The Indian Fighter (1955) Reviews

• Agreeable and pleasant Western actioner about a scout who leads an Oregon-bound wagon train through Sioux territory

  ma-cortes2015-09-29

  Simple and acceptable Indian Western compellingly starred by Kirk Douglas and decently directed by Andre De Toth . It deals with an explorer called Johnny Hawks (Kirk Douglas) leading a wagon train through hostile Indian country to Oregon , 1870 . Johnny unwittingly gets involved with a Sioux chief's (Edward Franz) daughter (Elsa Martinelli) . But unscrupulous whisky traders (Walter Matthau , Lon Chaney Jr) are after the gold on Sioux land , as they blackmail Indians and subsequently originate friction . Hawks attempts to make peace with the Indian leader but a secret Sioux gold mine causes dispute and treason . Johnny tries to warn a fort of an imminent raid by the Sioux and the detachment mistake him for one of the renegades . In the Old west there are always the men who live breathe violence and the women who hold their breath . This exciting picture tells the story of a upright scout called Johnny Hawks , finely played by the great Kirk Douglas . The film packs the sweep of ¨Red River¨, the drama of ¨High noon¨ , the violence of ¨Shane¨ and the might of Kirk Douglas as a two-fisted ¨Indian Fighter¨. Noisy action , romance between Douglas/Martinelli , thrills , fights , wonderful outdoors , all of them keep things lively . Interesting as well as stirring screenplay by Robert Richards , Frank Davis and prestigious Ben Hecht , Billy Wilder's usual . This undemanding western is plenty of suspense as the dreaded final Indian attack approaches and the protagonist realizes he must stand alone against impossible odds and nobody is willing to help him but they pursue him , while he attempts to clear his name as wrongfully accused as traitor . This enjoyable tale is almost rudimentary though full of clichés , a good guy come to narration is almost adjusted in real time from the starring arrives in the fort commanded by a tough Captain , nicely performed by Walter Abel , until the ending confrontation , when they are besieged by Indians ; as Douglas/Hawks is given a limited time to resolve the accusation as a Sioux's friend , and consequently a treacherous . The highlights of the film are the facing off between Douglas and his enemies , Walter Matthaw and Lon Chaney Jr , and the climatic confrontation on the final . Phenomenal and great role for Kirk Douglas as tough guy , he's the whole show , he plays a scout hired to lead a wagon train to Oregon . He gives a perfect acting as craggy , violent and uncompromising figure . Kirk did most of his own horse riding and, at one point , broke his nose attempting a stunt that called for him to make his horse fall . The casting of Onahti , the Indian girl , resulted out to be much more difficult than first anticipated . Though there were a number of unsuccessful auditions , it wasn't until Kirk Douglas' wife spotted a model in "Vogue" magazine that the production knew they had their leading lady , her name was Elsa Martinelli . Very good support cast , many of them usual in Western , such as Walter Matthau , Diana Douglas who married Kirk Douglas , Walter Abel , Lon Chaney Jr. , Eduard Franz , Alan Hale Jr. , Elisha Cook Jr. , Ray Teal , Frank Cady and Hank Worden in a doublé role as Crazy Bear / Guardhouse Keeper ; likewise , Harry Landers plays both Grey Wolf and also one of Captain Trask's attachés . Made in enough budget by producer William Schorr , it is an efficient film and very entertaining . The picture contains an excellent cinematography in CinemaScope , print by Technicolor by Wilfred Cline , being shot on location in Bend , Oregon , including gorgeous landscapes . Thrilling and appropriate musical score by Franz Waxman . This typical Western was professionally directed by Andre De Toth . Being first feature from Kirk Douglas' then new production company, Bryna, named for his mother . At his beginnings De Toth entered the Hungarian film industry, obtaining work as a writer, editor , second unit director and actor before finally becoming a director. He directed a few films just before the outbreak of WW II, when he fled to England . Alexander Korda gave him a job there, and when De Toth emigrated to the US in 1942 , Korda got him a job as a second unit director on Jungle Book (1942) . Andre De Toth was a classical director , Western usual (Indian fighter, Man in the saddle , Ramrod , Last of Comanches , The stranger wore a gun), but also made Peplum (Gold for the Caesar) and adventure (The Mongols , Morgan the pirate , Tanganyika) . Probably his best known film is House of wax (1953), a Vincent Price horror film shot in 3D .

