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Fort Apache (1948)

Fort Apache (1948)
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The first of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", Fort Apache stars John Wayne as captain Kirby York and Henry Fonda as Custer clone Lt. Col. Owen Thursday. Resentful of his loss in rank and transfer to the West after serving gallantly in the Civil War, the vainglorious Thursday insists upon imposing rigid authority on rough-and-tumble Fort Apache. He is particularly anxious to do battle with the local Indians, despite York's admonitions that the trouble around the fort is being fomented not by the so-called savages but by corrupt white Indian agents. Thursday nonetheless ends up in a climactic set-to with Indian chief Cochise. He and his men are needlessly slaughtered, but the Eastern press builds "Thursday's Charge" into an incident of conspicuous valor--and York, ever loyal to the cavalry, is not about to tell the whole truth. The bare bones of Fort Apache's plotline are fleshed out with several subplots, including the romance between Thursday's daughter Philadelphia (Shirley Temple) and Lt. Mickey O'Rourke (John Agar), the son of Fort Apache veteran Sgt. Michael O'Rourke (Ward Bond). There's also plenty of time for the expected drunken-brawl humor of Victor McLaglen. Not in the least politically correct, Fort Apache is a classic of its kind, and together with Rio Grande (1950) the best of the John Ford/John Wayne Cavalry films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
John Wayne, Henry Fonda, (more)
Director(s):
John Ford
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Fort Apache

The first of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", Fort Apache stars John Wayne as captain Kirby York and Henry Fonda as Custer clone Lt. Col. Owen Thursday. Resentful of his loss in rank and transfer to the West after serving gallantly in the Civil War, the vainglorious Thursday insists upon imposing rigid authority on rough-and-tumble Fort Apache. He is particularly anxious to do battle with the local Indians, despite York's admonitions that the trouble around the fort is being fomented not by the so-called savages but by corrupt white Indian agents. Thursday nonetheless ends up in a climactic set-to with Indian chief Cochise. He and his men are needlessly slaughtered, but the Eastern press builds "Thursday's Charge" into an incident of conspicuous valor--and York, ever loyal to the cavalry, is not about to tell the whole truth. The bare bones of Fort Apache's plotline are fleshed out with several subplots, including the romance between Thursday's daughter Philadelphia (Shirley Temple) and Lt. Mickey O'Rourke (John Agar), the son of Fort Apache veteran Sgt. Michael O'Rourke (Ward Bond). There's also plenty of time for the expected drunken-brawl humor of Victor McLaglen. Not in the least politically correct, Fort Apache is a classic of its kind, and together with Rio Grande (1950) the best of the John Ford/John Wayne Cavalry films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
128 mins

Complete Cast of Fort Apache


Director(s):
John Ford
Writer(s):
Frank S. Nugent
Producer(s):
John Ford, Merian C. Cooper
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR(Suitable for Children, Violence)
Categories:
Westerns
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    Greg A.

    Fort Apache is one of the greatest movies ever made. John Ford set this in his favorite location - Utah's Monument Valley. The acting is superb. Henry Fonda owns this movie with his out-of-character portrayal of a arrogant, incompetant commanding officer. He is complemented with an incredible supporting cast of John Wayne, Shirley Temple, Jack Agar, and the rest of the cast from John Ford's calvary trilogy. Although, as a previous poster noted, there is not a lot of actual fighting in this movie, there is a great deal of conflict between Fonda and the soldiers under his command, who know Fonda is leading them to their doom. The end of the movie is similar to that of The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance - that history depends on who's telling the story. A movie well worth 2 hours and a rental!

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    Chris T.

    Very good b&w western, the first of Ford and Wayne's cavalry trilogy. More than just "the good guys" (soldiers) vs "the bad guys" (Indians), Ford creates a good study on how one officer's vainglory can lead to disaster. JW underplays his role well, Fonda is excellent, the Ford acting company typically perfect, as are the Navajos whom Ford hired to "play Indians" rather than non-Native extras in makeup. See all 3: Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribon, and Rio Grande.

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    Doug C.

    A typical western. A classic. I enjoyed it.

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