Geronimo

Well meaning but wooden story of how Geronimo, with fifty Apaches, came to stand off the U.S. Army. Chuck Conners gives a creditable performance as a wooden Indian, and his soon-to-be real life wife plays the woman who loves him. Most amusing for Ross Martin as a wise-cracking sidekick and Adam West, four years before he became a wooden Batman, as a sympathetic army officer.

On the Arizona-Mexico border in 1883, Apache warrior Geronimo surrenders himself and his tribe to the US Calvary in exchange for food and shelter on government land; naturally, the villainous, despicable whites sell the ground out from underneath the Indians after a greedy land baron sees they have turned the hard dirt into fertile soil for farming, leading to an unwinnable war between the fading Apaches and the Americans. Mixing "fact and legend", screenwriter Pat Fielder shamefully reduces history to textbook eye-for-an-eye business. Western-adventure from United Artists is further hurt by a TV cast and budget. Chuck Connors' Geronimo wages war on the Cavalrymen, though from what we can see it's really just Pat Conway's smirking Captain who's against him. Conway, decked out with an ostentatious neckerchief, unmercifully struts his way through this thing like a smug peacock...but, at least he wasn't forced to wear a ratty black wig like most of his co-stars. Some good scenes, such as an impromptu chicken dinner at the house of a strict widow, almost makes up for the general lack of story and character development. ** from ****

Agreeable movie about the famous Indian leader and set on spectacular landscapes and attempts to adhere to historical facts concerning his life . The picture is well made , with plenty of action sequences as Geronimo and his band battle US forces , later fighting the white Americans , when they in turn, encroached upon Apache land . The film talks upon Geronimo (Chuck Connors , satisfactory in the lead) , chief of Apaches Chiricaguas and his band of rebel Indians . The continuous humiliation in reservoir of San Carlos caused the bursting of riots commanded by Geronimo , Mangus Coloradas (Ross Martin) and his group of Indians . They will confront American cavalry in charge of General Crook (Laurence Dobkin) and his officials (Adam West, Pat Conroy) . The sorrow and despair of finding his tribe starving , the sheer frustration of San Carlos ruled by corrupt Jeremiah (John Anderson) ,the hopelessness of resistance against a foe you know you can't beat originate the rebellion . Meanwhile , Geronimo falls in love with a gorgeous Indian woman (Kamala Devi in a rich characterization) .

In the film there are wonderful outdoors shot on location of Durango(Mexico) territory and displays action , shootouts, violence and though sometimes is slow-moving , isn't tiring neither dreary , sustaining the interest for quite a while . The movie also portrays the sensitive side of the Native American character though is dramatically slack and some moments there's nothing left to maintain viewer involvement . This Indian-on-the-warpath tale is based on historical characters : Geronimo, Mangus , Cochise and general Crook who tries to subjugate the great Apache warrior . The motion picture didn't obtain success and was a real flop in box office , in spite of the extraordinary sets , glimmer cinematography by Alex Phillips and atmospheric Hugo Friedhofer musical score . This version of the "Geronimo Legend" results to be one of the best considering some of the other attempts to portray the Apache war leader . Most of the Apache leaders of the period are also featured as Cochise, Mangus Coloradas, Nana and Juh , all relevant figures at the time and an influence in the struggle against overwhelming forces . If anybody out there is interested in Native American history , this movie is well worth a watch . The motion picture is professionally directed by Arnold Laven . Laven formed a production company along with Jules Levy and Arthur Gardner. The first Levy-Gardner-Laven movie was 1952's "Without Warning"'; in the decades since, they have produced and directed dozens of additional features . He's an expert on Western genre as cinema as television as he produced and directed several TV series including "The Rifleman," "Law of the Plainsman," , "The Big Valley" . And directed acceptable Western films as ¨The glory guys¨, ¨Geronimo¨and ¨Sam Whiskey . ¨Geronimo¨ will appeal to Indian western fans . Rating: good , the result is a pretty fair movie . Well catching , you won't be disappointed .

Other version upon this famous personage are the following : 1939 Geronimo with Preston Foster , Ellen Drew and Chief Thundercloud in the title role ; 1993 TV Geronimo by Roger Young with August Schellemberg , Nick Ramus and Joseph Runningfox ; finally , Walter Hill version titled Geronimo : An American legend (1993) that is the best so far , played by Wes Studi, Matt Damon , Jason Patric and Gene Hackman and utilizing at support cast some pretty heavyweight Native American acting talents.

There's really nothing to distinguish GERONIMO from any standard Hollywood western about outlaws, except that this time it's a lone outlaw against the U.S. cavalry at a time when Indian treaties were being broken and the Indians wanted to fight over territorial rights. Nothing complex here, just a fictionalized account of Geronimo's love for an Indian woman who bears him a son before the fadeout and after the final battle.

Blond and blue-eyed CHUCK CONNORS isn't anyone's idea of an Indian so it's hard to tell what the casting director was thinking, but he does a commendable job of looking like one, thanks to make-up and costumes, except for the blue eyes. He makes no attempt at any sort of native accent but his stoic manner and steely-eyed gaze does help the characterization. KAMALA DEVI is good as the Indian woman who bears his child and ADAM WEST has a pivotal role as a sympathetic officer.

Nicely photographed but short on battle skirmishes, it makes passable entertainment but is hardly an outstanding western by any yardstick, dull in some stretches with a less than inspired script.

Possibly because The Rifleman series that Levy-Gardner-Laven produced on television was shot in black and white was the reason that no one apparently noticed that Chuck Connors had blue eyes. In any event when they produced this B film about the last great Indian warrior chief Geronimo since they had Chuck Connors under contract for The Rifleman they figured to get him dirt cheap for this film. I'm sure Connors was also looking towards a big screen career as well.

If you can get over how ridiculous Connors looks as a blue eyed Indian, the film Geronimo is not a bad one given the fact it is a B film. It takes the Indian point of view dispassionately, just letting facts speak for themselves.

Geronimo in fact had surrendered and was sent to live on the San Carlos Reservation, but ill treatment by corrupt politicians and self righteous do-gooders as exemplified by John Anderson in this film, sent Geronimo packing along with some of his best warriors. They bedeviled the Arizona territory and the Mexican authorities for several years.

Geronimo took one thing he liked from San Carlos along with him, beautiful Indian maid Kamala Devi. Ironically enough Kamala Devi is an actual Indian Indian, but she's drop dead gorgeous in any culture. Chuck Connors thought so too because he left his first wife for her during the making of Geronimo.

With certain reservations, no pun intended, Geronimo is not a bad telling of the tale of the last campaign against the American Indians. But I can't believe that the team of Levy-Gardner-Laven couldn't afford some contact lenses for Chuck Connors in the budget.