Der letzte Wagen

This story chronicles the trials of a fugitive half-breed and the survivors of an Indian attack on a wagon train. Richard Widmark is the tough, steely hero who aims to guide the survivors to safety through the desert and clear his name in a murder case. The plot is basically one of survival and redemption and the picture fleshes out Widmark's character in dramatic fashion, first as an abused prisoner, then as a trail savvy outsider who must bring to safety folks who dislike him because of his reputation. The film has fine action scenes but tends to dwell on the attitudes of the young whites who resent being dependent on Widmark, yet realize they need him to pull them out of harm's way. Felicia Farr is good as the woman who falls for Widmark in spite of his troubled past, as are Susan Kohner and Stephanie Griffin, the latter as a high-strung lass with a quick temper. Nick Adams and Tommy Rettig do fine in their roles and round out the survival party. The cinematography and music are top notch.

"The Last Wagon" is the very first movie I ever went nuts over; and I've been a movie fan ever since. I was nine and I didn't even want to go to the movies that Saturday night. But my parents wanted to see "Bus Stop" and they didn't want to get a baby sitter for me and my three year old brother, so they dragged us along. But they had made a mistake when reading the starting times of the films and when we got to the theater, "The Last Wagon", not "Bus Stop" was starting. From the moment Richard Widmark shot the first bad guy even before the opening credits and the enveloping overture, I was hooked on him, the western scenery, the action, the anthropological dramatization of Comanche vs. Apache tribal hostilities at the same time that all Native American cultures were being wiped out by encroaching white "civilization", and the enthralling background music. When the co-feature of "Bus Stop" concluded, I wanted to stay to see "The Last Wagon" again. My parents had to drag me out.

Richard Widmark stars as Comanche Todd, a white man raised by Comanches and under arrest for murder. Deep in hostile Apache territory in 1873 he soon finds himself the leader of a small group of youths from a wagon train. Will they make it out alive? And, even if they do, can Todd escape the sentence of death-by-hanging?

Shot on location in Sedona, Arizona, at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, this is a gorgeous-looking Western. Not only is the plot engaging, the characters, cast and practically everything else are well done. The film successfully takes you back to the late 1800s and gives a good glimpse of what it must have been like to travel out West during that time.

Felicia Farr and Susan Kohner stand out in the supporting cast; both beautiful in different ways. Each youth has his/her issues and grows much as a result of their experiences with Comanche Todd in the dire situation. For instance, Susan (Jolie) is ashamed that she's half-Indian but Todd teaches her to be proud of who and what she is. Others hate Todd for being an "injun lover" but later see the error of their ways. Todd himself is lost in in a fog of bitterness & revenge but a new prospect is thrown in his lap. Can he get over his disillusionment to see the blessing in his current situation? This is just a taste of the character arcs in the story.

Christianity and Christians are actually portrayed in a positive light. Yet so are the beliefs/practices of the AmerIndians. The film does a good job of taking the middle road with the settlers and the Indians. Not to mention, the Indians are portrayed realistically, unlike some 50's Westerns where you just roll your eyes at their silly depiction.

Aside from the dated score (which isn't bad, just dated), the negative I can cite would be some quaintness. But the film makes up for it with a quality end-commentary on the nature of universal justice.

The film runs 1 hour, 39 minutes.

GRADE: A-

The Last Wagon is not in the Premier League of great westerns; but it should be. Delmer Davis has fashioned an exciting, pacey film, which has all the finest ingredients of the American West.The story is never less than interesting and absorbing,and sometimes superlative. Richard Widmark plays Commanche Todd perfectly, displaying ruthlessness, kindness, charm and craggy reliability, in equal measure.The Widmark easy grin trademark is evident, which only he can switch on, lending light relief to a grim story.

But for me the film is notable for a love scene that compares easily with that of the famous train meeting between Cary Grant and Eve Marie Saint in North by Northwest. Felicia Farr as Jenny, and Todd, fetch up in the rocks of the wild prairie, and Todd makes his move. Then follows a curiously compelling verbal exchange that is achingly romantic,full of blossoming love and yearning, and charged with heady excitement.You can almost hear Farr's rapid heart beating. For one brief moment Felica Farr makes herself the most desirable women on the planet.When the kiss comes it makes your heart sigh. Then it's back to the action, and the film pulses along to a satisfying conclusion. But it will be Farr's breathlessness, sensuality and desirability that lingers in the mind.There have been countless Screen Goddess's;but only a few like Felicia Farr and Eve Marie Saint, have been able to effortlessly radiate true sex appeal

We open with a pursuit of a man across Canyon Of Death {Oak Creek Canyon}, the man being pursued is Comanche Todd. Todd is a white man with Comanche blood coursing thru his veins, he's also a wanted man, wanted for the murder of three men. After his capture by Sheriff Bull Harper, Todd and his captor run into a wagon train of Christian settlers who suffer an attack by the Apache. Severely depleted and ill equipped to deal with the terrain and threat of further attacks, the remaining settlers must put their trust in Todd to hopefully steer them all to safety.

The Last Wagon is one in a long line of Westerns that feature a similar plot, but this Delmer Daves {Dark Passage & 3:10 to Yuma} picture is a touch above many of the others due to having a few things in its favour. Primarily the picture's major draw card is the performance of Richard Widmark as Todd. In what could have been a by the numbers character, Widmark fills the role out with a sort of resentful angst. Resentful and angry angst that is coated with delicate flecks of romanticism! With the romantic plot strand here being no hindrance at all. In fact the romance here with Felicia Farr's {delightful performance} Jenny is sexy and mixes well with the dramatic core of The Last Wagon's being. As a character study of a group of people under duress, Daves and his co writer, James Edward Grant, have excelled and broken away from maudlin tendencies so rife in films of this ilk. Virtues and vices come under the microscope, as does the art of being humanitarian, regardless of circumstance and being armed with basic facts or foolishly acting on hearsay.

Also containing some beautiful location work at the afore mentioned Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona {filmed in Cinemascope and Technicolor}, it's most certainly looking like a film that has apparently been forgotten outside of the Widmark and Western purists. And that's a damn shame, because although the ending doesn't quite sit right with all that has gone before it, it's a fine Western picture just begging to be discovered by any prospective newcomers to an often derided genre. 8/10