Let's be realistic.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

WINNETOU, 1963, in MemoriumBy Alex Dusty-Foot Deleon (Honorary Cheyenne)A classic German Western filmed in Jugoslavia. Viewed on Austrian TV, June 14, 2015. I knew that a German writer by the name of Karl May was an extremely popular writer of American westerns in Germany, and that a number of films based on his iconic "Apache" hero Winnetou had been made, but I had never seen one. When French actor Pierre Brice who incarned Apache chieftain Winnetou in many films, passed away last week (June 6) at age 86 it was big news in the German language press and a series of his films are now on TV here in respectful memorium. Pierre-Louis Baron de Bris (6 February 1929 – 6 June 2015), known as Pierre Brice, was a French actor, best-known as fictional Apache-chief Winnetou in German Karl May films.On Sunday in my hotel room I dutifully watched the most famous one "Winnetou, Part I" also known as "Apache Gold", and was most pleasantly surprised -- former Tarzan Lex Barker, dressed in buckskin and speaking flawless German, great "western" scenery filmed in Jugoslavia (-- shall we call it a Slivović Western) -- great authentic looking costumes and Teepees, good Indians vs evil Paleface intruders, lots of equestrian action and rousing shootouts, lovely Indian damsel in distress, Handsome Lex Barker blood- Brothering with Staunch heroic French Apache warrior Winnetou -- everything you could possibly want from a Western, and a rousing musical score to boot.Extremely refreshing. Can't wait to see WINNETOU 2 and 3.Okay, these Apaches looked more like Plains Indians than Southwest desert Apaches and did not speak Tonto mumbo-jumbo like Jlay Silverheels who played TONTO in The Lone Ranger series but was an authentic Canadian Iroquois -- -- and all the Indians looked pretty much like painted Caucasians, but -- Who cares? -- when so much fun is to be had!Winnetou is a made-up name not in reality associated with the Apache or any other Amerindian language, but the films became so popular that Winnetou is an acceptable official name in Germany. Et alors ... Was denn!Ps: An adviser from Los Angeles suggests calling it a "Sauerkraut Western" to avoid confusion with the better known Spaghetti variety. Why not ...Gettemupp Scalp!.

It was so nice to remember times when this film was shot in the former Yugoslavia, what is today Croatia. I was not born then but they told me how wonderful it was to work with those people at those times.They filmed at what is today Plitvice Lakes and Dubrovnik, Popovo Polje area. Old people still remember that.I wish making films was simple and nice as it was during those times.It is great to take a ride in the past and revisit those old movies.You the younger generation should do the same.For details of film see the other reviews, everything there has been well said.

Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written by Karl May (1842-1912, with about 200 million copies worldwide one of the best selling German writers of all time) in German, including the sequels Winnetou I through Winnetou III. According to Karl May's story, first-person narrator Old Shatterhand encounters Winnetou and after initial dramatic events, a true friendship between Old Shatterhand and the Apache Winnetou arises; on many occasions they give proof of great fighting skill but also of compassion for other human beings. It portrays a belief in an innate "goodness" of mankind, albeit constantly threatened by ill-intentioned enemies. the movie is great and it was filmed in CROATIA. that country that you are mentioning do not exist any more, it was CROATIA before and it is CROATIA now so there is no point to write that it was filmed in that not existing country, this is 2009. so learn-those are CROATIAN national parks!

I saw this film at a military theater in 1965. This film was so bad that it was hilarious. The troops were rolling in the aisles. Right from the beginning, when Lex Barker walks into a saloon and is assaulted by approximately 30 bad guys (attired in Tom Mix vintage costume and doing their best imitation of Charles King, the 1930's best bad guy ) and prevails; to the end. Also some arrows bounced off intended targets. Apparently the Europeans who made this film had quite a different perspective on westerns than we did. I would love to see this one again, if the people who made it haven't burned it yet.