weezeralfalfa Review of Fort Vengeance

Fort Vengeance (1953)

Interesting dual reluctant buddy story on the Canadian frontier

[8/10 · 20 January 2018]

In contrast to most of the few reviewers, I found this an interesting western frontier story, despite some geographical and historical inaccuracies(such as mountains in Saskatchewan, and wagon trains rolling across Canadian prairies). It does present an important chief of the Sioux: Sitting Bull, and chief of the Blackfoot: Crowfoot in reasonably accurate historical perspective, aside from the Sioux attack of a wagon train in Canada. Historically, Crowfoot lead his people from Saskatchewan into Sioux US territory , and Sitting Bull tried to get Crowfoot to join him on another attack on US soldiers. Crowfoot declined, as he felt such an attack would prove useless in dissuading Europeans from encroaching on the Plains. He had pursued friendly policy with the Canadian Mounties. Eventually Crowfoot returned to Canada, and Sitting Bull eventually followed, to avoid capture by the US army, and was welcomed by Crowfoot, as long as he didn't stir up trouble with the Europeans. However, in the film, Crowfoot eventually agrees to join Sitting Bull in fighting the whites, if Crowfoot's son Eagle Heart is falsely convicted of killing 2 Europeans. ... The plot can be considered as involving 2 reluctant buddy pairs, who occasionally interact. I just described the Sitting Bull-Crowfoot pair. The other pair consists of 2 American brothers: Dick(James Craig) and Carey(Keith Larson) Ross: the one(Carey) being a trigger-happy loose cannon at times, compared to cautious Dick. Near the beginning of the film, Carey shoots dead the inquisitive son of Sitting Bull, while Dick dissuaded him from shooting his brother: Blue Cloud. Later, he shoots dead the thieving trapper Francois Leboc, who was being harried by Crowfoot's son Eagle Heart, whose furs were stolen. Eagle Heart is blamed for the murder, as well as disappearance of Carey(who removed his Mountie uniform). Later, Blue Cloud trails Dick, who is looking for his missing brother. Dick finally finds Carey, and wants to apprehend him for the murder of Francois. Carey resists and is about to shoot his brother when Blue Cloud kills Carey with an arrow in the chest: vengeance for killing his brother. In saving Dick, as a witness, this act also saves Eagle Heart from execution, and thus prevents an Indian war.......In conclusion, I have described a tightly constructed interesting plot. Rita Moreno serves as the token woman, being the daughter of the fort trader. She pops up a few times, flirting or dancing with the men, but I prefer her acting as a Indian maiden in "The Yellow Tomahawk"