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• A simple-minded Western with touches of philosophy and not much drive...

  Nazi_Fighter_David2000-10-08

  Filmed in Oregon, Andre De Toth's film is a frontier adventure tale of the Great Sioux Nation whose heritage and culture run through the silver screen like a strong steady stream... The motion picture touches up new ground by giving Indians a little sex appeal... Douglas, as a vigorous frontier scout, tries to attract the Indian maiden Onahti, played by the attractive brunette Elsa Martinelli... The Italian actress is seen bathing in the fresh waters of a river and later captured nude in a transparent voluminous stream... "The Indian Fighter" concerns the efforts of a wagon train heading for Oregon in 1870... The train stops at a small frontier fort when the Sioux forbid them to pass through their territory... A seasoned scout and Indian expert, Johnny Hawks (Douglas), is assigned by the army to aid them... Hawks rapidly goes to the camp of the dignified Chief Red Cloud (Eduard Franz) who explains that the trouble was started by white whiskey traders, trying to rob the Indians of their gold... Hawks promises to settle th situation and the Chief agrees to appear at the fort to sign a peace treaty... However, his aggressive brother Grey Wolf (Harry Landers) repudiates peace talk because he despises all white men as dishonorable... Douglas' portrait of Hawks is suitably vigorous and possibly comes close to depicting the actual character of such a man - Hawks is a jealous self-confident man who considers the West as his milieu... He declines to open up the West for civilization... He considers the West as 'a beautiful woman' and refuses to share her with anybody... He is a brave warrior who fights Sioux-style, and a shooter who never miss a snake... He respects the Indians as vanquished valiant enemies who deserve to be treated as human beings...

