Tomahawk - Scure di guerra

Battle of Powder River (AKA: Tomahawk) is directed by George Sherman and adapted for the screen by Sylvia Richards & Maurice Geraghty from a story by Daniel Jarrett. It stars Van Heflin, Yvonne de Carlo, Alex Nicol, Preston Foster, Jack Oakie, Tom Tully, John War Eagle and Susan Cabot. It's a Technicolor production filmed on location in the Black Hills of Dakota, with music by Hans J. Salter and photography by Charles P. Boyle.

"This is the Laramie Conference. A powder keg that may explode at any moment. It would take little to light the fuse. There are important and powerful men here. On one side the leaders of the Sioux nation-on the other representatives of the United States. But on this day it will take a great man to see both sides-Jim Bridger: pioneer, trapper and scout, is such a man."

Coming a year after Delmer Daves' excellent and similarly themed Broken Arrow, Battle of Powder River appears to have been lost in the mix of Westerns sympathetic to the Indians. Much like Broken Arrow, and for that matter Devil's Doorway (1950) as well, this is propelled by a magnetic and strong central lead performance. Van Heflin as Jim Bridger gives the film a believability factor, important for a film that's based around historical events in Montana Territory 1876/7. Thankfully the film built around Heflin isn't too bad either. The plot essentially involves Bridger, a man who married a Cheyenne woman, caught in the middle of an impending war between the Indians and the American military. The army are ordered to build a road and fort on land previously ceded to the Sioux by a previous treaty. This they want to do because of gold having been discovered in the Dakota's. Bridger sets about trying to keep peace but is undermined by personal conflicts and violent bigots like Lieut. Rob Dancy (and effective rascal turn by Alex Nicol).

Naturally for a film of this type, budget, era and running time, it's not an actual history lesson, so folk should not expect as such. But the makers are thoughtful as regards the events of the time and neatly tell their story via the fluctuating perspectives of the characters standing either side of the brewing conflict. It's also nicely shot by Sherman (The Battle at Apache Pass/Comanche) and Boyle (Horizon's West/Gunsmoke), the location work integral to the plot so as to understand what these people were ultimately fighting for. While Salter scores it in standard Cavalry Vs Indians style. The minor problems come with de Carlo's character and the shortness of the action. The former, admittedly lovely in Technicolor, serves only as romantic surplus who does a real dumb thing, and the latter is annoying since Sherman was more than capable of crafting exciting action (for example see the finale of The Battle at Apache Pass). Here the final battle of the title is swift and basically a compilation of charge and be felled sequences, while a buffalo scene is all too brief and only hints at what excitement could have been garnered from that passage of play. Annoyances for sure, but not enough to drag the piece down to B movie fodder territory.

Although it's trumped by two, thematically similar and better movies the previous year, the story, Heflin and the scenery make this a must see for the Western fan. 7.5/10

When the US breaks a treaty with the Sioux in order to access gold on Indian land, the specter of war looms.

Wow!—this may be the biggest big sky movie of all time. Those blue and white expanses almost swallow up the viewer in their awesome majesty. This is a really underrated Western that I expect got lost in Universal's crowd of Technicolor oaters of the time. But it's got a superior script that dares to put Indian rights on the same level as the settlers', plus outstanding photography and first-rate performances from Heflin and Foster. Then too, DeCarlo really looks good in Technicolor. Also, I detected only one exterior set—the Heflin- DeCarlo conflab in the forest. Pretty good for lower-budget Universal.

I'm especially glad they used real Indians in close-ups instead of the usual Hollywood types made-up to look evil. That way, the 'original Americans' are humanized, and we become more aware of the real costs involved in Winning the West. But notice, those good intentions don't extend to all the Sioux. Hollywood reverts to form by dressing up a comely white girl (Cabot) as the Indian maiden, instead of using a real Indian girl. At the same time, Monahseetah has few lines so a professional actress wasn't really needed. So draw your own conclusions.

The action is pretty much standard, except for the massed attack on the equipment wagons. There, the script makes clear that it's the white man's technology that triumphs and not his superior fighting skills. However, I wondered why the Sioux didn't attack in steady waves instead of in intervals that give the soldiers time to re-load. And catch that final scene in the fort. That's certainly no cliché.

I don't know how much of the story is based on fact, but however much, it at least makes you think. Anyway, this is a grandly scenic, gutsy Western, definitely underrated, and deserving of more than just a few scattered showings.

Just found a video of Tomahawk at a yard sale. The filming itself was beautiful in glorious Technicolor! If you are a Western fan you will like this one, so give it a watch if you have the opportunity. Van Heflin played Jim Bridger the famous mountain man and scout. Mr. Heflin was a wonderful actor, but I think I would have chosen someone else to play the legendary Bridger. He just didn't seem rough and tough enough for the part. Maybe he did such a good job in Shane that I type cast him myself. Still, he did a very good acting job in this one. Good old Jack Oakie was the side kick and added the light touch of humor. His acting experience was always welcome in any movie. Another great character actor, Tom Tully, ran a traveling medicine type wagon show with Yvonne De Carlo as his assistant. I don't remember seeing her lovelier. Preston Foster as the always reliable man in charge as the commander of the fort. Alex Nicol played his part well as the bad guy (who kills Indians from hate). An early bit part for Rock Hudson as Hanna. By the look on his sleeve he was a corporal. Watch fast or you will miss him. Ann Doran was Preston Foster's wife Mrs. Col. Carrington, always a reliable actress (remember her as James Dean's mother in Rebel Without A Cause?) The very lovely Susan Cabot played an Indian girl who travels with Jim Bridger since her family was killed by the Chivington gang (Susan was murdered in 1986 by her son who suffered from dwarfism). Red Cloud was played very ably by John War Eagle. He was a veteran of many movies and TV work, mostly westerns such as Winchester 73, Annie Get Your Gun with Betty Hutton, Sgt. Preston, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill Jr, Roy Rogers show, etc. Capt. Fetterman was played by Arthur Space a long time character actor along with Russell Conway as Major Horton another great character actor. It is just a good old fashioned Western with plenty of action. Don't worry about historical facts or get caught up in the old treatment of Native Americans debate. We are all aware that the Indians got a raw deal in many a treaty and that white, black and red people were murdered without reason. The movie is meant to entertain. Let it do its job and just enjoy the movie for what it is. Well worth watching!

