La pampa sauvage

Savage Pampas is a film with an unusual setting for the English speaking world, the pampas plains of Argentina at the end of the 19th century. The film is based on a novel Pampa Barbera and was filmed in Argentina before.

Robert Taylor is a captain in command of a garrison on the frontier, a whole lot like the American West. But he's having some big troubles. Taylor has a morale problem at the fort, the men are deserting him bit by bit because outlaw chief Ron Randell gives them an outlet for their sexual frustration, women. It's strictly stag at Taylor's post no matter how much he tries to convince the high command in Buenos Aires that his men have needs. It's also to be remembered that most of the men aren't the best quality around. They're not king and country volunteers as Clark Gable put it in Mutiny on the Bounty. In fact a whole lot of them are criminals and were given the choice of the army or prison.

Finally he does convince higher ups that some women are essential for morale, so Taylor is given an assignment of escorting some prostitutes let out for that purpose. Of course all this leads up to the inevitable showdown between Taylor and Randell.

Taylor in his one and only appearance in a spaghetti western covers some familiar ground. In Westward the Women he escorts some brides to be across the American west. He's the stern and rugged Taylor we've come to know in his later films, tough, but compassionate.

The film was photographed in Spain and two other American actors appear in it with Taylor. Marc Lawrence is a sergeant in Taylor's command and Ty Hardin plays an anarchist newspaper editor who accompanies the prostitutes because he's been given a choice, army or jail. Hardin has some biting lines, some of the best in the film and he makes the most of them.

It must have been an interesting set on Savage Pampas. On one hand we have Robert Taylor who was a friendly witness at the House Un American Activities Committee. And also Marc Lawrence who's career suffered the effects of the blacklist. I imagine things must have been tense.

Other than knowing about Evita Peron and her husband, Argentina or for that matter Latin America in general, is not a history that most Americans are taught. It's still said that Argentina is a frontier country built around a capital city. This picture shows a slice of their frontier life you might not normally be exposed to.

For that reason I recommend seeing Savage Pampas. For that reason and because it's one of the last films of one of Hollywood's truly great stars who in his last years was somewhat at sea due to the decline of the studio system.

This south-of-the-border western, (and we're talking way way south), has a lot of promising elements. There's the novel quality of its unusual setting, (the Argentine pampas in the late 1800s), attractively photographed to emphasize its sweeping openness. There's the lively situation of some lusty soldiers escorting a group of attractive hookers on a cross-country journey. There's plenty of action -- Indian attacks, knife fights, the siege inside a burning church, etc. And the cast offers an intriguing mix of macho types: Robert Taylor, Ty Hardin, and Ron Randell.

Still, the movie never succeeds in mixing these ingredients into a suitable dish because there's no recipe here, no strong plot-line to connect these elements. Too often it's simply a string of related episodes which keep you mildly interested while you're waiting for the main story to arrive and take hold.

Acting honors go to Ron Randell who makes his bandit character more interesting than the script might indicate. Robert Taylor, in his fading days and looking quite saturnine, lends a bit of dignity to the proceedings, even when he's staked out on the ground in spreadeagle style. Ty Hardin gets to display some of that twinkle-in-the-eye charm which, sadly, was often missing when he wound up in glum, humorless parts. Curiously, he's never given a chance to show off his bare chest. Casting Ty Hardin in a movie and then making him keep his shirt on is like hiring Fred Astaire and then telling him not to dance!

Western fans may or may not find enjoyment in this dusty, violent mini-epic. Fans of Spaghetti Westerns will likely enjoy it more. The film, which primarily involves the transportation of hookers across Argentinian terrain beset by Indians and rebellious deserters, has a lot going for it and a lot against it. Taylor, in one of his last roles, plays an Army Captain whose chief duty is to defend a fort and keep his men from running off and joining the opposing forces led by renegade Randell. Taylor, an actor who methodically and deliberately did everything he could to ruin his pretty-boy looks, appears wax-like and worn in most of his scenes. His growly voice comes across pretty effectively, but he is almost unbearably stoic through most of the film. However, he is put through some grueling physical torment (when his stunt double isn't doing it) that's somewhat remarkable for someone his age. He also gets off a few decent sarcastic lines, but is hard-pressed to overcome his Abraham Sofaer look and costuming. (At times his hat cord blends in with his goatee making him look like he has a long braided beard! He also has a series of unflattering head scarves which are probably authentic, but don't lend themselves to cinematic authority. Most of the cast wear diaper-like rugs between their legs....another authentic aspect which cuts down on the expectations one may have for a western style film. Some will see this as appealingly different, others may scoff at it.) Randell gets to ham it up a bit in the style that was made famous by Eli Wallach and other stronger actors (with better written parts.) Hardin (bizarrely dressed like a sexy Abe Lincoln) comes along late in the game as an anarchist who is being remanded to Army duty. He has a couple of interesting moments (and a great final scene!), but is mostly wasted. WHY wasn't he in the river with the hookers when they were bathing?? The hookers are a motley group of international actresses. It's hard to drum up much interest in most of them as their characters are only scratched upon. One thing setting apart the interest level in anyone who isn't a name brand star is the atrocious dubbing of the film. This is why those accustomed to Spaghetti Westerns may give the movie higher marks than other viewers. One male actor has a creepy, whispering sound to all of his lines. The ladies mostly have shrill, loud or gravelly voices assigned to them. Any sort of bit part sounds like it was recorded off the street. What's good about the film is it's unusual setting and it's desert scenery. Also, there are certain story elements which come across as unique or at least not overdone. (The Indians use these nasty little ball & rope weapons which are intriguing to see.) A couple of confrontations and action scenes are memorable, even if on an amusing level. (Look out for that head!) What's bad about the film is the aforementioned dubbing, the disjointed nature of the script which makes it hard at first to understand the story, and the choppy editing, unfocused direction and amateurish acting by some of the supporting players. Western diehards should find something to like, but most mainstream filmgoers will find it rough to get through.

