In the Land of the Yellow Sky (Apaches in film Part 1)
Apache people traditionally resided in Arizona, Northern Mexico (Chihuahua and Sonora), New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and West Texas.
Some Apache leaders were Cochise, Geronimo, Mangas Coloradas, and Nana.
The Apache were well-suited and adapted to the harsh terrains and were excellent guerilla fighters (often missing from many of these films).
The current division of Apache groups includes Chiricahua, Western Apache, Jicarilla, Mescalero, Lipan, and Plains Apache (also known as the Kiowa-Apache).
I have also included films with Navajo, Yaqui, Comanche, and Kiowa-Apache.
Also see Last of the Red Arrows (Apaches in film Part 2) for more films.
Enjoy.
Some Apache leaders were Cochise, Geronimo, Mangas Coloradas, and Nana.
The Apache were well-suited and adapted to the harsh terrains and were excellent guerilla fighters (often missing from many of these films).
The current division of Apache groups includes Chiricahua, Western Apache, Jicarilla, Mescalero, Lipan, and Plains Apache (also known as the Kiowa-Apache).
I have also included films with Navajo, Yaqui, Comanche, and Kiowa-Apache.
Also see Last of the Red Arrows (Apaches in film Part 2) for more films.
Enjoy.
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- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBurt LancasterJean PetersJohn McIntireRefusing to let himself be re-settled on a Florida reservation, Massai, an Apache warrior, escapes his captors and returns to his homeland to become a peaceful farmer.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsAudie MurphyMichael DanteLinda LawsonA young cavalry officer is assigned the job of bringing in a band of Apaches who have been terrorizing the countryside.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsPaul NewmanFredric MarchRichard BooneJohn Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Native Americans, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsCharlton HestonRichard HarrisJim HuttonIn 1864, due to frequent Apache raids from Mexico into the U.S., a Union officer decides to illegally cross the border and destroy the Apache, using a mixed army of Union troops, Confederate POWs, civilian mercenaries, and scouts.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsGregory PeckDesi Arnaz Jr.Jack WardenAfter a bank robbery, runaway Scottish outlaw Arch Deans and his young half breed Kiowa partner Billy Two Hats develop a father-son relationship but Sheriff Henry Gifford is determined to capture or kill them.
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanStarsJoel McCreaForrest TuckerJohn RussellA cavalry troop finds itself under constant attack by Indians.
- DirectorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsCharlton HestonJack PalanceKaty JuradoChief of Scouts Ed Bannon works for the US Army at Fort Clark, Texas and he dreams of aiding in bringing peace to the region, despite opposition from both the Army and the Apaches.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsJim BrownLee Van CleefPatrick O'NealThe El Condor, the fabled Mexican stronghold rumoured to contain Emperor Maximilian's mythical reserves in gold, will attract two adventurous fortune seekers, who with eyes gleaming with desire, will shortly know that only fools rush in.
- DirectorDouglas SirkStarsRock HudsonBarbara RushGregg PalmerWhen peacemaking Apache chief Cochise dies, the Chiricahua Apaches are torn between following Cochise's peace loving son Taza and following the warlike renegade Apache warrior Geronimo.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsGary CooperSusan HaywardRichard WidmarkA trio of American adventurers marooned in rural Mexico are recruited by a beautiful woman to rescue her husband trapped in a cave in Apache territory.
- DirectorGeorge ShermanStarsJohn LundJeff ChandlerSusan CabotWhen Cochise bands together with Geronimo and other Indian tribes, Major Colton abandons his fort, heading towards Fort Sheridan, through Apache Pass. The only thing in his way are the Indians he used to call his friends.
- DirectorBurt KennedyNiksa FulgosiStarsBekim FehmiuRichard CrennaChuck ConnorsArmy deserter Capt. Viktor Kaleb is offered a pardon and reinstatement in the cavalry if he agrees to lead a special forces group in a raid against an Apache stronghold into Mexico.
- DirectorLee H. KatzinStarsRalph TaegerKathie BrowneMichael RennieTwo episodes from the TV series "Hondo" edited together and released as a feature.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsJohn WayneGeraldine PageWard BondArmy dispatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and young son living in the midst of warring Apaches and becomes their protector.