It's 1866 in the Wyoming territory, and the US government is trying to forge a treaty with the Sioux for access through the region to gold-rich Montana. The natives reluctantly agree thanks to the intervention of white friend-to-the-Indian Jim Bridger (Van Heflin). The army sets up a new fort to protect the trail, and Bridger agrees to work as a scout for them, but he has a secret ulterior motive. Things at the fort get more complicated when traveling entertainer Julie Madden (Yvonne De Carlo) is forced to take shelter there.

This was a rare sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans for the time, depicted as a noble people continuously mistreated by the US government yet hopelessly outmatched and with nothing but the end to look forward to. There's also a compelling plot involving revenge for a long-ago injustice. Unfortunately, not a lot really happens in the movie, and what does happen is very predictable. De Carlo, once again looking ravishing, has little to do, and only serves a single purpose in the plot. Jack Oakie is also wasted as a fur-trapper companion to Heflin

The flick gets noisy action , crossfire , spectacular raids , a love story , and intrigue is slowly but surely built up , being quite entertaining . This Cavalry vs. Indians Western , set in 1866 , deals with hostilities emerging when US government builds a road and a fort in territory ceded by previous treaty to the Sioux led by Red Cloud (John War Eagle) who refuses to surrender himself , as a spark to bring a violent war . It stars Jim Bridger (Van Heflin) serving as a guide and adviser , and whose Cheyenne killed spouse led him to watch the conflict from both sides . Bridger is sent by Col. Carrington (Preston Foster) to aid the army in bitter fighting the savage and hated Sioux and to end the uprisings in Indian territory . As Jim Bridger -though initially hostile due to wrenching personal issues and old sinister conflicts- , along with his colleague Sol Beckworth (Jackie Oakie) another mountain man, fur trapper, army scout and explorer , both of whom join army , fighting side-by-side for the glory of the West . Nevertheless , nasty bigot lieutenant Dancy (Alex Nicol) is reluctant to this unusual alliance and distrusts having the famous scout as ally . Then , Dancy leads his regiment on a wild chase across the plains and hills in this saga of the old west . Dancy and his US cavalry squares off rampaging Sioux . Dancy participated at the massacre at Sand Creek in 1864 , -killing a lot of Indians , majority of whom were women and children- along with John Chivington who led a bloody militia in Colorado Territory with his heinous Volunteers who were responsible for several deaths . Along the way Bridger tries to win the heart of a beautiful woman named Julie Madden (Yvonne De Carlo) .

This moving movie is an epic portrait of the historic story about the celebrated Indian Sioux battles against the USA cavalry , being inaccurate historically , though at the final re-enacts the 'Fetterman Massacre' , an actual event that took place in 1866 . The picture gets Western action , shootouts , romance , breathtaking raids on wagons as well as fort , colorful outdoors with big skies wonderfully photographed by Charles Boyle and turns out to be fun . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians, production values and pleasing results . At the ending , when takes place the Indian assault , possesses all the sweep , grandeur and noisy action of the greatest Westerns of an age long past . Nice acting from a great cast . As Van Heflin is good as the known scout who attempts to keep the peace between US cavalry and Indians . Heflin gives stature to the role , providing sincerity and bravura . And two beautiful starlets : Yvonne De Carlo as gorgeous and pleasant woman , and other wonderful girl , Susan Cabot as Indian Monahseetah . Support cast is frankly excellent , such as : Alex Nicol , Preston Foster , Jack Oakie , John War Eagle , Ann Doran , Stuart Randall , brief appearance by Rock Hudson and special mention for the veteran Tom Tully .

The film is freely based on James Felix Bridger's (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) life who was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820–1850, as well as mediating between native tribes and encroaching whites . He was of English ancestry , and his family had been in North America since the early colonial period . He would come to know many of the major European American explorers of the early west, including Kit Carson, George Armstrong Custer, Hugh Glass, John Frémont, Joseph Meek, and John Sutter. Bridger was part of the second generation of mountain men and pathfinders who explored the American West that followed the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804. In fact , while exploring in order to find an alternative overland route to the South Pass, Bridger found what would eventually be known as Bridger's Pass , it would later be the chosen route for both the Union Pacific Railroad and later Interstate 80.

The motion picture was professionally directed by George Sherman in B-style , though has some flaws . Sherman made reliable low-budget fare for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years , where he directed this ¨Tomahawk¨ . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ , ¨war arrow¨, and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. ¨Tomahawk¨ Rating : 6.5/10 . Well worth watching