Der letzte Wagen

"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.

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.

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

Good dramatic Western with nice acting and spectacular lanscapes from Red Rock Crossing , Sedona, Arizona . Pretty tough Western with great acting and masterfully made , it stars Richard Widmark as the primitive Commanche Todd whom the others believe to be a murderer but they are forced to accept him as a leader . Todd (Richard Widmark) is son of a white missionary whose family was killed and brought up by Comanches , he exacts vendetta on the four brothers who raped and murdered his Indian wife and children . Widmark deals with the more or less racist members of a wagon train and is left with the survivors on his hands after an Indian attack . They entrust the sheriff's (George Matthews) prisoner, who is captured and dragged to trial . As they must put their lives into the hands of the scout Comanche Todd . Todd who has charismatic qualities of leadership , as he could be defined as a two-fisted hero , as he emerges from the dust to stop vengeful Indians and later on , the young settlers atttempt to escape to freedom through rugged Indian territory. While Todd falls for a drippy colonist , (Felicia Farr) . Along the way hundreds of vengeful Apaches track them down, thirsting for blood . Nothing could stop the last wagon from coming through! .To save their lives, he'll have to risk his own.

This movie has a formidable combination of fine performances, intense drama and spectacular outdoors . Director Delmer Daves aims for psychological realism with a contemporary treatment and about an innocent and harassed man who becomes leader of a group of youthful people . The plot is plain and simple some settlers result to be ambushed and massacred by the Indians whose families were slaughtered by the whites, then a few survivors trust on an expert scout despite his wanted-for-murder status. A blending of talent actors with great leading players of whom Richard Widmark holds the best character as a brave frontiersman . The hothouse plot drives mercilessly forward with action , thrills , attacks and turns . The tale is strong one and the yarn is wonderfully located against a background of Arizona mountains . Very good main cast , standiing out Richard Widmark as the white man who has lived with the Comanches most of his life and is wanted for the murder of three men , he is the great hero dysplaying an inflexible sense of purpose , contriving some complexity about his role , including a certain riveting ambiguity . From his successful beginning with Kiss of death , Street with no name , Panic in the streets , Widmark has developed a brilliant and fruitful career , specially in Western genre that include : Broken Lance , The law and Jake Wade , Warlock , The Alamo , Two rode together , How the West was won , Cheyenne Autumn , Alvarez Kelly , The way west , Death of a gunfighter , Mr Horn , When the legends die and his last one : Texas Guns . Support cast is frankly well such as : Nick Adams , Susan Kohner , Tommy Rettig , George Mathews , Douglas Kennedy ,James Drury , Ken Clark , Carl Benton Reid, Timothy Carey , Bob Reeves , Abel Fernández , among others . The literate storyline sustains interest thanks to the relationships among the misfit characters and enhanced by cinemascope cinematography by cameraman Wilford Cline . Containing gorgeous outdoors exteriors from Oak Creek Canyon, Boynton Canyon,Sedona, Red Rock Crossing, Bell Rock, Sedona, Schnebly Hill, Arizona . Being well accompanied by a sensitive and moving musical score by Lionel Newman .

This red-blooded Western was compelling and stylishly directed by Delmer Daves and superbly filmed on location . Being made in the middle of his best period-all Western- . Daves was a fine , first-rate filmmaker who mingled moral or ethic analysis , documentary , lyrism , and large open spaces . Daves made some Western masterpieces , he was one of the greatest directors . As he was a western expert, including titles as ¨Broken arrow¨, the first pro-Indian western with James Stewart , ¨Drum beat¨ with Charles Bronson, ¨The last wagon¨ with Richard Widmark , ¨The badlanders¨ with Alan Ladd and Borgnine, ¨3:10 to Yuma¨ with Glenn Ford, ¨Cowboy¨ with Jack Lemmon, ¨The return of the Texan¨ with Dale Robertson , and ¨The hanging tree¨ with Gary Cooper , among others . Rating 7/10. Better than average

This film begins with Richard Widmark being chased by a posse. In the process, Widmark kills several of the deputies until he is ultimately captured. The sheriff (along with Widmark) soon meets up with a wagon train and tags along with them until he can get his prisoner back to town for a proper hanging. As for why Widmark did all these nasty murders, he is supposedly part Comanche (he sure doesn't look it--that's because he was a white orphan raised by the tribe) and has a total disregard for society--and somehow this entitles him to kill with abandon.

Problems soon develop with the settlers. They are devout people and can't stand the way the sheriff takes pleasure in tormenting Widmark (who is now handcuffed to a wagon wheel). What happens next with Widmark and the sheriff is something you'll need to see for yourself.

Soon another parallel story begins as well. One of the ladies in the wagon train is angry because her father was previously married to an American-Indian and she has a half-sister as a result. There is obviously much hatred of the 'half-breed' sister and the racist feelings the white sister feels is a parallel to the story of Widmark. Occasionally this tension seems a bit overdone--especially since you'd think the angry white sister would have come to terms with her half-sister and the white settlers would get tired of using words like 'savage' so much. Subtle its message ain't and the one young lady in particular plays a character too unlikable and annoying to be real--the one and only real deficit in an otherwise good film.

Unfortunately for the wagon train, the land they eventually enter is Indian land. Soon, it appears that the Indians are angry about their land being invaded and it appears that all of the settlers' lives are about to be snuffed. At this point, the tables are turned and it's up to the cold-blooded killer, Widmark, to save the day--escorting the survivors to safety and teaching them to live off the land like natives.

By the way, as you watch Widmark chained to the wagon wheel and doing some stunts as well while connected to the wheel, you are impressed by how much he was willing to do for this role. Occasionally, you assume it's a stuntman doing some of the scenes but in many cases it is clearly Widmark being tossed about in this very uncomfortable manner. What a guy...and what a good film.

Overall, a very good film that is worth watching for its fine performance by Richard Widmark as well as an interesting and thought-provoking script. As I already said, the story isn't always subtle nor are a few of the characters, but it still is an earnest and enjoyable flick.