One of the interesting minor themes of the movie is the concern with a soldier's duty in following orders. This is a broad preoccupation within the decades following the Holocaust and the Nuremberg trials. One wonders how deliberate the casting of a German (Karl Malden) as the commander of Fort Robinson (the native people's Auschwitz) was. It must have been a considered choice, as was the ethnicity of the casting in general. (Which opens up another set of questions well-covered in other reviews you'll find on this site.) The German commander is empathetic with the Indians' plight, and disagrees with his superiors' orders, but stops short of open resistance. The moral lesson is that empathy is not enough. When he emerges from his barracks to view the devastation of the attack, he is subjected to the scorn even of one of the worst of the Indian-haters, who says (more or less paraphrased), "What do you say about your orders from authority now?" This sub-plot at Fort Robinson, where the doctor finally seizes command from his superior officer, bears more than a passing similarity to the plot of the Caine Mutiny, and suggests that in America a moral authority will always strive to prevail over a 'de facto' one.
In one scene, a very affecting one given that I'm not an American, the 'Secretary of the Interior' contemplates Abraham's Lincoln portrait wondering how his mentor would have handled the situation. Until quite near the end the narrative of the movie is fairly believable, but the movie strikes a positive note at the end that is just too improbable. Other than concession to a Hollywood ending, Ford strikes the correct cynical tone given what we now know of the American natives' history. Indeed, one has the feeling Ford is holding back - that he senses the reserve of the soldiers in this movie who withhold the facts from their command and also from the American people. Ford could not risk making the American army look as bad as the Nazis, with WWII not that far in the past.
Overall, this movie is well worth watching. It's unlikely that this story could be told as well today, given the cast, the co-operation of the Navajo Indians, the shots of the steam trains, and the incredible on-location footage of Utah's Monument Valley. One tip. The movie is a little too long, but that can be easily remedied. When you see Jimmy Stewart, fast forward until you don't see him anymore. (Nothing personal here - he's had a lot of great roles, otherwise). You'll save 20 minutes and won't miss a beat out of the storyline. The so-called comic relief is as out of place here as the Three Stooges would be in Stalag 17. Finally, does Sal Mineo's character have to die in every movie he's in? The tacked-on epilogue seems like it was designed just to make sure he will.
In one scene, a very affecting one given that I'm not an American, the 'Secretary of the Interior' contemplates Abraham's Lincoln portrait wondering how his mentor would have handled the situation. Until quite near the end the narrative of the movie is fairly believable, but the movie strikes a positive note at the end that is just too improbable. Other than concession to a Hollywood ending, Ford strikes the correct cynical tone given what we now know of the American natives' history. Indeed, one has the feeling Ford is holding back - that he senses the reserve of the soldiers in this movie who withhold the facts from their command and also from the American people. Ford could not risk making the American army look as bad as the Nazis, with WWII not that far in the past.
Overall, this movie is well worth watching. It's unlikely that this story could be told as well today, given the cast, the co-operation of the Navajo Indians, the shots of the steam trains, and the incredible on-location footage of Utah's Monument Valley. One tip. The movie is a little too long, but that can be easily remedied. When you see Jimmy Stewart, fast forward until you don't see him anymore. (Nothing personal here - he's had a lot of great roles, otherwise). You'll save 20 minutes and won't miss a beat out of the storyline. The so-called comic relief is as out of place here as the Three Stooges would be in Stalag 17. Finally, does Sal Mineo's character have to die in every movie he's in? The tacked-on epilogue seems like it was designed just to make sure he will.