- StarsRalph TaegerKathie BrowneNoah Beery Jr.Hondo, an embittered former rebel officer, travels to Arizona Territory in the 1870s with his dog Sam. Often clashing with the local cavalry, which he holds responsible for the death of his Indian wife.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsJames GarnerSidney PoitierBibi AnderssonIn Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Indian wife, and a housewife abandons her husband in order to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsJason PatricGene HackmanRobert DuvallThe story of the Apache chief and his armed resistance to the U.S. Government's subjugation of his people.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsJoseph RunningfoxNick RamusMichelle St. JohnThis story of epic courage and grace is a remarkable window on Native American life and the early years of the last and most feared Apache War Chief.
- DirectorArnold LavenStarsChuck ConnorsKamala DeviPat ConwayIn 1880s Arizona, General Crook and his troops are trying to subdue the last tribe of Apache led by Geronimo.
- DirectorVern PiehlStarsRay DantonDewitt LeeTroy NaborsIn the western desert a young brave avenges the deaths of his tribe in a massacre by the US Army.
- DirectorJack StarrettStarsJody McCreaMarie GahvaDan KempGang of sadistic cowboys let nothing stand in their way in their search for gold.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneHenry FondaShirley TempleAt Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsLloyd BridgesJoan TaylorLance FullerA government agent is sent to a western town to investigate attacks that the townspeople say are being commited by rampaging Apaches. The agent, however, suspects that different forces may be committing these crimes.
- DirectorClaudio FragassoBruno MatteiStarsSebastian HarrisonLola FornerAlberto FarneseOutlaws attack a band of settlers and kill everyone except a pregnant woman who's rescued by a band of Indians. The woman dies giving birth but Chief White Bear adopts her male baby, naming him "Shining Sky," and raising him as brother to his own son, Black Wolf. The boys grow up together and good-naturedly compete for the affections of pretty Rising Star. In a competition, Shining Sky accidentally kills Black Wolf, is forced from the tribe, and finds work in a nearby town where he pretends to be a mute. A townswoman named Isabella flirts with him but when he spurns her she yells "Rape!" Bart Ryder, henchman of the local "Colonel," runs Shining Sky out of town, hangs him by the wrists, and leaves him to die. Crazy Bull rescues Shining Sky and takes him back to the Indian village where he's reunited with Rising Star. Ryder, however, seeks to finish the job of killing the "White Apache."
- DirectorGiorgio MariuzzoStarsAl CliverClara HopfFederico BoidoTommy is an innocent cavalry officer who falls in love with a beautiful Apache woman (Yara Kewa) after rescuing her from a nasty gun smuggler named Honest Jeremy. When Jeremy and his gang find Tommy, gruesome violence ensues.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTommy Lee JonesCate BlanchettEvan Rachel WoodIn 1885 New Mexico, a frontier medicine woman forms an uneasy alliance with her estranged father when her daughter is kidnapped by an Apache brujo.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsSean ConneryBrigitte BardotStephen BoydIn 1880 New Mexico, a group of European hunters runs afoul of the Apache but is aided by an ex-cavalryman turned guide.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsStephen McNallyColeen GrayWillard ParkerA gambler is thrown out of a western town, but returns when the town is suddenly threatened by a band of marauding Apaches.
- DirectorWilliam A. GrahamStarsCliff PottsMaria PottsHarry Dean StantonDrifter falls in love with Indian girl, with tragic results.
- DirectorHarald ReinlStarsLex BarkerPierre BriceMarie VersiniWhen violent conflict breaks out between greedy railroaders and a tribe of Mescalero Apaches, only two men, destined to be blood brothers, can prevent all-out war: chief's son Winnetou and German engineer Old Shatterhand.
- DirectorHarald ReinlStarsLex BarkerPierre BriceAnthony SteelForester, a ruthless oil baron, wants to create a war between the native American tribes and the white men. Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and their sidekick Castlepool try to prevent this.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsRoy RogersTriggerDale EvansRoy is an oil prospector. His efforts to get drilling rights on an old Spanish land grant are countered by gamblers from an off-shore gambling boat determined to control the land (and oil) themselves.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsJames StewartJeff ChandlerDebra PagetTom Jeffords tries to make peace between settlers and Apaches in Arizona territory.
- DirectorGeorge ShermanStarsJohn LundJeff ChandlerSusan CabotWhen Cochise bands together with Geronimo and other Indian tribes, Major Colton abandons his fort, heading towards Fort Sheridan, through Apache Pass. The only thing in his way are the Indians he used to call his friends.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsRussell CroweChristian BaleBen FosterA small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneClaire TrevorAndy DevineA group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
- DirectorTed PostStarsWillie NelsonKris KristoffersonJohnny CashIn 1880, a motley group of passengers takes the stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona to Lordsburg, New Mexico via dangerous Apache territory.
