Der weiße Sohn der Sioux

To a large degree calling this film The Savage is quite the misnomer because Charlton Heston as the lead character is anything, but savage. Heston who starts out in the film with his character as a child played by Orley Lindgren is the only survivor of a wagon train massacre by the Crow Indians. A band of Sioux drive off the Crow who are their bitter enemies and take in Heston who is raised by the Sioux and given the Indian name War Bonnet.

That's his last real contact with white people until years later he rescues some cavalry troopers pinned down by the Crows who are his mortal enemies now as well. Lieutenant Peter Hansen brings him to the cavalry fort where he's accepted and even evinces some interest by Hansen's sister Susan Morrow.

But when Heston's own Indian sister Joan Taylor is killed by some other troopers the Sioux call for war and Heston is in the fight.

The Savage is a sincerely made effort at showing the American Indians as three dimensional characters in line with Broken Arrow and Devil's Doorway which came out a couple of years earlier. But the script and plot are totally muddled and with it Heston's character. In the end I'm not sure how or why he was doing what he did.

Heston does well in the part and another crucial role of note is that of Indian hating army captain Richard Rober whose career was cut short when he was killed in an automobile accident. He played a fine selection of villains in his short career and his last film was released five years after he died. Rober probably hid his face in shame in an afterlife when Jet Pilot came out.

In Heston's early years between those two DeMille epics The Greatest Show On Earth and The Ten Commandments his films varied in quality from good to mediocre. The Savage kind of falls between both categories, good intentions with poor execution.

"The Savage", an unforgettable western directed by George Marshall and starring Charlton Heston in the beginning of his film career, is a sensitive film, which was able to show the Indian in a humane and friendly way. We must consider that the film was when the Indians appeared only as hostile, dangerous and treacherous beings whose life was worthless. Not deserve any respect and kill them anything represented as punishment to whites. Some films have sought to show a more humanized Indians (the optimal "Devil's Doorway" directed by Anthony Mann, with Robert Taylor, and "Broken Arrow" directed by Delmer Daves, with James Stewart, and Jeff Chandler playing the role of Cochise). But "The Savage" is a powerful film pro-Indians, when we observe the course of the plot the immense love that united Jim Aherne, white adopted as an infant by the Indians, and their adoptive parents. It is wonderful to see the relationship between the three, valued for outstanding performance from Charlton Heston and also Ian MacDonald, a great role. The same Ian MacDonald almost simultaneously starred in High Noon, with Gary Cooper, playing the role of villain killer. And yet we can see the beautiful Joan Taylor in the role of Luta, of great expression. I consider "The Savage" a classic, a film of extreme sensitivity and very enjoyable to watch. It's one of my favorite westerns.

Coming two years after "broken arrow",this movie continues in the same vein:the Indians are treated as human beings who have wisdom and whose struggle is legitimate.Most of them are loyal,even if there are traitors and cowards among them(the same goes for the white ones).Actually,it's John Ford who came first as an Indians' champion with "fort Apache"(1948).

"The savage" is a moderately satisfying western,which owes a lot to Charlton Heston's majestic presence.The pastoral scenes are nice enough but they don't cut these of "Broken arrow".For instance, the female character has not Debra Paget's radiant presence and anyway she disappears too soon.The direction has neither Daves' lyricism,nor Ford's or Mann's epic inspiration,even less Walsh's madness.Sometimes Georges Marshall (and his scriptwriters) look like school teachers,giving good and bad marks, sometimes to the Indians,sometimes to the "soldier blue".

The topic of the man torn between two cultures will be resumed by Martin Ritt in the sixties (Hombre,1967)and Kevin Costner's "Dance with wolves" will be a successful update of "broken arrow".As for Marshall's film,Charlton Heston's numerous fans may appreciate his convincing rendition.

Let us never forget that director George Marshall was maybe like Richard Thorpe a very prolific film maker, beginning his career during the silent period, and then resuming his filmography with all kinds of movies, comedies - even with Laurel and Hardy - dramas, adventures, crime and above all westerns: THE SAVAGE, THE SHEEPMAN, GUNS FOR FORT PETTICOAT, and a segment of HOW THE WEST WAS WON, PILLARS OF THE SKY and the two versions of DESTRY; as George Miller with his both MAD MAX, decades later. That said this western is verry rare in terms of topic. I try to remember a western with a reverse scheme, an Indian raised by White folks....

Charlton Heston in early period of his long career made this modest picture, about a little boy who survives from Crow's massacre and adopted by the Chief of the Miniconju Indians, all them from the great Sioux nation at famous Black Hills, the boy grow up as War Bonnet named from Indians and Jim Aherne Jr. this real white name, suddenly comes the unavoidable hostilities between US's Cavalry and the Crows, his father Chief Yellow Eagle sent him to Fort Duane to assures that the peace treaty will be maintained, in the middle of the way saves Lt. Weston and his soldiers surrounded by the angry Crows, on the Fort was received with diffidence, he meets Weston's sister Tally (Susan Morrow) the chemistry is foreseeable, at this point the war is near and he gets from his father a hardy assignment to guide the Cavalry and an unexpected settlers's caravan to an ambush, praiseworthy western that set out another vision over the indigenous matter that took place on Black Hills which until now didn't reach at any far agreement on US's High Courthouse claimed by Sioux remainder!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2007 / How many: 3 / Source: DVD-R-DVD / Rating: 7