Forte T

This is the only French & Indian War movie I've seen besides NORTHWEST PASSAGE, plus re-run some episodes of the TV series by the same name (on TNT a while back).

This particular movie isn't too great. No remarkable cast. No big action scenes. George Montgomery sounds to be reading any of his longer lines from cue cards. The story is boring and unoriginal.

One thing I did like -- in every battle scene characters throw knives, spears, tomahakws etc. right at the camera and the objects look to flying right at you. On the big screen or sitting next the TV this will make you jump every time.

AMC has a pretty decent quality print. But I had no 3D glasses, so the movie looked normal rather than the original 3D format.

This Fort Ti (1953) results to be a quickie with lack luster and low budget but it manages to be at least an enjoyable adventures movie because packing action enough , spectacular battles , sensational outdoors and outlandish cliffhanger situations abound . Exciting picture with open-air spectacular scenes starts depicting in a foreword : ¨This is a story of our early America..of the century of conflict with French and Indians .. when necessity made simple men, unknown to history, into giants in daring and endurance ¨. Set against the backdrop of the French and Indian war in colonial America, during Seven Years War , when the British soldiers attempt to route the French Army from Fort Ticonderoga. Meanwhile , General Amherst (Lester Matthews) and Major Rogers (Howard Pretie) , the Rangers' Chief, are taking the strategic fort , Capt. Jed Horn (George Montgomery) has to carry out a dangerous rescue of prisoners including his sister (Cicely Browne) and nephews . Along the way , Jed Horn in love with two gorgeous girls : Running Otter (Phyllis Fowler) and Fortune Mallory (Joan Vohs). You live it all ! 3 Dimensions . From the first kiss to last killing you live it in 3Dimensions . The first great outdoor epic in 3-Dimensions . The Frontier Flames ! .....as Roger's Rangers ride, fight and love...at the savage siege of Fort Ti! . Amazing Thrills in Color by Technicolor !

This stirring picture is packed with breathtaking battles , heroism , heartbreaking scenes and blood-letting deeds . These events describing the troop of Rogers' Rangers battling the hostile Indians and French Army were previouly depicted in the historical Northwest Passage (1940) by King Vidor based on the novel by American author Kenneth Roberts, portraying the happenings of Rogers' Rangers' raid on the Abenaki town of St. Francis . In this Fort Ti (1953) also appears the Roger's Rangers and their khaki green outfits, but we already knew them thanks to King Vidor who had made them the main characters in his film with Spencer Tracy who played Major Rogers , a role held here without much conviction by Howard Petrie . It is therefore better to turn again to this film in a completely different scale , that's why William Castle hasn't an epic meaning , neither rigor , whether in terms of writing or directing , the most obvious evidence being the regarding the Passage in a few sequences and from one shot to another , from one set piece to another without being ellipses, at all . Despite all this, we can nevertheless smile at the extreme naivety of certain scenes , at the sight of totally grotesque special effects like the lousy bats , or the botcher stuntmen sometimes seeming to jump on trampolines during action sequences lamentably filmed . And embarrassing in listening to the sharp accent of French soldiers or even the functional settings , made on the leftover sets from previous movies . In fact , the producer Sam Zimbalist (Robot Monster, Cat women of the moon ) is known for short-budget productions. He fashioned a group of films using stocks originally shot since former films . The brave starring is the good-looking George Montgomery, a famous actor of B movies . He was born to Ukranian immigrants and was a heavyweight boxer previously becoming a player . Plus was an excellent craftsman and built and designed homes, besides a self-taught artist creating bronze busts for notorious actors . He starred films around the world and diverse genres : Adventures (this one and Steel Claw) , Warlike ( Battle of Bulge and Hell of Borneo ) and especially Western ( Seminola, Fort Ti, Last of badmen, Durango) . The main cast and secondary support giving passable performances with special mention for prolific secondary Howard Petrie as Robert Rogers , Irving Bacon as Montgomery's sympathetic and hilarious colleague , capable actor Lester Matthews as General Amherst, James Seay as Montgomery's brother-in-law and Ben Astar as his friend Francois Leroy , Louis Miller as a French spy and the eye candy at the sight of the very pretty actress Joan Vohs , the only real compensation/consolation in front of so much mediocrity.

The motion picture was regularly directed by William Castle , holding a historical interest : to be the first film to be given a television screening in 3-D . Filmmaker Castle was an expert craftsman with some of the all-time great schlock names serving as the producer Sam Katzman and fondness for gimmicks as proved in his successful terror films such as : House of haunted hill , The Tingler , Mr Sardonicus , Strait-jacked , Homicidal , Macabre and 13 Ghosts . Castle emulated Alfred Hitchcock , this included the practice of appearing in the trailers, and even making cameo appearances in his films . In addition , he made several Westerns , such as : 1955 Duel on the Mississippi , 1955 The Gun That Won the West ,1955 El Americano , 1954 Masterson of Kansas , 1954 The Law vs. Billy the Kid , 1954 Jesse James vs. The Daltons , 1954 Battle of Rogue River , 1953 Fort Ti , 1951 cave of outlaws. Rating : 5.5/10 . Average but passable and acceptable.

I first saw Fort Ti as a kid at the local movie house during the 3D fad years. I thought it was great and memories of the movie stayed with me over the years. Some great action sequences that worked well with the 3D process, but did not seemed forced. I give director William Castle credit for weaving in the the action scenes better than some of the other directors handling the 3D process at the time. I disagree with other commentators, that there are no major stars in the film. George Montgomery was at the time a major actor in westerns and action films and would later star in his own television western series. Seeing the film in recent years on the Encore Western channel, I see a lot lacking in terms of the story and the acting I that missed as a youngster caught up in the 3D action, diving in my seat when a thrown tomahawk appeared to be flying off the screen

"Fort Ti" starts off well enough, with an interesting plot, which then starts to fall to pieces, with some unconvincing elements. The main female lead, Fortune Mallory, retains her glamour and an ornate hair-style despite her privations, the Rangers twice attack the French without the latter noticing their quite visible approach until the last moment, and there's some very rapid reloading of muskets off-screen during the short siege of the cave.

There's also an unnecessary three-cornered romance.

The version I saw, courtesy of Youtube, had some poor editing mid- film, with a couple of sudden leaps; this may have been due to whoever posted it messing around a bit.

In quality, well behind other films portraying the same period that come to mind: "North West Passage", "Drums along the Mohawk" and two versions of "Last of the Mohicans". But a bit better than "Mohawk".

There have hardly been any films made in the United States about the French and Indian war period. This one is in my judgment not-overly-well-directed but it is very-well-acted indeed. It boasts attractive and laid back George Montgomery as a Jed Horn, frontier ranger, the fine classical actor Howard Petrie as Robert Rogers, the Rangers' Chief, Irving Bacon as Montgomery's capable and comical sidekick, very good actor Lester Matthews as General Amherst, Phyllis Fowler as Running Otter, in love with Montgomery, James Seay as Montgomery's brother-in-law, gorgeous and able Joan Vohs as Fortune Mallory, Ben Astar as his friend Francois, Louis Miller as a French spy and Cicely Browne as Montgomery's sister. The plot and screenplay by Robert E. Kent I find to be complex and filled with good characters. Horn and his partner take reports to General Amherst from Rogers, and soon pick up new recruits and march north, to help stop a French-lead Indian attack. An added problem is the capture of Horn's sister, a coercion by a French spy aimed at forcing his brother-in-law to betray secrets of the Rangers' and the British army's movements. Horn and his partner rescue lovely Fortune Mallory from a lecherous brave and take her to be left with Francois, his trapper friend and with his wife, who's in love with Montgomery. She says she escaped from the fort; but he does not believe her. The brother-in-law takes a false report to the Fort as planned, to French General Montcalm and his spy master, then accuses Horn when he is noticed sneaking back of being inhuman, only caring about killing. Rogers tells Horn that after the war, he will be fine again. The spy master had also offered the brother-in-law $5000 to kill Rogers. Next day, the Rangers attack new but misplaced French cannon and outworks; and Horn saves his brother's life. Horn and his friend Wash escort Fortune to stay with Francois, and we learn the man is a patriot running a supply operation vital to Rogers' men. Horn finds himself falling in love with Fortune. Running Otter begs him to let her be part of his life; he refuses. In anger, she goes to the Fort and betrays their operation, then accuses Fortune of having been the traitor. She of course later swears she did not tell. Horn and Rogers come back and note that the house dog has not barked at all. They get seven or eight men to play drunken Frenchmen and approach Francois's house. Once inside, they overcome the French soldiers there and free their people. Francois tells Running Otter he forgives her, and says they can start new somewhere else; but she kills herself and he is grief-stricken. Horn and Rogers find the information supplied to the French has misled the enemy, but they are now trying run a cable across the river to prevent Amherst's boats from approaching Fort Ti, their prime target. They attack the party and stop the French operation cold. Then Rogers lets Fortune lead the partner and a still-doubting Horn to the Fort. They are able to sneak in, free his sister and the children captured earlier, and engineer a mass escape of English prisoners. Chased to an Indian burial ground, they hide by night. The climax comes as French soldiers attack them. Will Rogers arrive in time to save them? Will he be able to take Fort Ticonderoga? You will have to watch to find out. The music is mostly stock, but the cinematography by Lester H. White is above-average. The art direction by Paul Palmentola is also worthy of mention and the period set decorations by Sidney Clifford are outstanding and believable. Visual effects by Julian Gunzburg included some telegraphed and some more-subtle three-d achievements. But this film also led to a spate of colonial films in the 1950s, and the great series "Northwest Passage", on TV. shortly afterward; so it has been very influential, and incidentally helped the careers of Vohs and Montgomery for several years thereafter. A personal favorite.