Der einsame Adler (1954)

Der einsame Adler: Directed by Delmer Daves. With Alan Ladd, Audrey Dalton, Marisa Pavan, Robert Keith. In 1872, Indian fighter Johnny MacKay is appointed peace commissioner for the California and Oregon territory but he faces tough opposition from the renegade Modocs led by their chief Captain Jack.

“The only reason I saw this film is because is starred Alan Ladd. Other than that, it really has nothing special to add to the 134427923459329 other westerns made during this era (donu0026#39;t believe me? I counted!). Sure, it has nice scenery and decent acting, but the plot is quite ordinary.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film begins with Alan Ladd being summoned to the White House to talk with President Grant. It seems that Ladd was called because he is a famed u0026#39;Indian fighteru0026#39; and knows a lot about the recent uprisings among the Modoc Indians in the Washington/Oregon area (though the film sure didnu0026#39;t look that that part of the country to me). Ladd is given a commission as a Peace Commissioner–to pacify the problems, not just go in and kill everyone! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs Peace Commissioner, Ladd is in a bind. Some settlers and a cavalry officer and his wife have been murdered. The settlers are calling for action, but Ladd canu0026#39;t just start killing Indians without knowing exactly who was at fault. Laddu0026#39;s job sure looks like a tough one.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen you see Captain Jack (not the pirate but the leader of these Indians), you will not be surprised that heu0026#39;s not played by a real American-Indian–this was very typical for the time period. Heck, the 1950s saw the likes of Rock Hudson(!), Jeff Chandler and other non-natives playing Indians. In this film, Charles Bronson (!!) plays the renegade Indian warrior–the same man of Lithuanian ancestry who was born Charles Buchinsky! Well, at least he WAS able to carry off the role, as despite his very white ancestry his chiseled looks were a reasonable approximation for a Modoc Indian–though his nose is clearly not correct (you canu0026#39;t win u0026#39;em all). Anthony Caruso, an Italian-American, also plays a Modoc tribesman but frankly, he WAS able to carry off playing an Indian very well and youu0026#39;d swear he was one himself. And, Mexican-born Rodolfo Acosta also plays one of the tribesmen. IMDb did not indicate he had Indian blood, either, but he, too, at least looked like a very good approximation of a Modoc Indian.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a well-polished and decent western with good production values. However, aside from discussing the Modocs (hardly a tribe mentioned in a typical western), there really is nothing new here. The Indians are, generally, shown as unreasonable savages and the day is saved by a combination of macho-Ladd and the US Cavalry. I am quite sure that the Modocs would have a different interpretations of these hostilities! Watchable and well made but also quite ordinary.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBy the way, although the dates are wrong and several important omissions occur, the general facts of the film were essentially correct (there WAS a Captain Jack, for instance as well as a hold-out in the mountains by the warriors). There was a lot of friction between the Modoc tribe and settlers–with quite a few u0026#39;massacresu0026#39;. However, by 1876 (when the film is set), the Modocs had been forcibly moved to Oklahoma and their leader hanged following the killing of a US Major. It makes for interesting reading and is actually a lot more interesting than this movie.”