Fort Apache

A solid, good, reasonably enjoyable movie. It's interesting to see Fonda and Wayne reverse types a bit. It was also nice that Ford makes some attempt at adding depth to the soldiers vs indians concept, but he can't fully commit to it, which keeps the film from being something special.

There isn't 2 hours of material here, and you spend far too much time having to look at Shirley Temple's shit eating grin. As often is the case with Ford, the real movie is the last 30 or so minutes. And it wouldn't be a John Ford movie if some poor stunt guy didn't get crushed under a horse.

The comedy is broad and forced, but Fonda and Wayne are fine, and the script and direction--particularly in the scene of the non-commissioned officers' dance--make very clear the respect due and the privileges allowed to the various military ranks on a small, tightly knit base. The ending is nuanced, ironic and moving: despite "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," the heroic dead are mere imagined reflections on a window, and it is the suicidal martinet who grabs all the glory.

I actually didn't hate this as much as I expected to. Wayne is a far more likeable character than usual, a just and reasonable man without all the macho dick-swinging. And the story is mostly engaging and touches on compelling themes of honor. But the film is still buried in those Ford-isms that bug me so much, and my stomach clenched when Wayne gives his little speech at the end, with "Battle Hymn of the Republic" swelling in the background.

The first of Ford's calvary trilogy, Fort Apache is based on Bellah's short story, Massacre. It follows the goings on at an outpost in the American west, with Ford especially keen to show the daily rhythms of the post. This yields both comedy and drama; however, the key action sequences come in the final 30 minutes--they are both exhilarating and foreboding. The photography is also top-notch, as the white clouds seem to pop out of the screen and the characters are dwarfed by the rocks and sky.

Ford is such a master of juggling a myriad of dynamics and storylines. Every character has enough depth to be either compelling, entertaining, or both. The film is also unexpectedly complex with its approach to Indian portrayal; it's probably still a failure with regards to image politics, but they're not even close to bad guys. The cinematography is great. The landscapes get all the credit, but the interiors are just as amazing. There's just so much to look at, and with such stunning contrast!

Fort Apache is filled to the brim with great performances. Henry Fonda is perfect while John Wayne provides a worthy counter-balance to the former's unapologetic and almost cold firmness. John Agar, Shirley Temple, McLaglen and the rest of the supporting cast are a great addition, adding up to a nuanced set of characters, all of whom a thrill to watch in this excellent story with good score, scenery and progressions. A very enjoyable film.

Viewed May 26, 2018.

The stuff at the outpost is good fun and in all its sentimentality and romance and such is utterly charming. The stuff with the war-making and so forth didn't interest me as much. For a start I found the main character Colonel Thursday unbearable in his idiocy, but also something about these sort of war scenes just doesn't appeal to me and the patriotic speech at the end of the film was nauseating.

Ford's pro-cavalry sentiments are understandably divisive in today's world because they belong to another time. Fort Apache presents a slightly ambiguous view of this institution and general heroism; there is an element of surface respect shown, but it's not uncritical. Yet it doesn't go far enough, and while he does portray the outpost community in a fairly balanced way, he gets too caught up in documenting the obligations of duty in purely cliched terms. It's decent, but it's mid-tier Ford

Camerawork for me is the first installment of the "Calvary trilogy's" strong point . It has its problems but for the most part its a well balanced western with solid performances from Wayne and Fonda.

981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zndKvAVUHl0

I loved this film as a child, but after watching it again after its release on DVD all these decades later, I can now see the many faults within it. This is probably Ford's weakest western that I've seen, padded out with all the usual Ford trappings. You have the hokum and the saccharine sentimentality, and to my surprise, some extremely amateurish film making. The indian attack at the telegraph station and subsequent chase, is a text book example of bad editing.

I could look at those shots of the American southwest all day. Wayne and Fonda clash in this epic classic from John Ford.

88.00

88.000

A masterclass in filmed emotion. Ford somehow wields empathy within Fonda's suicidal glory, irony in Wayne's leadership, and melancholy in the love story subplot; and proves what connects them all - respect for "superiors" - is a double-edged sword. After the killing in the penultimate scene, Wayne's silent saunter to the Apache leader is one of the Western's best scenes.

One of John Ford's most versatile pictures, featuring a fine ensemble cast. He balances many subplots, smoothly weaving drama and comedy, which isn't something that can be said of much of his work. It's especially interesting to see Henry Fonda play the stern and callous Colonel Thursday. It ends on an unfortunate note of sentimentality, but this doesn't negate any of the film's previous qualities.

Not bad, but not especially great either. I've never been a fan of films that spend most of their runtime mythologizing the armed forces, straddling the line between rousing drama and outright propaganda.Wayne is his usual self but Fonda plays well against type as an arrogant and unlikeable officer.

Mixed feelings. The film is a little subversive, pointing out that the image may outshine the facts (what was the other movie: a newspaper should "print the legend"?). Wayne and Fonda seem to reverse roles here; they both are fine, as are the usual supporting cast. There's a little too much ridiculous (and unnecessary) humor that made me wonder how the West was ever won. The stuntmen, though, really earned their keep.

watched: 2012, 2023

Features some extraordinary poor acting from John Wayne, though I'm sure his performances and persona carried in nearly all films he appears in are bearable due the lack of acting.

Passes the time.

Disappointing - the attempts at comedy fall flat, the acting dated and the story not particularly engaging. A piece of American falsehood.

Ford paints this portrait of a community with shared values, traditions and goals as the foundation for forging a new life in the edges of the American west. In this film, he really starts putting forward the idea that the goal is not conquest, but figuring out how the community represented by the cavalry and the Apache community can learn to co-exist and become stronger by doing so.

920

Fort Apache is not just casual with its facts; it is mad for epic and legend. Thursday (Fonda) makes an ass of himself in small ways and large, but in the final, disastrous event, he leads his men into massacre. In the aftermath of that, while there is no disputing Thursday's rash judgment or his mistake, the film endorses the attitude of men like York (Wayne) in rallying to the legend, and that the view of Thursday as a hero should be preserved. This is done because it is the Army way.

I'm not always a big fan of the more traditional Ford westerns as I generally find them well done but a bit dry--it's not really my genre--but this one is pretty enjoyable. There are no real surprises, but it's a Big production and I enjoyed Fonda's performance as the fairly familiar archetype of the too prideful commanding officer. The most interesting aspect is the very end, which has some interesting commentary on how history is told.

Absolutely a entertaining film, but it takes a while to find its purpose. So much of it is just life of cadets in training before the conflict with the Indians concludes the final 20 minutes. And that's all lovely because all our favorite Ford actors are present evenly sharing the spotlight and making things fun. But in a weird way, the main attraction was a promotional gimmick. Introducing John Agar. The man who had married America's little sweetheart, then 17-year-old Shirley Temple.

#977