An Argentinian Western and Taylor's oddest film, Savage Pampas is a remake of the 1946 Argentinian film Pampa Barbera. Taylor is the guardian of a wagon train of women heading for a lonely outpost in the interior in 1870. The plot is reminiscent of his Westward the Women (1952) with the difference that this time the women are prostitutes, intended to be morale boosters to stop the men of the outpost from deserting. Shot by Hollywood veteran Fregonese who co-scripted it with a strong emphasis on realism, the film got lost in the flood of Spaghetti Westerns.

Phil Hardy

In the late 1800's , in the thunderous Argentina , where the boundary between Indians and Europeans was marked by "Fortines" (little forts) manned by conscripted soldiers . There is a pillbox in the middle of the Pampa surrounded by Indian tribes , this fort is commanded by a stiff commander (José Nieto) who along with his captain named Martin (Robert Taylor as the lead) decide to bring women from Buenos Aires , for not deserting soldiers . To help do this , the captain brings in a party of women to keep his soldiers happy . Meanwhile , the army captain tries to tame the open plains of Argentina which are dominated by Indians and bandits . As the movie centers on the forced transportation of a group of women (Isabel Pisano , Rosana Monteros, Laya Raki , among others) , hookers and convicted of crimes and banished to the fortines to alleviate the loneliness of the soldiers . Being attacked by Indians and cutthroats whose gang is made up of army deserters led by Padrón (Ron Randell) .

Remake of 1946 Argentinian film ¨Pampa Barbara¨ (1946) with Luisa Vehil directed by Lucas Demare and Fregonese himself. The script is at times a little bit stilted , moody and dramatic , but does a good job of capturing the violent environment , including brutal killings and beheading , as well as breathtaking battles and gorgeous outdoors . It narrates in Spaghetti Western style the gradual rolling back of the native Indians of Argentina from their ancestral lands by the Europeans and their descendants as well as settlers , cattlemen and army soldiers . Savage Pampas is glossy and sleek , but somehow doesn't manage to rise to a superior quality . In spite of efforts towards authenticity , the film fails on some non-sense scenes and other disconcerting events . The veteran Robert Taylor in his last film plays a rugged army captain and his nemesis , a rebel deserter , is well played by Ron Randell . Fine acting all around, especially from the support cast that included some of the best secondaries of the period , usual in co-productions (Spaghetti Western , Peplum) like José Jaspe , Julio Peña, José María Caffarel , Angel Del Pozo , Milo Quesada , George Rigaud , Sancho Gracia , José Nieto , Enrique Avila , Barta Barry . Excellent production design by the Oscarized Gil Parrondo (Gil was an unfailingly good production designer in more than 80 movies over 50 years). Colorful and evocative cinematography in Superpanorama 70 by Manuel Berenguer . Thhrilling and atmospheric musical score by Waldo De Los Rios .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Hugo Fregonese , though has numerous flaws and gaps . Direction by Fregonese maintains a steady pace and is partially as good in interiors as in outdoor action scenes . Hugo Fregonese is familiar remember the Argentine director for his Hollywood work , that began with One Way Street in 1950 and included some biggies such as Blowing Wild (1953), his biggest hit . Fregonese started in Argentina, and Pampa Bárbara , first version , is the first first film he directed he is listed as co- director with Lucas Demare . He had done his apprenticeship with Demare as assistant director in two previous films. 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 and Barbara Stanwyck , ¨Decameron Nights¨with Joan Fontaine , ¨Harry Black and the tiger¨with Stewart Granger . Spent the rest of the decade in Europe directing Euro-westerns as ¨Apache's last battle¨ , this ¨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 Argentina and Spain.