- DirectorEd HarrisStarsEd HarrisViggo MortensenRenée ZellwegerTwo friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsGregory PeckOmar SharifTelly SavalasA bandit kidnaps a Marshal who has seen a map showing a gold vein on Indian lands, but other groups are looking for it too, while the Apache try to keep the secret location undisturbed.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsGregory PeckAnne BaxterRichard WidmarkA pistol-packing tomboy and her grandfather discover a band of bank robbing bandits taking refuge in the neighboring ghost town.
- DirectorJerry HopperStarsRichard BooneLeslie CaronGabi AmraniA nun, the only survivor of an Indian massacre of a wagon train, is taken in by a cantankerous old gunfighter.
- DirectorJack DunlapStarsRandy MulkeyPat BoltCraig HensleyA reporter searches for the truth behind an old Indian legend about a spirit that guards the entranceway to heaven and hell.Grandson of legendary Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise, Nino Cochise stars.
- DirectorNorman TokarStarsBrian KeithTommy KirkKevin CorcoranTravis, Arliss, and Lisbeth are captured by Apaches while Old Yeller's son, Sam, tracks their trail.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeRichard RossonStarsLloyd NolanDonna ReedWilliam LundiganThe brother of a notorious outlaw is put in a charge of a stagecoach line way station in dangerous Apache territory. A stagecoach arrives at the station with a valuable box of cargo, and the outlaw brother soon shows up, though denying that he's planning to take the cargo box. Soon, however, rampaging Apaches attack the station, and the station manager, his brother and a disparate group of passengers and employees must fight them off.
- DirectorSam WanamakerStarsYul BrynnerRichard CrennaLeonard NimoyAn outlaw tries to avoid interference as he journeys to Mexico to pull off a $2,000,000 gold robbery.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsRichard BooneStuart WhitmanAnthony FranciosaA former Confederate officer and a Mexican try to prevent a former Confederate colonel from selling stolen rifles to renegade Apaches in Mexico.
- DirectorRon JoyStarsMichele CareyHenry SilvaKeenan WynnA woman tracks down the five men who raped her, helped by an Apache.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsGregory PeckBarbara PaytonWard BondA despised cavalry commander is unfairly blamed by his troop for the death of a popular officer and must redeem himself in front of his men during an Indian attack on the fort.
- DirectorCharles CorrellStarsJames ArnessRichard KileyAmy StochJames Arness rides again as Matt Dillon, the U.S. Marshal he made popular in the 1955-75 television series. In this movie he goes after a renegade Apache named Wolf (Joe Lara) who has taken his daughter captive. As a bargaining chip, Dillon helps two sons of Apache chief Geronimo out of the fort stockade and offers them in trade. Dillon is aided by an Army scout, Chalk Brighton (Richard Kiley).
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonJack PalanceJames WhitmoreIn 1870s New Mexico, a half-breed kills a bigoted sheriff in self-defense but the posse that eventually hunts him finds itself in dangerous territory.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsTroy DonahueSuzanne PleshetteDiane McBainWest Point graduate Lt. Hazard is posted to Fort Delivery, Arizona, where he has to deal with lax discipline, romantic complications, Apaches and his conflicting feelings toward the Indians.
- DirectorRobert ParrishStarsRobert MitchumJulie LondonGary MerrillA honorable drifter constantly on the run finds his enemies closing in around him.
- DirectorEarl BellamyStarsSammy Davis Jr.Ernest BorgnineJulie AdamsWhen a rancher's daughter is kidnapped by Apaches, he forms a posse and sends for the U.S. Marshal but an African-American Deputy Marshal shows up instead.
- DirectorRay NazarroStarsRory CalhounBarbara BatesJohn DehnerA no-nonsense drifter leads a ragtag collective surrounded by a deadly tribe of Apaches.
- DirectorSergio CorbucciStarsMark DamonValeria FabriziFranco De RosaA Mexican bandit teams up with a band of renegade Native Americans to avenge his older brothers when they are killed by a prankster, gold-obsessed bounty hunter.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRobert TaylorJohn HodiakArlene DahlIn 1878, Ward Kinsman, a prospector and Indian scout, is persuaded by the US Cavalry to find Mary Carlyle, the daughter of a general, who has been taken by Apaches.
