The Proud and Damned

Chuck Connors, Aron Kincaid, Smokey Roberds, Henry Capps, and Peter Ford, play the title roles in The Proud And Damned. Probably this film's only distinction is it's the only film I've seen and reviewed that was shot in Colombia. Fitting as the location for the action is some unnamed South American country.

These five are Confederate veterans who've gone south and have kicked around selling their military experience as mercenaries and now just want to go home. But time and circumstance force them to get involved in a local war between a would be dictator in Andres Marquis and Cesar Romero the Alcalde of a medium size town who is not happy about Marquis challenging his hegemony.

Our cast looks distinctly unhappy in their roles and deliver the perfunctory performances to prove it. Even Jose Greco merely recycles only a part of what he gave to his role in Ship Of Fools as a gypsy whore master. We do however get to see Greco the great flamenco dancer in a number in the film.

This whole crew looks like it's waiting for their salary checks to clear.

The Proud and the Damned is an historical-fiction western starring Chuck Conners and a relatively unknown, but not bad, cast. The film appears to have been filmed in the Chihuahuan Desert, though the setting is inexplicably identified as South America early-on.

Conners leads a group of refugee confederate soldiers traveling through a country in the middle of its own civil war. Apparently, Conners' boys have taken a few odd jobs as mercenaries en-route, and both sides in the present conflict want their help.

The film is essentially an American-made spaghetti-western, without the plot convolutions and tension (or Clint Eastwood) that made this genre so interesting. About mid-way through the story, the film meanders and seems fated to fizzle into oblivion rather than going out with a bang, but it does eventually wander back to its track. The script is occasionally bloated, but not bad. Once in a while, the film actually presents some interesting anthropological points. The acting is surprisingly OK. And the sets, scenery and cinematography are good.

It won't kill you. This is a much more entertaining western than I had anticipated. However, I will limit my recommendation to fans of western movies.

The Proud and Damned is written and directed by Ferde Grofe Jr. It stars Chuck Connors, Cesar Romero and Andres Marquis. Music is by Gene Kauer and Douglas M. Lackey, and cinematography by Remegio Young.

1870 and five ex Confederate mercs arrive in South America and become embroiled in another Civil War of sorts...

Pretty poor offering, a pic that was completed in 1969 but wasn't released until three years later, one can only think that after viewing it, some financial backer saw it for the dud it is and refused release! The plot principal is sound, the fact it's a Western filmed in Columbia and set in South America (the place unnamed) is an interesting point of note, plus Connors and Romero at least have fans from which to launch potential for cult fandom. But hopes of a good film are dashed quite early.

Is being boring a valid criticism? Well yes it is, and this is a snore bore. The cast turn in auto-cue acting, all of them saddled with direlogue, the editing is messy, and the musical score irritating as it fluctuates between sorrowful guitar to bandido marching music, with some flamenco type jolly that's out of place as well, and what little action there is is laughably constructed. A bold turn of events in the narrative is worth a point at least, as is the outcome of it all - though it doesn't really make grounded sense - but ultimately this is one that deserves to stay obscure. 2/10

"The Proud and the Damned" is a film that was made in 1969 but not released until 1972. This means, most likely*, that the powers that be knew it was a stinker of a film and would lose money...so it just sat in limbo for three years before ultimately being released. Because of this, I had very low expectations for the picture.

The film is about a group of Confederate soldiers who decide to become mercenaries after the US Civil War ends. So, they head to war-torn South America where their services might be needed. Unfortunately, the local authorities seem to know why they are there and order them to leave the country. However, a local mayor (Caesar Romero) sees need of their services and he invites them to stay as his guests. What exactly does he want them to do? See the film...or not.

So is it any good? Well, it's not terrible...but it is, at times, terribly dull and a bit cheap. It's certainly not as bad as I expected....though I expected the worst. Cheap looking despite it's location shoot in Columbia, South America.





*In at least 90-95% of the cases, being shelved is a sure sign of a terrible film. One exception was "Arsenic and Old Lace". When the studio made it, they agreed not to release this Cary Grant film until the play ended its Broadway run. Surprisingly, it was such a hit that it, too, was shelved for a few years until the play closed.

Released in1972, "The Proud and the Damned" tells the story of five ex-Confederate soldiers, led by Sgt. Will Hansen (Chuck Connors), trying to find a new home in South America after losing the war. A Napoleon-wannabe "general" (Andres Marquis) hires them to reconnoiter a village where the guys either party it up or romance local gals (Maria Grimm & Anita Quinn). Cesar Romero plays the mayor of the town while José Greco & Nana Lorca are on hand as dancing gypsies. The rest of the ex-Confederates are played by Aron Kincaid, Smokey Roberds, Henry Capps and Peter Ford.

This is a low-budget and relatively obscure Western that doesn't get very good ratings, and I can understand why. Some of the acting is dubious and a few of the action sequences are less than convincing, not to mention there's zero build-up to the romance. It's overall a mediocre Western with some lambasting it as subpar or even "unforgiveable trash," as one critic put it.

If you can overlook these flaws, however, there are several items that make the movie worth catching: Connors is a quality Western protagonist; the Columbian locations are scenic and authentic (say what you will, but quality locations cost money); the Latin-styled Western music by Gene Kauer & Douglas M. Lackey is quite good; this is a unique Western in that it takes place in South American (presumably Columbia); and the six protagonists are likable with good camaraderie. I say SIX because I'm including the honorable Capt. Juan Hernandez, played by Conrad Parham.

I also like how unpredictable the movie is despite the predictability of the plot. In other words, just because you THINK you have the story figured out doesn't mean it's necessarily the way it's going to pan out. Also, despite the palpability of the low-budget I found myself involved in the story & the characters by the second half. Lastly, I can't help but respect the audacity of the unexpected and puzzling Climax.

The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in Columbia.

GRADE: C