Broken Arrow

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Indian scout Tom Jeffords (James Stewart) is sent out to stem the war between the Whites and Apaches in the late 1870s. He learns (through an uncomfortably close encounter) that the Indians kill only to protect themselves, or out of retaliation for white atrocities. Befriending the sagacious Apache leader Cochise (Jeff Chandler), Jeffords ensures safe passage for white mail-carriers through Indian territory. As he becomes closer to his Native American "brothers", Jeffords falls in love with and weds a pretty Apache girl (Debra Paget). This being a 1950 film (miscegenation was frowned upon by the Production Code), you can guess what happens to her. Jeffords wants to avenge his bride's death at the hands of white renegades, but it is the so-called "savage" Cochise who advises him not to. Having learned much from each other, Jeffords and Cochise symbolize the white/Indian detente with the traditional broken arrow. This superb, non-condescending film has been criticized in some circles because of the alleged depiction of Cochise as an Indian "Uncle Tom", and because actor Jeff Chandler was not a genuine Native American. Nonetheless, Broken Arrow stands the test of time far more successfully than the later, politically correct Dances with Wolves. In 1956, Broken Arrow was adapted into a TV series starring John Lupton as Jeffords and Michael Ansara as Cochise. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Color
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Features:
  • cc
  • Fox Movietonenews: Stars See "New" 50-Star Flag, Broken Arrow Ceremony
  • Interactive Pressbook Gallery
  • Exclusive Poster Gallery
  • Original Theatrical Trailer

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1950 (Ernest Palmer)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1950 (Michael Blankfort)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1950 (Jeff Chandler)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding - 1950
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - Color - 1950 (Ernest Palmer)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       James Stewart - Tom Jeffords
       Jeff Chandler - Cochise
       Debra Paget - Sonseeahray
       Basil Ruysdael - Gen. Howard
       Will Geer - Ben Slade
       Joyce MacKenzie - Terry
       Arthur Hunnicutt - Duffield
       Raymond Bramley - Col. Bernall
       Jay Silverheels - Goklia
       Argentina Brunetti - Nalikadeya
       Robert Adler - Lonergan
       Harry Carter - Miner
       Robert Griffin - Lowrie
       Billy Wilkerson - Juan
       Mickey Kuhn - Chip Slade
       J.W. Cody - Pionsenay
       John War Eagle - Nahilzay
       Charles Soldani - Skinyea
       Iron Eyes Cody - Teese
       Edwin Rand - Sergeant
       John Doucette - Mule Driver
       Chris Willow Bird - Nochalo

• Director:

  Delmer Daves

• Producer:

  Julian Blaustein

• Book Author:

  Elliott Arnold

• Screenwriter:

  Michael Blankfort, Albert Maltz

• Cinematographer:

  Ernest Palmer

• Composer (Music Score):

  Hugo W. Friedhofer, Alfred Newman

• Editor:

  J. Watson Webb, Jr.

• Art Director:

  Arthur Hogsett, Lyle Wheeler

• Set Designer:

  Thomas K. Little, Fred J. Rode

• Costume Designer:

  Rene Hubert

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Bernard Freericks, Harry M. Leonard

• Makeup:

  Ben Nye, Sr.

• Special Effects:

  Fred Sersen

REVIEW:

• Broken Arrow is a good Western, but it's more important historically as one of the early films to attempt a more balanced view of native Americans on film. Seen today, it seems a bit naive and some of the efforts at fairness come off as heavy-handed, but all in all the basic story and the production are strong enough to offset this. And it's quite impressive to see a film from 1950 in which a white man marries a non-white woman, even if the mores of the time did insist that the marriage had to end tragically. Some will also object to the fact that the leading native American roles are played by white actors, another standard practice at the time. At the time, Jeff Chandler's Cochise was highly praised, with the actor even winning an Academy Award nomination. Today, his performance is less impressive, although this is more due to the stilted characterization demanded of the script than by flaws in Chandler's performance. As might be expected, however, it is James Stewart's performance that really is the one to watch. Freed from the demands placed upon Chandler to represent the nobility of an entire race, Stewart is free to create a living, breathing, thinking, feeling individual, and he does this with the rare grace and talent that is the hallmark of his best work. Delmer Daves directs with a careful hand, and his handling of the action sequences is noteworthy. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi