Bis zum letzten Mann (1948)

Bis zum letzten Mann: Directed by John Ford. With John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendáriz. At 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.

“I think that a list of John Wayneu0026#39;s five best pictures has to include Fort Apache. Itu0026#39;s the first and best of the cavalry trilogy that he did with John Ford. Oddly enough he has less screen time here than in the other two, due to the fact that he was co-starring with another big Hollywood name in Henry Fonda.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s first and foremost the story of a clash between two men who see the United States Army in very different terms. Fonda is a former general whou0026#39;s seen glory in the Civil War, but has been shunted aside. He wants to get back on top in the worst way. Heu0026#39;s exiled to Fort Apache in the Arizona territory while the big headlines concerning the Indian wars are going to the campaign against the plains Indians which was true enough.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWayne has also seen some glory in the Civil War. But heu0026#39;s a professional soldier and just wants to live long enough to retire. In fact Ward Bond who is the sergeant major at the post has also dropped down in rank, he was a major in the Civil War and a Medal of Honor winner. This was a common occurrence at the end of the Civil War. During the war, promotions came swiftly because of battlefield service. Something called a brevet rank was instituted a kind of temporary promotion. You could be a brevet brigadier general and have an actual rank of something like major. After the Civil War as the U.S. Army shrunk to its pre-war size, soldier reverted to previous ranks. This was something John Ford was keenly aware of when he made Fort Apache.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFordu0026#39;s stock company was never better. Even minor bit parts are woven nicely into the whole story. And his photography of Monument Valley, itu0026#39;s beauty and vastness was never better even when he used color. Look at the scenes with John Agar and Shirley Temple riding and with Wayne and Pedro Armendariz on their way to parley with Cochise. Really great cinematography.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFord had a couple of inside comments in the film. In a scene where Henry Fonda is getting an incomplete message from the post telegrapher, the telegrapher who might have strolled in from a Cagney-Ou0026#39;Brien film informs his commander that the message was interrupted u0026quot;in the middle of the last woid.u0026quot; With both Irish and southern recruits in Fort Apache, a Brooklynese telegrapher would not have been out of place.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGeorge Ou0026#39;Brien and Anna Lee, play Sam and Emily Collingwood who both knew Henry Fondau0026#39;s Owen Thursday way back in the day. Itu0026#39;s hinted that Ou0026#39;Brien had a drinking problem and thatu0026#39;s why heu0026#39;s at Fort Apache, but heu0026#39;s looking for a transfer out. It comes as the regiment is moving out against Cochise. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCharles Collingwood was the second in command to Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar. Nelson became a British hero martyr, historians know about Charles Collingwood. When newspapermen at the end of Fort Apache remark about men like u0026quot;Collingworthu0026quot;not being remembered, it was John Ford making a statement about the worth of all the men who contribute their lives to defend their nations not just the leader heroes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat remark by the way is the stage for one of John Wayneu0026#39;s finest acted scenes in his career. A soliloquy photographed through a cabin window about the life of the professional soldier, the camaraderie, the toughness, the bravery required of these men and how they deliver for their nation. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn a later film John Ford uses the line that in the west u0026quot;when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.u0026quot; Henry Fondau0026#39;s quest for martial glory was a blunder, but his story for the sake and tradition of his regiment is whitewashed and he becomes an inspiration.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOf course some of the lowbrow comedy that one expects from John Ford is here aplenty with the four drinking sergeants and their efforts to make soldiers out of the recruits. Led by Victor McLaglen, the quartet rounds out with Dick Foran, Jack Pennick, and Pedro Armendariz. See how they dispose of the contraband they are charged with destroying and its consequences.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFort Apache also takes the side of the Indian here. Cochise played by an impassive Miguel Inclan is a figure of strength and dignity. Later on Jeff Chandler in another film brought speech to the dignity and that role launched his career. Cochise is the only true major figure in the film. He bedeviled the U.S. Cavalry for over a decade in Arizona Territory with guerrilla tactics Mao Tse Tung would have envied.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFort Apache is a grand ensemble film and you will not be bored for one second in watching it.”