- DirectorAllen H. MinerOscar RudolphStarsAnthony QuinnWilliam ConradLita MilanA troubled sheriff, a failure at everything in his life, tries to redeem himself by extraditing a popular gunfighter from Mexico to stand trial for murder.
- DirectorGottfried KolditzStarsGojko MiticMilan BeliColea RautuDirected by Gottfried Kolditz, this action-packed Eurowestern is based loosely on the legend of heroic Apache warrior Ulzana.
- DirectorR.G. SpringsteenStarsRory CalhounCorinne CalvetJohn RussellVarious stage coach passengers and outlaws travelling through Indian country are forced to join forces against the Apaches.
- DirectorEarl BellamyStarsNeville BrandJames DruryDoug McClureWyoming cowhand and gambler Trampas is sent by his employer to Mexico to buy a bull but in Laredo he unwillingly joins three Texas Rangers on a dangerous mission into Mexico.
- DirectorLesley SelanderStarsChuck ConnorsJohn SmithSusan CummingsAn incompetent cavalry lieutenant leads his patrol into an Apache ambush on the Tomahawk Trail, gets wounded in a skirmish, and loses the command to his sergeant.
- StarsDavid CarradineRichard WidmarkKaren BlackThe story of frontiersman Tom Horn, and his career as a cavalry scout, a tracker, a range detective, and the final events in his life that led to his tragic death.
- DirectorRay NazarroStarsRod CameronJoanne DruJohn IrelandThe U.S. Cavalry is ordered to test the feasability of camels in the deserts of the Southwest.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsAudie MurphyMichael BurnsKenneth TobeyThe Apaches are on the warpath and the Army must defeat them. Murphy's mission is to get a shipment of rifles, but they're stolen by greedy white traders with the help of mutinous soldiers.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBurt LancasterBruce DavisonJorge LukeAfter fierce war chief Ulzana and a small war party jump the reservation bent on murder and terror, an inexperienced young lieutenant is assigned to track him down.
- DirectorArnold LavenStarsChuck ConnorsKamala DeviPat ConwayIn 1880s Arizona, General Crook and his troops are trying to subdue the last tribe of Apache led by Geronimo.
- DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsMartin SheenSam WaterstonHarvey KeitelA white trapper steals a white mustang called "Eagle Wing" from a Kiowa Indian, who pursues him to get his horse back.Kiowa-Apache, Comanche.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeChief Dan GeorgeMissouri farmer Josey Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.Comanche.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppArmie HammerWilliam FichtnerNative American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.Comanche.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJohn WayneMaureen O'HaraPatrick WayneWealthy rancher G. W. McLintock uses his power and influence in the territory to keep the peace between farmers, ranchers, land-grabbers, Indians and corrupt government officials.Comanche.
- DirectorAlfred VohrerStarsStewart GrangerPierre BriceLarry PennellOld Surehand and Old Wabble are trailing a killer, but on the way they also intervene in a dispute between the Comanche and the settlers.Comanche.
- DirectorSteven Hilliard SternStarsChristopher ReeveRaoul Max TrujilloTony ToddA former slave affects peace between Native American tribes and homesteaders in 1860s around western Texas.Comanche.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsClark GableAva GardnerBroderick CrawfordEx-President Andrew Jackson sends Texan Devereaux Burke back home on a mission to facilitate Sam Houston's drive for U.S. statehood.Comanche.
- StarsSteve ZahnRyan MerrimanKeith D. RobinsonThe adventures and love lives of young Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae leading up to their retirement to the city of Lonesome Dove.Comanche.
- StarsFrank McGrathTerry WilsonRobert HortonStories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.Comanche.
- CreatorDavid DortortFred HamiltonStarsLorne GreeneMichael LandonDan BlockerThe Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.Comanche. Episode: The Underdog (1964).
- DirectorAl AdamsonStarsRobert DixScott BradyJim DavisA former Civil War soldier returns to take revenge from a Yaqui chief who killed his wife in the marriage night. Death plays with both men, plus gun-runners and gold-runners, as her emissaries on Earth, to do a large harvest of souls.
- DirectorSergio CorbucciStarsBurt ReynoldsAldo SambrellNicoletta MachiavelliA Native American warrior seeks revenge on the gang of sadistic scalphunters-turned-bank robbers who massacred his tribe.Navajo.
- DirectorNorman FosterStarsFrancis Kee TellerJohn MitchellMrs. Kee TellerA young Navajo Indian boy is caught up in the conflict of cultures when he rejects the white man's school. Told in semi-documentary style.Navajo.
