Retaguardia

The good thing about this movie is the sympathy toward Native Americans. The Native Americans had no immunity to smallpox or chicken pox and no medicine to treat diseases. The main character played by Guy Madison constantly showed concern toward the Native Americans although he had to fight them. Although this movie had this social issue,it still had all the rousing entertainment of most calvary movies. The movie had a lot of saluting, which sometimes became a distraction. James Whitmore was great as the seasoned veteran just as he was in "Battleground". This movie had me wanting both sides to win.

A great Western that entertains well. It is a movie, along with "Charge at Feather River", where Guy Madison plays a character that though having to fight the Indians, also understands their situation.

The chemistry between Madison's and Whitmore's characters was very well played. It is well paced with story moments and action moments fitting together well.

As a historical note, the Winchesters used by the troopers were incorrect as props but then this was a 1950s Western when no one cared about those details. Spencer Carbines would have been correct but unavailable. The one interesting gun prop is in the scene where the scouts are chased back to the column and meet up with the Capt. and others. One of the troopers is obviously holding a Schofield revolver which though quite unusual, were used by the U.S. Cavalry in small numbers.

I really hope that this movie is released on DVD someday soon.

David Butler was the Warner Bros handyman director, as Robert Z Leonard was for Metro Goldwyn Mayer, or even Sidney Landfield for Twentieth Century Fox, directors more known for musicals, comedies, light hearted dramas, forgettable and lousy stuff, but once in a while a good, solid war drama, thriller or western. Leonard gave us THE BRIBE, starring Robert Taylor, Landfield HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE, whilst David Butler made this excellent powerful western, plus KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS, JUMP INTO HELL and SAN ANTONIO. Please forget the rest. Strange that in this western, you have a B movie cast, such as Guy Madison or Jim Withmore. The first Cinemascope western which looks like a blown up B picture. As also was CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER, from thiis time a western specialist: Gordon Douglas. But taut and excellent.

This surprisingly fun western stars Guy Madison as a Doctor Robert MacClaw who finds himself in charge of his cavalry troup as a result of his commanding officer's dying order. Needless to say, the men aren't thrilled, but he wins them over with his unorthodox, yet effective, tactics against the bands of hostile Indians who stand between them and safety. Along the way his command grows to include a wagon train of settlers and two units of inexperienced infantry. Naturally, there's a romantic subplot involving one of the settlers, and a breakout of smallpox that calls upon his medical skills. The romance seems tepid and formulaic, but MacClaw's relationship with his senior officer, Sgt Elliott, is believable and strong. Despite a disturbingly high body count of Indians, the good doctor doesn't show much remorse about the slaughter. Ironically, he seems much more worried that they'll be decimated by smallpox contracted from the wagon train. Don't look for any kind of message here, however, it's just good clean fun (if you can overlook the dead Indians), with an exciting high-speed wagon chase at the end!

Although I have never seen this movie, I am studying widescreen movies of the fifties and their influence on an audience beginning to be sated with the small screen, i.e. hypnotized by the cathode ray, i.e. tainted by TV!....This one has to be one of the first westerns to use this photographic process, later to be called Panavision. According to the Widescreenmuseum website, ''Broken Lance'' was made in '54, along with the "western" "& Brides for 7 Brothers"; ''Chief Crazy Horse'' was filmed in in '55, along with ''The Kentuckian'' and ''The Man from Laramie'' .... So I am gonna call it like I see it for now - All hail Sam Fuller!