War Arrow

Watched this film on TV. Maureen O' Hara & Jeff Chandler are the stars here, in this otherwise average western. He's a cavalry major who over- rides the opposition of fort commander John McIntire and recruits friendly native American Seminoles to help defeat hostile Kiowas.

O'Hara plays a fiery wife of a captain who's gone missing and she's a hot shot with a rifle and doesn't mind laying a charge of dynamite, if need be. She's radiant as ever but Chandler looks a bit wooden (generally for me as an actor).

The end shoot out against the Indians is a spirited and action-packed one and nearly makes up for an otherwise rather disappointing, slightly boring film. The direction, by George Sherman, is adequate but little more and whilst it's in Technicolor, it doesn't look as glorious as it should.

One for serious fans of westerns, otherwise, probably not.

This Cavalry vs. Indians Western deals with Major Howell Brady (Jeff Chandler) supported by two colleagues (Charles Drake , Noah Beery Jr.) are sent by Washington to end the Kiowa uprisings in Indian territory . As they are assigned to go to Texas and recruit peaceful tribes Seminoles relocated from Florida to aid the army in bitter fighting the savage and hated Kiowas . As US cavalry and Indian tomahawk (led by Maygro : Henry Brandon who starred the unforgettable Indian ¨Scar¨ in ¨The Searchers¨) , though initially hostile , they subsequently join army and saber fighting side-by-side for the glory of the West . Nevertheless , Col. Jackson Meade (John McIntire) is reluctant to this unusual alliance and distrusts having Indians as allies . Then , Brady leads his regiment on a wild chase across the plains and hills in this saga of the old west . Brady and his US cavalry squares off rampaging Kiowas commanded by Satanta who refuses to surrender himself . Along the way Brady tries to win the heart of a widow who married a Confederate officer whose body was never found , and may still be alive .

This moving movie is an epic portrait of the historic story about celebrated Indians Seminola and Tomahawk against the Kiowas . The picture gets Western action , shootouts , a love story , breathtaking raids on a Yankee fort and results to be quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians , production values and pleasing results . At the ending , when takes place the Indian assault , possesses all the sweep , grandeur and noisy action of the greatest Westerns of an age long past . Nice acting from a great cast . As Jeff Chandler is good as Army Major Brady who attempts to vanquish Kiowas and to keep the peace between US cavalry and Indians . Chandler gives stature to the role , providing sincerity and bravura . Chandler was famous , until his early death , for playing Indian chief Cochise , a dignified portrait well shown in : ¨Broken arrow¨ , ¨Battle of Apache Pass¨ and ¨Taza , son of Cochise¨ . Although Chandler also played all kinds of genres , such as : ¨Return to Peyton Place¨(drama) , ¨Flame of Araby¨ (adventure) , ¨Merrill's marauders¨ (wartime , in his last film) , until his early death at 42-year-old . Mauren O'Hara as gorgeous and pleasant widow Elaine Corwin , proves to be a great actress , as usual . And other wonderful woman , Suzan Ball as Indian Avis , who also died early at 21 by cancer , being these ¨War arrow¨ and ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ both of them directed by George Sherman , his last films . And support cast is frankly excellent , such as : Noah Beery Jr. , Charles Drake , Henry Brandon , Dennis Weaver , Jay Silverheels , Jim Bannon , Lance Fuller and special mention for the veteran John McIntire . This thrilling and stirring Western was beautifully shot by William Daniels , Greta Garbo's regular cameraman . And an original and shining score from William Lava and Herman Stein , though uncredited .

The motion picture was professionally directed by George Sherman in B-style , though has some flaws . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed this ¨War Arrow¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. War Arrow rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . Well worth watching .

The premise of this film is based on fact. During the Indian Wars of the late 1800s, the U.S. government hired Seminole Indians from Florida to help fight the Kiowa Indians of the Southwest. Using one group of Indians to fight another wasn't new even back then--it was, after all, how the Army finally managed to subdue the Apaches--and it would make a good film, but this one isn't it. Director George Sherman was an old hand at making westerns, having churned out dozens of them during his days at Republic, and Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara had done more than their share of them. They all had an off-day here. Whatever failings Sherman's westerns may have had, he at least knew how to keep them moving. This one just pretty much sits there and nothing really happens. There are a few action scenes spread throughout the picture, and a fairly big one--an attack on a fort--at the end, but they are for the most part pretty listless affairs, lacking the energy that Sherman usually brought to them. O'Hara for some reason looks out of place here, and I can't quite put my finger on why she does, but she does. On the other hand, Suzan Ball is smokin' as a sexy Indian girl, so maybe that's why O'Hara looks uncomfortable. In any event, this is pretty much a below-average effort from all concerned. Henry Brandon, who did such a good job later on playing the evil Scar in "The Searchers," doesn't acquit himself nearly as well here--not that he's given all that much to work with--as a Seminole warrior, and Dennis Weaver is about the most un-Seminole-looking Seminole there is, with his bony frame, prominent nose and Missouri accent. Everyone involved with this had done better work previously, and would do better work later. You'd be better off watching any of those efforts than this one.

This is the kind of western that was turned out often, to satisfy the many fans of outdoor films, back in the day, and is not to be confused with the big ones. It's just a regular, everyday western, but with good acting, Technicolor, the solid direction of George Sherman, and a fine screenplay by the effective John Michael Hayes (of Hitchcock fame), it delivers enjoyable entertainment for the length of its running time, and should keep you hooked until the action-packed ending.

The premise is an interesting one, and the relationships of the characters - especially Chandler's with his commanding officer, John MacIntyre, and his sweetheart, Maureen O'Hara, are more interesting than in the usual standard western.

Also interesting is the way Chandler, as an Army officer, tends not so much to defy authority as to ignore it, when it doesn't suit his (and what he perceives as the Government's) purpose.

I thought Chandler and O'Hara were excellent leads, with good chemistry - with MacIntyre, Charles Drake, Noah Beery, Jr., and (cast as Indians) Suzan Ball, Henry Brandon, and Dennis Weaver extremely effective, as well.

A drawback was that some of the dialogue was difficult to pick up (though that could have to do with the DVD transfer, not the film itself), and the denouement was kind of sudden and the ending rushed.

And, as usual with some of these films, the whole thing seems a little bit modern, with well-lit (supposedly by candlelight and oil lamps), perfectly decorated rooms at the fort (plenty of fresh flowers everywhere) - and Miss Ball in a dress she supposedly constructed herself - her first try at dressmaking - which fits her as if it was executed by Universal's dressmakers (it was). But you have to figure they did their best on a typical budget and with the usual time constraints. Their best is pretty good.

The action is good, the story is interesting, the relationships are well-developed, and the plot keeps you guessing. So I recommend this film, for western fans.

Surely the best line of the film is when Jeff Chandler "forcibly" kisses Maureen O' Hara (after she tells him she doesn't love him) and she responds by telling him: "I'm genuinely impressed."

Very interesting Western, possibly overstating the lead character's sympathy for the native American, but this is ahead of its time for a 1953 movie. Note the scene in the fort commander's office, where he says "It's difficult to prove how many raiders you've killed." The implication here is that the lead character refuses to collect scalps - i.e. the "proof". There are lots of other little not so obvious details in this film which kept me hooked!