FORT APACHE (1948)


4 films in, and I'm getting more and more in awe of John Ford.
This is another "calvary" film, his first, actually. Henry Fonda plays Lt./Col. Owen Thursday, an officer who clashes with Capt. York, played by John Wayne.
Thursday is posted to Fort Apache, an outpost near the Mexican border.
He leads his regiment against Indians in historic battles, and the first encounter is an exhilerating sequence.
John Ford really knew how to capture men on horses, whether they be American soldiers or roving bands of indians...
Shirley Temple plays Philadelphia, Thursday's daughter, who falls for an Irish officer O'Rourke, son of NCO Ward Bond.
This creates a compelling sub-plot/dynamic, and by the end Love triumphs.
When this movie started I wasn't sure if I'd like it but I was soon won over. That's because of John Ford.
No one makes westerns of this caliber. NO ONE.