Directed by:
John FordScreenplay:
Frank S. NugentComposer:
Richard HagemanCast:
John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendáriz, Ward Bond, George O'Brien, Victor McLaglen, Anna Lee, Irene Rich, Dick Foran, John Agar, Guy Kibbee (more)VOD (2)
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The soldiers at Fort Apache may disagree with the tactics of their glory-seeking new commander. But to a man, they're duty-bound to obey - even when it means almost certain disaster. John Wayne, Henry Fonda and many familiar supporting players from master director John Ford's "stock company" saddle up for the first film in the director's famed cavalry trilogy (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande are the others). Roughhouse camaraderie, sentimental vignettes of frontier life, massive action sequences staged in Monument Valley - all are part of Fort Apache. So is Ford's exploration of the West's darker side. Themes of justice, heroism and honor that Ford would revisit in later Westerns are given rein in this moving, thought-provoking film that, even as it salutes a legend, gives reasons to question it. (official distributor synopsis)
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John Wayne is classically presented as an honest and experienced macho hero, this time not quite in the lead role, but with an appropriate patriotic monologue at the end of the film, and Henry Fonda as a bitter and flawed character whose pride could lead many soldiers to their doom. Fort Apache flows along in a sort of leisurely style for most of the time, and apart from the camera shots of the stunning scenery of Monument Valley, we mainly see the ordinary life and humorous hardships of the soldiers at the fort, but John Ford's film also mainly features two really impressive mounted battle scenes involving some very dangerous stunts that definitely make it worth seeing. The chance to see this film this year in Karlovy Vary from 35mm film stock was properly unique. [KVIFF 2024]
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An excellent western with great characters in leading roles. Henry Fonda plays a character that is definitely more interesting - in how ambiguous they are - than the one played by John Wayne, but he probably didn't want to stray too far from his righteous lane. Nevertheless, the story is strong and those characters fit perfectly. The finale is just as it should be.
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Photo © RKO Radio Pictures
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