Fort Apache

Starring: John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendariz, Ward Bond, George O'Brien, Victor McLaglen, John Agar, Anna Lee, Irene Rich, Dick Foran, Miguel Inclan, Grant Withers
Directed by: John Ford
Rating: Passed
Genre: Western
1948

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An army veteran (John Wayne) clashes with the new lieutenant colonel (Henry Fonda) who has his own way of leading and dealing with the Indians.

Review:

Tim: I feel like there's a good deal to unpack with John Ford's Fort Apache. In the world of Westerns, many of them did eventually follow an expected and predictable formula. That's why movies like this one seem to stand out so much- it adds layers of complexity to a genre that is characterized by its straightforward plots. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I marveled at the story it presented.

In so many Westerns, the characters are presented in the simplest terms- the Americans (whites) are the good guys, the Indians (non-whites) are the bad guys. This tells us a lot about American history, both in the days of the Wild West and the heyday of the Western in Hollywood. Fort Apache takes a different approach- what if we focused on the complexity of these groups? What if not all Indians were "bad" and (heaven forbid) what if not all the white soldiers were "good"? This nuanced approach is one that you seldom saw in Westerns. Indeed, Fort Apache is one of the first films to take a more sympathetic view of the Indians. I say that (mostly because that's how the film was characterized in the research I read), but I think it's more than that. It would be easy for critics to claim that this movie "sided" with the Indians. That's not true. It simply presents the story in a more realistic manner. The Indians were not bloodthirsty savages. They wanted to protect their families and their world. The American soldiers weren't saviors. They had their own unique motivations- some saw the Indians as less than human, some saw them as a proud and strong people deserving of our respect. This feels much closer to what the reality of the world is. So, it's not just about being "sympathetic", it's more about this film taking the time to showcase the complexities of this world. Yes, it does treat the Native Americans with respect- it's sad that in 1948, that was a novel and original conceit.

I will say, that's what I appreciated the most about this movie. I've seen a lot of Westerns from this time period and it felt a bit jarring to see this. I'm usually having to force myself to think in terms of society and the world in which the film was released, to not look at it through contemporary eyes. I didn't have to do that as much here- this film is absolutely ahead of its time.

The cast was excellent here. I really enjoyed John Wayne's performance. For someone who has "killed" a lot of Indians through his career, I loved that he took the role that was most sympathetic to the Native Americans' plight in this film. He is an experienced fighter who has obtained wisdom through hard-fought battles. He doesn't want needless killing. He's pitted against the idealistic lieutenant colonel played so well by Henry Fonda. His character is refined, intelligent, and has ideas about how things are supposed to go. The conflict comes when his idealized vision of how to lead is misaligned with the way the world works. It was truly fascinating to see the conflicts between these two characters' worldviews. Wayne and Fonda deliver quite strong performances as we see these two men combat each other's views. That was one of the strongest aspects of the film.

The supporting cast is good, too. I really enjoyed seeing Shirley Temple here. I'm more familiar with her childhood roles, so it was wonderful to see her more grown up here. I thought she gave a good performance and it reminded me of her talent and I lamented again that she didn't have a longer career. Ward Bond gave a tremendous supporting performance- the energy and talent he brought to the role made the movie better. John Agar did some decent work here, too. I really did enjoy the cast. Wisely, John Ford focuses the majority of the movie on the characters and the drama. We get multiple dance sequences in this film.

It's clear that Fort Apache is not your typical Western. Ford stepped outside of the confines of the genre and the movie is better for it. I wouldn't quite say I loved the characters enough for this to emerge as one of my favorite Westerns. It felt narrow and contained and I wish it had a bit more epic scope to it. That being said, it's a memorable, entertaining Western that challenges the conventions of the genre. It's absolutely a film that needs to be seen, especially by fans of the genre.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rio Bravo, How the West Was Won, El Dorado