Two Flags West

"Two Flags West" is a real surprise, entertaining and powerful. It contains its share of Hollywood clichés: Yankees and Rebels teaming up to fight Indians; an unhinged officer commanding a lonely outpost; a beautiful women creating tension among comrades in arms. But it's original in the way it handles them.

Jeff Chandler plays Maj. Henry Kenniston, a Union officer put in charge of a desert fort after being partially disabled by a war wound. Distrustful of Indians and bitter about his assignment, he dreams of returning to the war and taking revenge on the Confederates who hurt him and killed his brother.

Worst of all, Kenniston is obsessed with his brother's widow (played by Linda Darnell). He's an honorable man in his own way, and he feels a genuine sense of responsibility toward her. He tells himself he's keeping her at the fort for her own protection. But in his heart, he lusts after her, and he hates himself for doing so.

When reinforcements arrive at this troubled outpost, Kenniston is shocked to find that most are former Confederate POWs. They have pledged to serve the Union as Indian fighters as long as they don't have to make war on fellow Southerners.

To the already unstable major, being put in command of such troops is a crushing insult. And it doesn't help his state of mind when the Southerners' leader (played by Joseph Cotten) and an idealistic Union officer (played by Cornel Wilde) begin to show interest in the beautiful widow themselves. Kenniston soon embarks on a course of action guaranteed to alienate both the Indians and the Southerners -- and endanger the peace.

"Two Flags West" is a well plotted western, with events that flow from the characters' motivations instead of from a predictable plot. It's full of action, and its violence is grimly realistic for the time it was made.

Chandler is excellent as a complex, disastrous leader who inspires anger, pity and even some admiration in the viewer. Darnell, in one of her better roles, makes a convincing object of desire. Cotten and Wilde are fine, although they could have switched roles and still been just as effective.

Any fan of westerns ought to enjoy this a lot, and non-fans should give it a look.

This gritty western is a post-Civil War affair set in New Mexico where soldiers of the Blue and the Gray are obliged to let bygones be bygones and tame the wild frontier for westward expansion. The usual antagonisms are present in abundance, with Union officers reluctant to trust the Confederate troops and question their allegiance to the United States. A top cast is headed by Joseph Cotten and Jeff Chandler, who constantly spar with each other about men, munitions and how to meet the Indian threat. Linda Darnell is the lone femme in the cast and her presence sparks romantic interest and jealousy in equal measure at the army post. The Yank-Rebel forces manage to put their bickering aside to defend against an Indian attack that remains one of the best ever filmed. The black and white lensing is good and enhances director Robert Wise's fine film.

JEFF CHANDLER does a creditable job as tough Army Major Kenniston at Fort Thorn with a hatred of Confederate rebels. His sister-in-law LINDA DARNELL wants to go back to California from the New Mexico fort, but Chandler is smitten with her and tries to prevent the strong-willed lady from having her own way.

Meantime, two other men have their eyes on Linda--Confederate Col. Clay Tucker (JOSEPH COTTEN) and dashing Capt. Mark Bradford (CORNEL WILDE), both of whom fall for Major Kenniston's sister-in-law.

Seems the Yankees are willing to free Confederate prisoners if they're willing to help them fight off the Indians surrounding the fort. While this is the major plot driven device, the romantic sub-plots involving Chandler, Darnell, Wilde and Cotten get a fair share of time too.

It all comes together as an above average cavalry western under the crisp direction of Robert Wise, who makes the most of some excellent camera work in the rugged western settings. The story has some interesting components but takes time in setting up the various conflicts. Nevertheless, enough action and a little romance to satisfy most viewers of the genre.

Jeff Chandler is cast against type (and does a terrific job) in this big-budget western as the commander of a cavalry fort in the West during the Civil War who hates both Indians and Southerners with equal passion. With his command stripped to the minimum due to the Union's need for troops to fight the Civil War back east, Chandler is forced to accept a unit of Confederate prisoners who have volunteered to fight Indians under Union command as an alternative to rotting in POW camps. Chandler's all-consuming hatred and racism result in his killing the son of the local Indian chief, which causes the Indians to go on a rampage against the whites in the area, culminating in a massive attack against the fort itself. This is a dark, gritty and, considering the time in which it was made, brutally graphic and violent western that explores and exposes issues--racism, sexual tension, even a hint of mental illness--seldom, if ever, touched upon by westerns up to that time. The supporting performances by Joseph Cotten, Linda Darnell and especially the great--and always underrated--Arthur Hunnicutt are top-notch, but this really belongs to Chandler, and he does a tremendous job, as good as (and in some ways better than) what is usually considered to be his finest performance, that of Indian chief Cochise in "Broken Arrow" of a few years later. Chandler was never a particularly expressive or emotional actor--when he tried to be, the results sounded more like a lecture (his speech at the end of "Pillars of the Sky" is a case in point)--but his coldness works to his advantage here, which makes his bursts of anger and hatred all the more chilling. This is an intelligent and thoughtful yet also rousing and action-filled western, hardly your run-of-the-mill cavalry-vs.-Indians tale. I don't think this would be the kind of western John Ford would have made, and it's probably the better for it. Don't miss it.

You only have to look at the production credits to see that this western has the promise of being an above average yarn. And it is. When my Brother in Law asked me if I wanted to see this film, I hesitated, expecting another run-of-the-mill Cavalry show. After noting the impressive cast and behind the scenes crew, just had to take a look.

For it's year, it's a surprise in both story elements and production handling. Not having before seen Jeff Chandler take a lead role in an 'A' grade feature (and this being quite early in his tragically short career) I had not realised he was such a professional performer. It seems his Universal International years may have sold him short. His performance as an embittered commanding officer in this film is a powerful one.

For me, Multi Award winning Director Robert Wise has always been a favorite, and this western is further proof of his skillful hand. Helping Mr Wise is another multi Award winner, Director of Photography: Leon Shamroy. I was surprised that Fox did not use Techicolor for this outdoor epic, but pleased they did not. The powerful on-location settings, featuring low horizon shots and huge dramatic sky scape's, dwarf the humans as they strive to survive this hostile environment. The wonderful use of quality black and white stock, evokes the visual poetry of a John Ford classic.

Cornel Wilde, does what Wilde does best, and Cotton is reliable as always. The cast is good right down to the support players. Linda Darnell is convincing as the sole female lead and the reason for her character to be in this situation is fully believable. This beautiful woman also had a tragically short career, both Chandler and Darnell died within months of the same age (Chandler only 42 through Medical 'misadventure' ~ Darnell 41 following a house fire) The original story is above average (founded on some historical facts) it was co-written by Curtis Kenyon and Frank S. Nugent ~ two writers also known for their screenplays. Their story was then honed into a tight adaptation for the screen by the great Casey Robinson ('Kings Row' etc) Robinson also Produced this film, so had a strong interest in it's success. If you enjoy character driven action entertainment, then this could be a western for you.

The Music credits are also interesting, with Fox's resident composer, the marvelous Alfred Newman taking a back seat as: Musical Director to composer: Hugo Friedhofer (although Newman contributed some incidental music) The score adds handsomely to the powerful images. Much of the dramatic action is surprisingly graphic and superbly staged, showing considerable time and care had been taken in all areas.

I have heard 20th Century Fox sadly junked many of their B/W Negatives when the studio foolishly made the decision to make 95% of their later films in CinemaScope and Color (a poor move in terms of artistic creativity) For the DVD release, they have at least produced a good digital master from available fine-grains and release prints. Recommended, and worth buying.