Der Speer der Rache

Decent chronicle of a strong fight between the Lakota tribe and the US cavalry in the struggle for the west , paced under completely Indian viewpoint . This is a true story , photographed in the Black Hills of the Dakotas where is actually happened . It is the story of an American , a leader of his people , one of the great generals of all time -Chief Crazy Horse of the Lakota Sioux . Crazy Horse's territory was invaded by Western expansion and the constant breakment of government treaties . In Fort Laramie commanded by General Crook , Indians are forced to form a volatile alliance in their life-or-death struggle . However , some USA officers and Indians are reluctant to this unusual alliance and they distrust having Indians and soldiers as allies . When ambitious prospectors and mean traders get evidence of gold in the sacred Lakota burial ground Indians go warpath . As war chief , Crazy Horse, along with Teton Sioux leader Sitting Bull lead the Cheyenne and Sioux against George Armstrong Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn . Crazy Horse leads his brave warriors on a wild chase across the plains and hills in this saga of the old west . They elude capture , but famine , cold and constant harassment by troops lead to crazy Horse surrender and death in 1877 , betrayed by both the Whites and some of his own people . He Hurled The Lance That Smashed Custer That Historic Day At Little Big Horn!

This moving movie is an epic portrait of the historic story about celebrated Indians Lakotas against the US cavalry . The picture gets Western action , shootouts , a love story , breathtaking raids , overwhelming battles and results to be quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians , production values and pleasing results . The film is pretty well , being told from Indian perspective , though some historical events take a back seat to Hollywood scriptwriting . At the ending , when take place some battles , possees all the sweep , grandeur and noisy action of the greatest Westerns of an age long past . Acceptable and passable main cast . The usual wooden Victor Mature gives stature to the role , providing sincerity and bravura . And Suzan Ball as his Indian wife , who died early at 21 by cancer , being these ¨War arrow¨ and ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ both of them directed by George Sherman , his last films . Support cast is frankly good , such as : John Lund , Ray Danton , Keith Larsen , Paul Guilfoyle ,David Janssen ,Morris Ankrum , Robert F. Simon ,James Westerfield , Stuart Randall , Dennis Weaver , Robert Warwick and Pat Hogan

This thrilling and stirring Western was beautifully shot by cameraman Harold Lipstein . And an original and shining score from Frank skinner . The motion picture was professionally directed by George Sherman in B-style , though has some flaws . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed this ¨War Arrow¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. Rating : 6/10 . Well worth watching .

Other biographies about Crazy Horse are the followings : Crazy Horse 1996 by John Irvin with Michael Greyeyes , Jimmy Herman , Wes Studi , August Schellenberg , Irene Bedard , Steve Reevis . Crazy Horse and Custer : the untold story 1990 with Slim Pickens , Mary Ann Mobley an Michael Dante .

Victor Mature playing Chief Crazy Horse gives one of his best performances from the Fifties. Although an Italian/Swiss would never be cast as a Lakota Sioux today, American Indians have no reason to criticize or be concerned with what Mature did with the role of one of their greatest heroes.

Curiously enough the Battle Of The Little Big Horn is given a short shrift by the film. Which in a way is good because Crazy Horse had been plaguing the white man for well over a decade when he emerged as a warrior chief of the Lakota with as much natural military ability as Cochise of the Apaches to the south. The action of the film is over a ten year period in terms of when Mature takes the role of the adult Crazy Horse.

The film is told from the point of view of John Lund who plays a white trader who was ambushed by the Sioux's rivals the Shoshone and is taken in and cared for by the Lakota. When Mature is courting Suzan Ball, Lund does him a solid and he's then got the Lakota welcome mat out for him.

Chief Crazy Horse was the farewell performance of Suzan Ball who was Lucille's cousin, also from Jamestown, New York died much too young after this film was completed. She had a bright promise and real beauty to give the big screen and small.

There are some fictional subplots working, but in the main the film is a true account. A really good western about a true warrior.

This movie is based on some historical facts about Crazy Horse, who is played as an adult by Victor Mature. I first saw this movie as a kid in the 60's and fell in love with it. However, seeing it years later as an adult, I noticed certain discrepancies, like none of the main characters were portrayed by Native people. My family is of Cherokee descent, so this was important to me. I also wondered why Susan Ball, although beautiful, looked so stiff. Victor Mature wasn't old when this was made, but he looked too old to play this character who was in his 30's when he died. Honestly, the two things that captured my attention as a kid were the fight scenes and the music. The music was heavenly when parts of the prophecy came to pass. It creeped me out as a child, but I can really appreciate the score now. The movie is not boring. Not in the least. I still watch it from time to time and it's still one of my favorites. But now, I understand that the Hollywood prejudice that laced its creation can't be compared with the reality of the Native person who inspired the story.

Victor Mature is Crazy Horse in this potted version of the Lakota Sioux and the war over the Black Hills, told from a viewpoint entirely on the side of the Indians.

Originally planned as a vehicle for Jeff Chandler, but that didn't happen. Mature was quite capable of giving a strong performance, but required a good script and strong direction, which were not available here. Leading lady Suzanne Ball had lost a leg to cancer five months before filming began, and so her movement was limited; she would die four months after this was released.

DP Harold Lipstein gives some nice, woodcut-like images, particularly in the long shots, resulting in a watchable but undistinguished Universal Shaky A production. With John Lund, Ray Danton, and David Janssen.

This fine western traces the life of the Sioux warrior, from the time when he received his vision as a boy, his battles against red and white enemies, and finishes with his betrayal and murder by a fellow Lakota. Victor Mature is good as the Lakota warrior who is one of the most tragic figures in western history. The film examines the petty disputes among the Indians who could not present a unified front in the face of white westward expansion, especially the rush to the Black Hills in search of gold. The film shows two of Crazy Horse's famous battles, the Fetterman and Rosebud engagements to good effect but the Custer fight gets only a brief mention and is glossed over almost as an afterthought. The widescreen CinemaScope is excellent and bathes the beautiful landscapes of the Black Hills and the Badlands with beautiful color. The music by Frank Skinner is a dramatic and heroic accompaniment to a fine film that pays tribute to a great American.