Distant Drums (1951)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Niven Busch (screenplay)
Niven Busch (story)

Release Date:

29 December 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Romance | Western

Plot:

After destroying a Seminole fort, American soldiers and their rescued companions must face the dangerous Everglades and hostile Indians in order to reach safety

Plot Keywords:

Underwater | Stabbed In Stomach | Knife | Knife Fight | Native American Uprising

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Capt. Quincy Wyatt
Mari Aldon	...	Judy Beckett
Richard Webb	...	Lt. Richard Tufts
Ray Teal	...	Pvt. Mohair
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Monk
Robert Barrat	...	Gen. Zachary Taylor

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #5260) | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - One S. Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, Florida, USA

Company:

United States Pictures

Trivia:

Except for Larry Carper as Chief Oscala, the actors "playing" Seminole Indian warriors were in fact actual Seminoles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tacones lejanos (1991)

A Seminole uprising in the Everglades

This film is an interesting but somewhat uneven adventure that stars Gary Cooper and a good supporting cast, the story of which unfolds in the Florida Everglades about a platoon of soldiers on a mission to halt the supply of guns and ammunition to the savage Seminole Indians. Quincy Wyatt's troops accomplish their mission and also rescue civilian prisoners, destroy the fort and head back to headquarters but never get there. The platoon is pursued and menaced by the Seminoles who eventually trap the soldiers on Wyatt's island where matters are settled between Wyatt and the Seminole chief. The jungle-rot of the Everglades is evident in nearly every scene, in contrast to the beautiful lagoons and coves of the Florida coast and Lake Okeechobee. The Seminoles' war regalia seems to consist of amulets and trinkets which rattle like tambourines as they search for the soldiers. The action sequences are good but there are stretches when the film bogs down and the dialogue slows the film's pace. Cooper gets a great assist from Arthur Honeycutt who excelled at playing scouts and backwoodsmen with droll, understated shadings. Ray Teal, a great character actor and veteran of countless westerns, delivers another solid performance. Max Steiner's music is good, with a nod towards heroic and ominous. The newly-released DVD has no extras but the color transfer is excellent.