in their roles--Heston perhaps a bit too much so--and the action scenes are handled very well, although the final confrontation between Heston and Palance is a bit of a disappointment. A good supporting cast of veteran western actors--Milburn Stone, James Anderson, Robert J. Wilke (not playing a villain for once), among others--contribute greatly to the film's pace and atmosphere (although the rivalry between Heston and army officer Brian Keith over a girl at the post is a bit superfluous). Well worth your time.

Ed Bannon (Charlton Heston) is a no-nonsense scout at Fort Clark, Texas, who used to live with the Apaches. He is suspicious when the son of the chief, Toriano (Jack Palance), is returning from his education back East at the same time the Chiricahuas are meeting the U.S. Army. He solemnly warns that they will not peaceably be shipped off to Florida. Brian Keith plays the new commanding officer of the fort in his feature film debut. Katy Jurado and Mary Sinclair are also on hand.

"Arrowhead" (1953) was based on W.R. Burnett's novel wherein the author patterned Ed Bannon (Heston) after the real-life Albert Sieber. Meanwhile the film was shot at the actual Fort Clark in Brackettville, Texas. As such, it has some authenticity in its favor even while a bit marred by the dated style of its era. The problem is some people don't want ugly reality, but rather political correctness.

I don't get what the problem is. Bannon is understandably cheerless in a tense life-or-death situation while the Chiricahuas are depicted as formidable warriors who are willing to fight to the death. The movie portrays the culmination of the Indian Wars (as far as the Apaches go) in a fictitious story backed by factual material and it's not pleasant, but rather grim and brutal. It was the Indian WARS, after all, not the Indian love-in.

The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes.

GRADE: B

Arrowhead, the mere mention of it in Western circles sometimes induces a sharp intake of breath, even a furrowed brow or two. Starring Charlton Heston and Jack Palance, directed by Charles Marquis Warren; who also adapts the screenplay from W.R. Burnett's novel, Adobe Walls, Arrowhead rewrites the Indian Wars and firmly paints the Apache as distrustful thugs.

Based in essence on real life Indian scout, Al Seiber, with Heston in the role but named as Ed Bannon here, story is set in Texas 1878 at the Fort Clark Cavalry post. Peace has been brokered and the good old Cavalry boys have arranged for the Apache, led by a newly educated Toriano (Palance), to be dog tagged and whipped off to some arid land in Florida. However, the pesky Toriano has been plotting a revolution and is ready to lead his people in an all out assault on whitey and to hell with the treaty. Only white dude who smells a rat is Bannon, who with some Indian blood coursing through his veins, hates the Redskins and will never trust them. But the Cavalry hate Bannon as well, because he is in the way, causing friction, a hindrance to their wonderful ideas for piece.

No surprises for guessing what happens next! If Warren and the big wigs at Paramount Pictures were aware of the racist overtones here in 1953? Is cause for debate. I tend to agree with the theory that puts this as a sort of anti-communist allegory, but of course that doesn't excuse the xenophobic narrative whoever is on the receiving end! Yet surely the makers were genuine in trying to make a good old Cavalry versus Indians actioner? That the picture often meanders and is not carpeted with action, is a little moot, but it is well put together, well acted and looks nice with its actual real Bracketville location filming (Ray Rennahan on cinematography). Paul Sawtell does one of his robust thematic musical scores, and fine acting support comes from Robert Wilke and Brian Keith.

It's a solid routine Oater, and can be enjoyed if you can forgive it its sins? Forgive them for they know not what they do...or something like that! 6/10