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Fort Apache (1948)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
9 March 1948 (USA) morePlot:
In John Ford's sombre exploration mythologising of American heroes, he slowly reveals the character of Owen Thursday... more | add synopsisAwards:
2 wins & 1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
A Sweeping Tour of the new USC School of Cinematic Arts, including Special Appearances by George Lucas & Steven Spielberg - Part One (From The Hollywood Interview. 20 April 2009, 11:48 PM, PDT)
(From The Hollywood Interview. 20 April 2009, 4:52 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Very thoughtful, penetrating moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| John Wayne | ... | Capt. Kirby York | |
| Henry Fonda | ... | Lt. Col. Owen Thursday | |
| Shirley Temple | ... | Philadelphia Thursday | |
| Pedro Armendáriz | ... | Sgt. Beaufort (as Pedro Armendariz) | |
| Ward Bond | ... | Sgt. Maj. Michael O'Rourke | |
| George O'Brien | ... | Capt. Sam Collingwood | |
| Victor McLaglen | ... | Sgt. Festus Mulcahy | |
| Anna Lee | ... | Mrs. Emily Collingwood | |
| Irene Rich | ... | Mrs. Mary O'Rourke | |
| Dick Foran | ... | Sgt. Quincannon | |
| Guy Kibbee | ... | Capt. Dr. Wilkens | |
| Grant Withers | ... | Silas Meacham | |
| Jack Pennick | ... | Sgt. Daniel Schattuck | |
| Ray Hyke | ... | Lt. Gates (Adjutant) | |
| Movita | ... | Guadalupe (Col. Thursday's cook) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
125 min | West Germany:84 min (cut version)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Certification:
Australia:G | Iceland:L | West Germany:6 (nf) | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #12819) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:S | Spain:T | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) (2002)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The "Apache" Indians were really members of the Navajo tribe. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Col. Thursday leads a company "at a striking distance" from a repair patrol lead by Lt. O'Rourke. Sgt. Mulcahey is part of O'Rourke's patrol, but when the action shifts to show Col. Thursday's company in a saber charge against the Apache's there is a clear shot of Sgt. Mulcahey riding next to the flag bearer with his saber drawn. Note: this scene was duplicated from Col. Thursday's final charge against Cochise. moreQuotes:
[the regiment has arrived near the Apache's encampment]Lt. Col. Thursday: I propose, Captain Yorke, to deploy the men: two troops to the north, one to the east. You will then converge on the encampment.
Captain Yorke: I wouldn't do that, sir.
Lt. Col. Thursday: I'm not asking your advice, Captain. I'm merely stating.
Captain Yorke: The Apaches, sir, are neither to the north nor the east. Nor are they in their encampment. But if you'da been watching the dust swirls to the south, like most of us, you'd see that they're right there!
[points to the Apaches coming over the rise]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Rockford Files: Three Day Affair with a Thirty Day Escrow (#5.7)" (1978) moreSoundtrack:
Sweet Genevieve moreFAQ
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Fort Apache
This beautifully shot western--the first in John Ford's so-called Cavalry Trilogy--about a fatuous Lieutenant (Henry Fonda) whose hubris seriously endangers an isolated frontier outpost, grabbed me by the throat in its quietly scathing indictment of military leaders who needlessly risk the lives of their soldiers to win vague notions of heroism for posterity.
Fonda's Lieutenant Colonel Thursday seems an obvious stand-in for General Custer and the film, despite its reputation, seems less derogatory toward Native Americans than keen to extol the virtues of honorable combat agreed upon between two forthright leaders. Note the penultimate scene, occurring after the massacre, in which Wayne, Thursday's successor, wearily addresses reporters eager to talk about Thursday's `legacy': A glossy portrait of the Lieutenant lords over the room, as Wayne discusses Thursday's merits, while looking out fondly at his battalion, their reflection superimposed over Wayne's gaze. This film is not anti-war, rather pro-service and pro-battle. It is not, however, supportive of egregious fronts to the sanctity of human life; a rather interesting contra-distinction, to be sure.