- DirectorJeff SpitzNavajo.
- DirectorHarry L. FraserStarsBob SteeleSyd SaylorEd CassidyThe adopted son of an Indian agent investigates the murder of his adoptive father.Navajo.
- DirectorMaury DexterStarsJames MitchumAlana LaddJody McCreaA cowboy and 5 others pursue outlaws to recover stolen Union Army gold, while a revengeful rancher is it out to murder one of the pursuers.
- DirectorRay NazarroStarsRory CalhounBarbara BatesJohn DehnerA no-nonsense drifter leads a ragtag collective surrounded by a deadly tribe of Apaches.
- DirectorNeil GoodwinThe life of Geronimo, as told by the Chiricahua Apaches.
- DirectorJean YarbroughStarsRod CameronMary CastleJ. Carrol NaishAfter his brother's mysterious murder, Webb Dunham takes over his ranch but runs into conflict with strongman rancher Matt Quigg who covets all local lands in a region infested with Yaqui Mexican bandits.Yaqui.
- DirectorTom GriesStarsJim BrownRaquel WelchBurt ReynoldsIn 1912 Sonora, Mexico, native revolutionary Yaqui Joe (Burt Reynolds) robs a bank to buy arms for his oppressed people, but finds himself sought by an American lawman and the Mexican Army.Yaqui.
- DirectorArturo MartínezStarsJulio AlemánLucha VillaJosé Elías MorenoA young Yaqui man fights against intolerant townspeople.Yaqui.
- DirectorArturo MartínezStarsJulio AlemánLucha VillaJosé Elías MorenoA young Yaqui man fights against intolerant townspeople.Yaqui.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneMaureen O'HaraBen JohnsonA cavalry officer posted on the Rio Grande is confronted with murderous raiding Apaches, a son who's a risk-taking recruit and his wife from whom he has been separated for many years.
- DirectorPaul SloaneStarsPreston FosterEllen DrewAndy DevineThe army's effort to capture Apache chief Geronimo, who is leading a band of warriors on a rampage of raiding and murder, is hampered by a feud between two officers--who are father and son.
- DirectorJosé Briz MéndezStarsJoseph CottenWilliam ShatnerRosanna YanniTwin brothers, half white and half Comanche, take different paths that overlap with Johnny Moon getting blamed for Notah's violent acts until the final confrontation in Rio Hondo.Comanche.
- DirectorGeorge ShermanStarsMaureen O'HaraMacdonald CareyWill GeerWhite settlers plan to defy the agreement between the government and the Comanche in order to mine for silver on Comanche lands, while scout Jim Bowie tries to keep the peace in the territory.Comanche.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottKaren SteelePernell RobertsA bounty hunter (Randolph Scott) escorts a killer (James Best) to be tried for murder, but allows the man's outlaw brother (Lee Van Cleef) to catch up with them to have a showdown over a previous shocking murder.Comanche.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsClint WalkerVirginia MayoBrian KeithEluding a sheriff's posse, an escaped man saves a farming family from a Comanche attack and escorts it to the nearby Fort Dobbs.Comanche.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsSpencer TracyRobert WagnerJean PetersThe saga of the Devereaux rancher family, set in 1880's Arizona.Comanche.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJeffrey HunterVera MilesAn American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.Comanche.
- DirectorAndré De TothStarsBroderick CrawfordBarbara HaleJohnny StewartThe remnants of a massacred cavalry troop and ragtag group of stagecoach passengers fight for survival against fierce Comanches at a desert ruin.Comanche.
- DirectorRodolfo de AndaStarsAndrés GarcíaArmando SilvestreJoaquín CorderoAfter the 14th Ammendment to the US Constitution, everyone has rights - except the Native Americans. Cavalry Army General Boyd applies that by breaking past treaties with the Apaches, and suppressing them in the territory under his command. A young Apache - named Cuchillo/Knife, after the massacre of his tribe - is taught that he is the gods' send to protect his people. Brought up to be a great warrior, he will attempt to reason with Boyd, and then fight an uneven battle against the Blue Demons.
- DirectorHarry KellerStarsFred MacMurrayDorothy MaloneJames BartonGang of robbers heads for Mexican border, meets unexpected opposition along the way.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsJean ArthurWilliam HoldenWarren WilliamIn Tucson of the 1860s, a pioneer woman struggles to succeed in the freight and cattle business while at risk at the hands of corrupt and violent local businessmen and rampaging Indians.