Following the surrender of Geronimo, Massai, the last Apache warrior is captured and scheduled for transportation to a Florida reservation. On the way he manages to escape and heads for his homeland to win back his girl and settle down to grow crops. His pursuers have other ideas though.
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Action! - The Postwar Hollywood 3: Reworking Aldrich
Aldrich’s first foray into the Western sees him tackling some true story with Burt Lancaster playing Massai, which apparently is on record as the last Apache warrior.
While I can see why some people will probably see this as “exciting” and there are some nice combat and a little bit of tension courtesy of the pursuers, but ultimately I will have to lean more with NY Times then, it was a bit too “slow” and I wasn’t engrossed in the whole romance and all, so the movie ultimately felt kinda boring. While I appreciated Lancaster's efforts, I didn't find him as compelling as, say, another Burt Reynolds in "Navajo Joe.”
All in…
For a director who rarely gets talked as one of "the greats," shocking to see how pronounced Aldrich's style already is in his second feature: thrilling long takes, jarring editing, and always more violence (even the playful love sequence between Lancaster and Peters includes her smacking him with a stick). Disappoints after watching Daves's take on similar territory, but Aldrich seems less interested in examining racial relations as much as making a version of Shaft for Native Americans (though to really pull that off would be to cast a real life Native American). Ending is strangely perplexing for what feels like a much more bitter movie, but that last line "We've seen enough war" hits pretty deep.
Robert Aldrich's Apache was arguably ahead of its time in terms of how it portrayed Lancaster's Apache, Massai. The seeds had already been sown by Delmer Daves' Broken Arrow a couple of years before, but this was a pleasant change to see the Native Americans portrayed in a sympathetic light, especially given the harsh treatment dished out to Geronimo and his surviving warriors who were sent to live in Florida. Aldrich's film shows that train journey, and that's essentially where this film begins, with Massai betrayed and heading for Florida too, before a daring escape and a dangerous trek back to his homeland with hope in his heart.
Aldrich's film benefits greatly from Burt Lancaster's athleticism here, but unfortunately the…
The difference between late Aldrich of Ulzana's Raid and early Aldrich here in his second film is the optimism of casting Lancaster as the Apache versus Lancaster as the Apache killer.
It's hard to get behind a hero who deliberately runs horses into the ground, then shoots them, and whose idea of courtship is to beat the girl who loves him with a stick. It's also cringeworthy, at least initially, seeing Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, Charles Bronson and a raft of others playing against racial type. And I'm not convinced that the director, Robert Aldrich, nor the star have their hearts in the right place to justify this kind of portrayal of Native Americans. The film seems to be metaphor for individualism fighting against a controlling system, something Aldrich and Lancaster did for most of their careers, and there's a sense that history — Massai's story — is being used to…
Western von Gestern - #
Ein Indianerfilm mit Burt Lancaster in der Rolle des Apachen Massai.
Die Apachen haben sich den Weißen gebeugt und möchten endlich Frieden mit dem Weißen Mann. Nur Massai widersetzt sich dem, da er sich immer noch als Krieger fühlt. Er wird gefangen und soll mit anderen rebellischen Apachen nach Florida deportiert werden. Unterwegs gelingt ihm die Flucht. Massai macht sich auf den Weg nach Hause zu seinem Volk und ist bereit für seine Freiheit bis aufs Letzte zu kämpfen.
Burt Lancaster macht als Apache Massai eine gute Figur. Gute Figur hat er sowieso, ihm gelingt aber auch eine glaubwürdige Darstellung des Apachen. In einer Nebenrolle ist Charles Bronson - noch unter seinem richtigen Namen Charles…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Apache is a gritty sunbaked Western starring Burt Lancaster as the legendary Apache warrior Massai
It's full of impact and keeps you on the edge of your toes
Aldrich's 1st western and first film in color sees Burt Lancaster as "The Last Apache" running around shirtless in the desert and fighting the U.S. Government as they try to recapture him and send him away to Florida.
While his next film, released in the same year "Vera Cruz" would be highly influential to the next decades western genre creatives Leone and Peckinpah, this one isn't as highly regarded or praised, comparably simple and low budget.
I think this being a cheap western (budget $1 million) does contribute to it being less memorable than his later entries into the genre, as such films exist in great multitude and often follow similar beats. It does feel a bit limited and isn't…
An intelligent Western starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Peters, about an Apache who refuses to submit to the US authorities after the fall of Geronimo and so goes on the run, using guerrilla tactics. It is very much ahead of its time for its sympathetic look at the plight of Native Americans, although having white actors playing the roles feels quite dated now.
I tried. This film just didn't grasp me. It's story had me bored very quickly, and I lost all interest within about ten minutes. I can't really say much else to be honest; there was a few good shots, and the film technically speaking was pretty good- so I gave it an extra star for that. I like Westerns, but this film wasn't for me. Thank you for reading everyone!
Not a very exciting Western and Burt Lancaster make for a very unconvincing Apache. Jean Peters is also badly wasted. It’s not a bad movie and it sure must have been one of the earliest from the point of view of a Native American, but it just feel uninspired and drags quite a bit at times. And when the movie is only 90 minutes long, that’s not a good sign. Only recommended for die-hard Western fans and/or Aldrich/Lancaster completionists.
