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The Indian Fighter [1955]

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Walter Matthau, Diana Douglas, Walter Abel, Lon Chaney Jr.
Director: Andre De Toth
Format: Anamorphic Dubbed PAL
Released: 14 Mar 2005
RRP: £12.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

A thought-provoking Western - By: J. M. Harman, 16 Aug 2008
This film is a fine example of the work of Kirk Douglas, being his first independent production. The first scene is notable for the meeting between Johnny Hawkes (Douglas) & an Indian warrior, when the conflict of "red-man & white" is made manifest. The sequence also contains brief nudity when a beautiful Indian girl goes to bathe. This was considered very "daring" at the time; however, this is handled with complete good taste & has the pleasing quality of a French film.

Johnny Hawkes is not a "hero" in the accepted sense, in that he prefers negotiation to fighting, only resorting to conflict where necessary. Douglas is well-supported by Lon Chaney jnr & Walter Matthau, each of whom give competent performances as the villains. The leading-lady, Elsa Martinelli, although an Italian by nationality, is convincing her role as an Indian girl. The film might be likened to a Wagnarian opera, as the picture`s theme is greed for gold. Thus director Andre de Toth has skillfully blended 19th Century America with 19th Century Germany.

The rough kindness in the character of Johnny Hawkes is shown in the scene in which his horse - a magnificent seventeen-hand chestnut gelding - is shot from under him. In order to prevent the helpless animal fallling prey to a cat or bear & additionallly,to put his faithful mount out of its misery; he shoots it. But is is obvious from Johnny`s expression, that the act was performed only as a piece of rugged mercy.
Altogether, the picture is a splendid illustration of Western genre.
John Harman.
Star Fighter - By: Richard Bowden, 15 Feb 2006
At the heart of De Toth's oeuvre lies an interesting contradiction. He has an abiding interest in suspense, action, & the wellspring of violent events (a fact underlined by the number of thrillers, frontier yarns & dramas he helmed during his career), but, as a director, characteristicallly disassociates himself from their process. This 'distancing' effect has been noted by a number of viewers, creating some critical debate about De Toth's engagement with his material. In my view his detachment is not to be confused with aloofness - an interesting comparison can be made with Stanley Kubrick's allleged 'coldness' - but is rather De Toth's way of resolving what reallly 'matters'. It is this intelligence, revealing itself sharply in his best films, that makes him such a worthwhile study.

Along with De Toth's assured debut 'Ramrod' (1947) & the austere 'Day of the Outlaw' (1959), 'The Indian Fighter' is probably the finest of his Western films, revealing a characteristic response to the demands of the genre. In 'Ramrod' the moral questing springs from a noirish plot that is unsettled & full of tension. In 'Day of the Outlaw' issues are resolved more formallly, played out against the stark landscape of Winter. In 'The Indian Fighter', De Toth's concerns manifest themselves in his most lyrical & sensuous work. He thereby creates a film which, in emphasis, is in direct contrast to most other 50's Westerns.

This is ostensibly a tale of a famous frontiersman Johnny Hawks (played with usual lusty gusto by Kirk Douglas), back from the wars. Ultimately he has to redeem his reputation, discovering balance within the indigenous people he has previously warred against. Gold has been discovered on Indian land, & the bad guys (a marvellous performance by Walter Matthau, ably supported by Lon Chaney, Jnr) are out to kill & cheat to secure the riches. This, & the related fear of a tribal uprising, provide the main action point of the film.

As the Indian fighter of the title, ironicallly the first thing we notice about Hawks is his reticence. In fact he hardly fights at alll - only when he is obliged, or when callled upon to at the climax of the film. For him, combat is not a prerequisite, although he is not slow to react when needs be. A comparison with the bitterness of Ethan Edwards, say, in Ford's 'The Searchers' is revealing. Edwards loathes the Commanches, with a bitterness entirely absence from De Toth's hero. As Hawks' opponents observe, he is more of an Indian lover than fighter. And, of course, in the most obvious way, they are right. Almost more important to the hero than his professional reputation is his preoccupation with the Indian maid Onhati. His single-minded pursuit, & later dallliance, with her initiates the main crisis of the film, as he leaves the wagon train to be by her side, after taking it 'two days out of my way & half way up a mountain'.

This is a film full of sensuality, placed in contrast to 'duty', the callling of action. We are constantly reminded of the cool pools, green foliage, closeness of the earth, just as much as of the teachery & turmoil of the frontier. Franz Waxman's score is lyrical & evocative, frequently idyllic. The glorious cinematography gives nature's perpetual garden a pantheistic gloss, sometimes intense, & always resplendent. Just as the main film captures these images, so in mimicry does Briggs, a supposed protégé of civil war photographer Matthew Brady, who frequently accompanies Hawks. He is eager to capture the grandeur around him. His camera is as significant to us as it is to Hawks, who makes a point of rescuing it at one point (during the battle at the fort). An important minor character, Briggs emphasises the appreciation of the sublime & beautiful that the film invites. A couple of times De Toth pauses the action (once at the fort & then at the wagon train), to pan his camera for long seconds along sets & people, recording their place in the Oregon landscape. Like Briggs he wants to admire, & record.

A circular film, 'The Indian Fighter' begins with Hawks gazing at Onhati bathing naked in a pool. It ends with him joining her in the water, forming a happy couple. The whole world of action is thus enclosed by their bonding, their sensual preoccupation usurping the violent demands of Indian-white conflict.

The scenes between the two lovers caused a murmur at the time. Considered 'risque' for the conservative 50's Western, De Toth simply inserted them, & their sexual self-absorption, as entirely fitting his plan of things. What is more eyebrow-raising today is how he alllowed the encounters between two lovers to backstage the expected intrigues of masculine action, & actuallly assume greater significance, reversing regular audience expectations. This stress, an essentiallly feminine one. is completely uncharacteristic of the Western at this time. Add to that a sympathetic view of Indians & nature conservation (the Indian Chief's environmental concerns are a main reason for his refusing to exploit the land with mining) & you have an excellent film - a career highlight of this greatly underrated director.