Celebrated more these days for what it did contemporaneously than for its story; i.e. being one of the first post-war Westerns to not portray its Indian people as one-note Hollywood savages, Dir.
Delmer Daves' film stars
Jimmy Stewart as a man who seeks to negotiate peace between the "white" US military and the Apache Indians, who were waging war upon each other. Both sides are characterised as being noble and honest or wicked and prideful.
I'm no expert on 1950s values, but I do wonder if 42-year-old
Jim romancing a 16-year-old
Debra Paget wouldn't have raised at least a few eyebrows back in the day? And what of the respected Christian General who condones murder as a punishment? Were they viewed as reflective of the 1870s in a similar manner to how we view the film's built-in 1950s social commentary today?
3½ long-distance signals out of 5
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