Undescribable Perfection

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

. . . as in Robert Heinlein's STARSHIP TROOPERS, director John Ford's final upbeat paean to "victory" might be possible to swallow. Or if they'd just had Multiplex theaters in Monument Valley when FORT APACHE premiered, Mr. Ford's racist groveling at the Altar of Manifest Destiny might have been nipped in the bud before he churned out a half dozen more of these malicious horse operas there. Given that German film director Leni Riefenstahl deserves a rating of "10" for her movie entitled TRIUMPH OF THE WILL (when translated into English, which details Hitler's rise to power), a person can spare an "8" for Mr. Ford's strikingly-photographed (not unlike an Ansel Adams work) homage here to an American Mini-Hitler (obviously Henry Fonda's "Col. Thursday" is based upon the hatchet job that Republicans have done over the years on their assassinated Whistleblower, George Armstrong Custer, whose ACTUAL championing of Native Americans is wonderfully portrayed by Errol Flynn in THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON). In FORT APACHE, Mr. Ford wastes our first 90 minutes detailing an affair between an Irish cavalry trooper (acted out by an undistinguished newbie) and a stymied tap-dancing tea-totaler (who'll only drink Shirley Temples). Sounds like a match made in Hell!

One more of John Ford's epic westerns. The young and ambitious, Lt. Col. Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) is appointed to a small army outpost close to one of the Indian reserves. Though crestfallen at first on being posted far from action, he decides to make his mark nonetheless. In his zest to prove himself, he disregards the advice of veterans like Capt. York (John Wayne) and sets off on a suicidal mission to attack the Apache.Thursday is a man who has visions of glory but does not have the patience to get there. He is too proud to mingle with his subordinates, maintains a stately kind of relations with other veterans and in keeping with his manner, forbids his daughter's (Shirley Temple) romance with a young, eligible officer. He might follow the rules by the book and place great importance on formalities but he lacks leadership qualities.The other soldiers are a stark contrast to Lt. Col. Thursday. They may appear and behave rough but they know to obey their superior. They respect him in spite of his flaws and do not question when he literally orders them to their deaths.It is one of the few old Westerns that do not show the Indians as savages. They are all for peace and talks; it is Thursday's misguided aggression that forces them to defend themselves.An all round good movie. It takes its time in developing the characters; it is almost like knowing more and more about a person as you spend more time with them. Wayne is in familiar territory as a man who knows the West like the back of his palm. Fonda is not a bad guy but a head-strong fool who manages to do more harm than a traditional villain; a role he simply nails. Shirley Temple is no longer the little girl from the 30's but boy has she bloomed. She is pretty, vivacious and steals every moment of her screen-time.No more words, just watch it.

Henry Fonda plays a Custeresque lieutenant colonel who forces a conflict with the Apaches, against the warnings of cavalry captain John Wayne. The first of Ford and Wayne's cavalry trilogy. Many would argue it's the best. Beautiful location scenery that's wonderfully photographed. Ford's direction is brilliant, as it almost always was during this decade. Backing up Fonda and Wayne, who are both superb, is a fine stable of character actors, many of whom are Ford regulars. Also, John Agar in one of his best roles as well as a young adult Shirley Temple doing fine in her limited part. Slow-going for awhile but never dull. Fort Apache is an excellent, thought-provoking film that is definitely a feather in the cap for director Ford and his two stars.

I haven't seen Fort Apache for 40 years and I was amazed by how well it wears.The film should not be dismissed as "just an old fashioned Western". It is the work of a genuine auteur: A classic (and, at the time, original) Fordian mix of action, folklore, humor, the family, the cavalry, the military code of honor, truth vs. myth, monument valley locations, memorable camera work, professional acting (John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and many of his "stock players" -- Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond, etc.), a dose of "irishness", and so on.Tastes have changed over the years, and our views of the period have undergone multiple revisions. But that should not subtract from the greatness of Fort Apache. The treatment of Indians, by the way, is very sympathetic (not the "savage Indians" vs. the "civilized whites" portrayal, common in other Westerns of the period).A final note: Because of his conservative politics and somewhat limited range of roles (he didn't do Hamlet), John Wayne has often been dismissed by the "cognizanti". In my view, his performance here is perfect. Overall, I would venture that he is a much better actor than that other star who built his reputation on Westerns: Clint Eastwood. (Of course, Eastwood has achieved well-deserved acclaim as a movie director).