Broken Arrow

Starring: James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, Debra Paget, Basil Ruysdael
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Rating: R
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance
1950

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: While the war between American pioneers and the Apache has waged for years, an Army scout (James Stewart) tired of the fighting decides to try to broker a peace agreement with Cochise (Jeff Chandler).

Review:

Tim: Broken Arrow is in some ways a landmark film because it portrayed the Native Americans in a multidimensional manner. They were not one-dimensional villains, but human beings- with their own worries, beliefs, hopes, and plans. This is not something that happened very often in Hollywood, and it is pretty remarkable that this movie was made when it was. In fact, the Indians are not just portrayed as human beings, but in some ways, the "white man" becomes the villain of the movie. This is pretty amazing to see.

I love that this film and those involved had the courage to make this movie in 1950. James Stewart had been in a number of westerns already, and had fought those stereotypical evil Indians. It was very nice to see a change of pace here, with a more realistic portrait of the Native Americans. I was especially impressed with the way Cochise was portrayed- as a man of honor, and a man of his word. He is character that deserves the respect of even his enemies.

I am a huge James Stewart fan, and it was nice to see him in this film. He was always so terrific in westerns, and that is the case again here. He just had such charisma and came across so likeable on screen. He makes the perfect protagonist, and it was fun watching him in this film. I believed his respect for the ways of the Indians. I have to mention one big flaw in the film, though. In the movie, he falls in love with Sonseeahray, played by sixteen year old Debra Paget. At 41, Stewart was 25 years older than her. That just came across as very weird to me. I don't doubt that this might have been historically accurate in some sense, but it never sat right with me, and I admit I cringed a little every time they embraced. Their age difference is beyond obvious. I wish that they found an older actress for the part. This pains me to say, because I thought Paget was very impressive for being so young. Her line readings are a bit wooden, but that plays into the whole Indian concept. Still, her acting was good, and it isn't easy to do that against such a legend like Stewart.

Jeff Chandler is fairly good as Cochise, but it is pretty apparent that this is a white actor playing a Native American hero. I suppose that even though Hollywood was trying with this film, it still couldn't go all the way. Despite that, Chandler does embody the characteristics of Cochise, and he comes across as an honorable man whom we can respect. That is a pretty good achievement.

This film was fairly entertaining, but I thought it did drag in a few places. There wasn't a great deal of action, and it could have used just a little bit more. Some of it might be because the whole film centers around the Americans and the Apache brokering a peace agreement, and we already know how the whole story ends eventually- the Indians are basically wiped out and the white man takes all their lands. This prevented the film from achieving a great deal of suspense. I also had a hard time buying the romance between Stewart and Paget. I know I mentioned this already, but it hurt the movie in my eyes.

While I love the effort of Broken Arrow, I do wish the movie had been just a bit more entertaining. Stewart has made some truly terrific westerns. While this is certainly a good movie, I don't think it measures up to some of his best. In that way, this movie is just a bit disappointing. Still, I enjoyed it and the message it tried to send. While this might not be the greatest movie, it is certainly an important one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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