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• De Toth's Best Western

  FilmFlaneur2001-04-18

  At the heart of De Toth's oeuvre lies an interesting contradiction. He has an abiding interest in suspense, action, and the wellspring of violent events (a fact underlined by the number of thrillers, frontier yarns and dramas he helmed during his career), but, as a director, characteristically disassociates himself from their process. This 'distancing' effect has been noted by a number of viewers, creating some critical debate about De Toth's engagement with his material. In my view his detachment is not to be confused with aloofness - an interesting comparison can be made with Stanley Kubrick's alleged 'coldness' - but is rather De Toth's way of resolving what really 'matters'. It is this intelligence, revealing itself sharply in his best films, that makes him such a worthwhile study. Along with De Toth's assured debut 'Ramrod' (1947) and the austere 'Day of the Outlaw' (1959), 'The Indian Fighter' is probably the finest of his Western films, revealing a characteristic response to the demands of the genre. In 'Ramrod' the moral questing springs from a noirish plot that is unsettled and full of tension. In 'Day of the Outlaw' issues are resolved more formally, played out against the stark landscape of Winter. In 'The Indian Fighter', De Toth's concerns manifest themselves in his most lyrical and sensuous work. He thereby creates a film which, in emphasis, is in direct contrast to most other 50's Westerns. This is ostensibly a tale of a famous frontiersman Johnny Hawks (played with usual lusty gusto by Kirk Douglas), back from the wars. Ultimately he has to redeem his reputation, discovering balance within the indigenous people he has previously warred against. Gold has been discovered on Indian land, and the bad guys (a marvellous performance by Walter Matthau, ably supported by Lon Chaney, Jnr) are out to kill and cheat to secure the riches. This, and the related fear of a tribal uprising, provide the main action point of the film. As the Indian fighter of the title, ironically the first thing we notice about Hawks is his reticence. In fact he hardly fights at all - only when he is obliged, or when called upon to at the climax of the film. For him, combat is not a prerequisite, although he is not slow to react when needs be. A comparison with the bitterness of Ethan Edwards, say, in Ford's 'The Searchers' is revealing. Edwards loathes the Commanches, with a bitterness entirely absence from De Toth's hero. As Hawks' opponents observe, he is more of an Indian lover than fighter. And, of course, in the most obvious way, they are right. Almost more important to the hero than his professional reputation is his preoccupation with the Indian maid Onhati. His single-minded pursuit, and later dalliance, with her initiates the main crisis of the film, as he leaves the wagon train to be by her side, after taking it 'two days out of my way and half way up a mountain'. This is a film full of sensuality, placed in contrast to 'duty', the calling of action. We are constantly reminded of the cool pools, green foliage, closeness of the earth, just as much as of the teachery and turmoil of the frontier. Franz Waxman's score is lyrical and evocative, frequently idyllic. The glorious cinematography gives nature's perpetual garden a pantheistic gloss, sometimes intense, and always resplendent. Just as the main film captures these images, so in mimicry does Briggs, a supposed protégé of civil war photographer Matthew Brady, who frequently accompanies Hawks. He is eager to capture the grandeur around him. His camera is as significant to us as it is to Hawks, who makes a point of rescuing it at one point (during the battle at the fort). An important minor character, Briggs emphasises the appreciation of the sublime and beautiful that the film invites. A couple of times De Toth pauses the action (once at the fort and then at the wagon train), to pan his camera for long seconds along sets and people, recording their place in the Oregon landscape. Like Briggs he wants to admire, and record. A circular film, 'The Indian Fighter' begins with Hawks gazing at Onhati bathing naked in a pool. It ends with him joining her in the water, forming a happy couple. The whole world of action is thus enclosed by their bonding, their sensual preoccupation usurping the violent demands of Indian-white conflict. The scenes between the two lovers caused a murmur at the time. Considered 'risque' for the conservative 50's Western, De Toth simply inserted them, and their sexual self-absorption, as entirely fitting his plan of things. What is more eyebrow-raising today is how he allowed the encounters between two lovers to backstage the expected intrigues of masculine action, and actually assume greater significance, reversing regular audience expectations. This stress, an essentially feminine one. is completely uncharacteristic of the Western at this time. Add to that a sympathetic view of Indians and nature conservation (the Indian Chief's environmental concerns are a main reason for his refusing to exploit the land with mining) and you have an excellent film - a career highlight of this greatly underrated director.

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• Underrated Western. Good Kirk Douglas

  doug-balch2010-05-24

  This is an underrated Western. It never shows up on "Best Westerns" lists, but it is as good or better than many that do. Here's what I liked: Here are some of the things that detracted from the film's quality:

• While far from perfect, it handled the Indians in a way far more credibly than most films of the day

  MartinHafer2007-09-01

  With a title like THE Indian FIGHTER, you'd think that this was the standard "let's kill all the Indians" type movie so typical in the 1940s and 50s. However, like some of the better cowboy and Indian films of the era (such as the great FORT APACHE and the not so great CHEYENNE), the reason for the Indians hating the Whites is explained--they are not just unreasoning savages or idiots, but people justifiably angry at their mistreatment by the invading Whites. Because of this, I appreciated the film and was also happy that it also wasn't like some of the newer breed of films that paint the Indians and completely noble and the Whites as the epitome of evil! It did seem well balanced AND featured mostly Indians in Indian parts (though, oddly, they chose an Italian lady to play the female leading Indian!). The rest of the film, while entertaining and having the usual great performance by Kirk Douglas, also is very simplistic and poorly thought out at times. For example, the motivation for why Douglas saved Walter Mathau's sorry butt at the beginning of the film is unclear. It defied common sense not to just let the Indians kill Mathau. Plus, at the end of the film, Douglas' confrontation with Douglas and Lon Chaney, Jr. was a long time coming but was resolved awfully quickly--making it seem very anti-climactic. Still, overall it does stand out from the HUGE number of look alike Westerns and it is worth your time.

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