Les Tambours de la guerre

Mangas Coloradas (Lex Barker), an Apache chief and white trader Luke Fargo (Ben Johnson) are bound by friendship and their mutual love for Riva (Joan Taylor), a Mexican-Native American girl rescued from horse thieves. Riva marries Mangas, who teaches her the warrior's ways and she later warns the Apaches of an ambush by white soldiers. When Fargo, who did not intend an attack, is injured, Riva helps him - a kindness he must choose whether or not to return when war with the Apaches erupts.

Judging by some of the reviews I read about this 1957 western you would think this is a below par western, but in my opinion it's a really good film with a sympathetic portrait of the Apaches. Here they are the ones clearly wronged, and it also depicts the clashes between Mexicans and Apaches in the beginning, which isn't always covered. It balances action, drama and conflict and even a bit of romance really well. Of course, it's not historically accurate, but I didn't expect it to be. If anything, with its colours and costumes, it looks like a comic strip, but the acting is far from juvenile- Lex Barker is really good as Mangas Colorado, giving him a human element as well as a warrior one, Joan Taylor as the Mexican who becomes his wife is given a refreshing role as a female warrior, but it's Ben Johnson who really adds some depth here as Mangas Colorado's friend. What I think was needed was a longer running time and more character developing, but I'm nitpicking. It's a really good western.

Before Cochise and Geronimo became the charismatic leaders of the Apache resistance to American invasion of their Arizona homeland, the most known of their warrior chiefs was Mangas Coloradas in this film played by Lex Barker. If you're looking for the real story of Mangas Coloradas you won't find it in War Drums.

Borrowing from the real story as told in Broken Arrow between Cochise and Tom Jeffords, War Drums has Lex Barker in a romantic rivalry between himself and white trader Ben Johnson over a Mexican prisoner Joan Taylor. When Barker comes to trade with Taylor recently taken from some low lives of her own people, Johnson is willing to bargain with Barker he's taken with her beauty and spirit. But so is Barker and it's no sale.

The romantic triangle doesn't separate the two friends, but white encroachment does and their story is the rest of the film.

Too bad the story had not any truth to it. In this story of the early Civil War years, Mangas Coloradas who was born in 1790 was already beginning his 70th year as this story unfolds. He'd been at war off and on with both Mexicans and Americans for decades. His son-in-law was Cochise who is not depicted here.

When Mangas Coloradas died in 1863 it was because of some treachery involved. His real story would make a great film.

Barker, Taylor, and Johnson and the rest of the cast give sincere performances. The film is photographed nicely in fitting Southwest locations. Mangas Coloradas deserves better though and he deserves the truth.

War Drums is directed by Reginald Le Borg and written by Gerald Drayson Adams. Its stars Lex Barker, Joan Taylor, Ben Johnson, Larry Chance and Richard H. Cutting. Music is by Les Baxter and cinematography by William Margulies.

Story pitches Barker as Apache chief Mangas Coloradas, who in spite of his strong friendship with white man Luke Fargo (Johnson), finds himself having to take arms up against his friend and his kind.

Familiar territory on the surface here, it's a story that has featured numerous times in Westerns across the decades. Yet even though the execution is sadly drab, and the ridiculous casting for some of the principal characters is irksome, the honourable intentions withing the story keep it from the dustbin.

The pro Native American angle is played with some feeling, though it required more depth and dramatic verve. Also of note is the deft handling of Taylor's character arc, who goes from being abused by all the men around her, into a warrior woman of substance, giving the pic a strong feminist bent.

Musical score is of the traditional Cowboys and Indians fare so beloved of "B" Western movie makers of the era, sitting somewhat uncomfortably with the more serious strands of the narrative. The Kanab locations in De Luxe Color are most pleasing, as is the stunt work on offer.

Though there's a few servings of action, such as ambush, Apache's fighting each other to the death, even a girl scrap! Pic never really gets out of a low gear for excitement purpose, while the ending just sort of fizzles out without fanfare. But for undemanding Western lovers there's enough here to not class it as a waste of time. 6/10

Standard Indian Western dealing with a historical character the Apache leader Red Sleeves or Mangas Coloradas who along with Cochise and Jeronimo fought ferociously against the white men. This concerns Mangas Coloradas , Lex Barker , who takes a Mexican woman , Joan Taylor , from a man who mistreated her . Meanwhile , settlers and mean prospectors break the fragile peace . Mangas Coloradas has a good friend to Fargo : Ben Johnson, who equally falls in love for the Mexican Riva : Joan Taylor, then their friendship is hardly tested. While some settler assaults and Indian raids take place. As Red Sleeves and other Apaches execute uprising against invaders and raid miners, then President Abraham Lincoln transfers troops to Fort Sumter. It is is up to Fargo to avoid a bloody and long war. The deadliest thunder that ever rolled across the west !

This is a short budget film that eventually sustains some interest for quite a while , regarding the strong fighting between the Apache tribe , Mimbreños, with leader Mangas Coloradas against the USA Cavalry , being unaccurate historically the happenings developed in the movie . As it is a highly fictionalized account of Mangas Coloradas's life , paced in fits and starts. Trio starring : Lex Barker , Joan Taylor , Ben Johnson become involved into a triangular love story , being accompanied by a so-so support cast, such as : Richard Cutting , John Pickard , John Colicos , Larry Chance and brief appearance uncredited by recently deceased Stuart Whitman .

It contains an atmospheric cinematography by William Margulies , though being really necessary a perfect remastering because of the film copy is worn-out .And thrilling, evocative musical score by Lex Baxter , this composer was regular in Roger Corman films and Samuel Z Arkoff , James H Nicholson's American International Pictures . Being produced in little budget by Howard Koch for United Artists . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Reginald Le Borg . He was a craftsman who directed several films with no much success, such as : The eyes of Annie Jones, The Black Sleep, Sins of Jezabel, The Flanagan Boy , G.I. Jane , The Dalton girls, , Wyoming Mail , Troublemakers , Joe Palooka , Philo Vance , San Diego I love you , Destiny , Jungle woman ,Port Said , Fall Guy , being his big hit : Diary of a Madman with Vincent Price . He went on directing episodes of TV series as Bronco, Maverick, The Alaskans , Sugarfoot , Bourbon Street , Death Valley Days , Wire Service , among others . Rating 4.5/10 .Mediocre , a routine , run-of-the-mill Western with limited interest , only for Western hardcore aficionados .

The friendship between a cowboy and his Indian Chief friend is threatened by a fiery Mexican woman. This minor B-Western is the kind of movie that would have feminists up in arms today, with Joan Taylor being treated like a possession to squabble over by white man, Mexican and Indian alike. The plot is largely implausible, the final act is a big anti-climax, and only about 37 of the 1000s of Apaches Lex Barker claims he can summon with a click of his fingers (or mountain-top smoke signal) actually answer his call. Watchable, though, and the forgotten Taylor looks luscious.