Les cavaliers rouges

Before a peace contract with the natives will be signed, Captain Bradley and a bunch of outlaws try and sabotage it by faking Indian attacks on settlers. Old Shatterhand and Winnetou start searching for the members of this conspiracy.

It is a little bit strange that the movie doesn't really click, because it has all the ingredients of a typical Karl May western of that period, plus a perfect cast with Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, Daliah Lavi and Ralf Wolter as the good guys, facing excellent villains (Guy Madison, Rik Battaglia). It is somewhat too long with two hours for a rather straight story, and with its occasional brutality (even murder of a child) and carelessness for detail never develops the sense of magic that was typical for the best contributions to the series. Ultimately a disappointment.

This German western essentially begins with a Dutch family being massacred by a small band of Comanche warriors and led by a white man nicknamed "Dixon" (Rik Battaglia) who is part of a group of men seeking to stop an upcoming treaty between the American government and a nearby Apache tribe led by a chief named "Winnetou" (Pierre Brice). To help accomplish this goal, they subsequently left behind the bodies of a couple of Apache warriors in the belief that this would prevent the signing of the treaty and possibly stir up a war, which would open up additional land for them. What they don't realize, however, is that Winnetou has a white blood brother known as "Old Shatterhand" (Lex Barker) who has an uncanny ability to detect unscrupulous actions of this sort, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to expose them. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film is basically the third movie in the "Winnetou" series, following "The Treasure of the Silver Lake" and "Winnetou," produced in 1962 and 1963, respectively. Much like both of its predecessors, it features beautiful scenery and background music. In any case, although I don't consider this to be a great Western, it still managed to entertain me, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This movie stresses to Lex Barker, and Winnetou degenerates as a helping rider. For those music fans, rely on Martin Boettcher, Daliah Lavi didn' t sing a typical song. Some kind of action is worth watching the non original Karl May picturization.

Adventures , action , crossfire and gorgeous Yugoslavian exteriors magnificently photographed . Again the intimate Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in a dangerous adventure set on wonderful landscapes . As usual , at the beginning takes place an emotive meeting between and Winnetou (Pierre Brice) and Old Shatterhand (Lex Barker married Spanish Carmen Cervera and early deceased Lex , she subsequently wedded Baron Thyssen) . This time Winnetou and Old Shatterhand have to battle some renegades who attempt to break a peace treaty between White Men and Indians . As bandits trying to get the army to abandon their fort get the Indians addicted to whiskey, then convince them to attack and drive out the soldiers . Then , beloved Winnetou attempts a treaty of peace and prepares a summit between the Indian tribes and the Northern General Taylor (Charles Fawcett) . Meantime , Old Shatterland and his faithful half-brother are on the trail to chase the nasty Dixon (Rik Battaglia) . Capt. Bradley (Guy Madison) , Sergeant (Gustavo Rojo) and Dixon want to create a war between the native American tribes and the white men . Then Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and their sidekick Sam Hawkens (ordinary Ralf Wolter) try to prevent this . Old Shatterhand and Sam set out on pursuit of the bandits and prepares them a trap . Later on , Apache chief Winnetou tries to free his adopted son called Tujunga and Old Shatterhand who have been taken prisoners by a traitor captain (Guy Madison) . Apaches are joined by a Comanche party and both of them attack the fort at a spectacular scenes . At the end , Indians besiege the fort and occurs a breathtaking epilogue by means of arrows , shootouts , explosions and cannons.

This Western|Adventure results to be a pleasant episode about one of the series of popular German made Western , featuring the duo formed by valiant ¨Old Shatterhand¨ who agrees to help Indians against White traitors and immortal ¨Winnetou¨ , both of them repeat their same notorious roles as dignified as always . This enjoyable saga benefits from sensational adventures , shootouts , explosions , exciting combats , larger-than-life characters and impressive scenarios . Furthermore , a lovely support cast ,such as Daliah Lavi as a gorgeous , exotic Mestiza , the American Guy Madison , Spanish Gustavo Rojo , Italian Mirko Ellis and Gojko Mitic who is one of the most famous and most loved actors in East Germany and in the other countries in Eastern Europe and starred a lot of Indian roles . Winnetou-Pierre Brice repeats , as usual, his excellent and immortal role to be continued in a TV series. Lex Barker scores especially high marks , though he plays as a serious and intelligent frontiersman . Enjoyable relationship between Old Shatterhand and Winnetou is quite match . Pierre Brice is sensational as Winnetou , he is descendant of old French nobility , after enlisting as volunteer to the French Army and fighting in Indochina, he attended acting lessons and got a first small role in some film . In 1962, a German producer searched for an actor who should play the Native American chief Winnetou on a Western movie adapted from novels by Karl May and got to know Brice at the Berlin Film Festival. He got the role and portrayed "Winnetou" in ten more movies with his co-star Lex Barker as "Old Shatterhand". These very successful productions made him a superstar in Germany, winning several awards such as Bambi or the Golden Otto of teenager magazine "Bravo". Furthermore , received Germany's Cross of Merit, First Class as one the most popular Frenchmen in Germany . Although appearing on countless other movies and TV shows, he will always be best remembered as "Winnetou", whom he also played at the Bad Segeberg open air theater.

The highbrow Lex Barker who like his co-star and good friend Pierre Brice started a singing career and released several records and played most part of series : ¨Apache gold (1963)¨ by Harald Reinl, ¨Apaches last Battle (1964)¨ by Hugo Fregonese, ¨Last of renegades(1964)¨, ¨The desperate trail¨, ¨Old Surehand¨ (1965) directed by Alfred Vohrer, "Half-Breed" (1966)¨ by Harald Philipp, ¨In the valley of death(1968)¨ by Harald Reinl . Stewart Granger took the role in two occasions ,he starred a diverse character but the role is pretty similar to Old Shatterland , he plays with mirth and liking manner as ¨Among vultures¨ and ¨Winnetou and Surehand¨ .Besides Rod Cameron starred only one : ¨Old Firehand¨ in which chemistry between stuffy Cameron and Brice is inexistent . The film displays a colorful cinematography in Superpanorama 70 , filmed in Atelier, Spandau, Berlin, Germany (studio) and location Krka Falls, Krka National Park, Croatia , Krute, Popovo Polje, Tresbisnica river,Yugoslavia ,Ulcinj, Montenegro . Catching , sensitive musical score ,though with excessive use of synthesizer by Italian Riz Ortalani , replacing Martin Bottcher , series' ordinary , being eventually substituted in some episode by Peter Thomas . The motion picture produced by Artur Brauner Productions - still successfully working- was professionally directed by Hugo Fregonese . Hugo was an Argentina director who emigrated to Hollywood, then became technical adviser on latino themes at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, and subsequently under contract at Universal from 1950 to 1952 filming ¨Man in the attic¨ with Jack Palance , ¨Blowing wild¨with Gary Cooper , ¨Decameron Nights¨with Joan Fontaine , ¨Harry Black and the tiger¨with Steart Granger . Spent the rest of the decade in Europe directing Euro-westerns as ¨Savage Pampas¨ and potboilers as "The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse" , Terror as "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" before finishing his career back in the country of his birth . Rating : 6 , acceptable and passable . Worthwhile seeing for marvelous landscapes and breathtaking outdoors from Yugoslavia and Croatia.

As other reviewers have already pointed out, this sure is not the best movie in the series. The cast is actually with the usual suspects and a refreshing Dalilah Lavi. And she is the one who gives us a first in the Karly May movies, she shows some fur and takes a nude bath ;-)