Conquest of Cochise (1953)

A cavalry officer tries to keep a lid on a volatile situation when Indian leader Cochise is being prodded into starting a war.

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

DeVallon Scott (story), Arthur Lewis (screenplay),

Stars:

John Hodiak, Robert Stack, Joy Page

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Hodiak	...	Cochise
Robert Stack	...	Maj. Tom Burke
Joy Page	...	Consuelo de Cordova
Rico Alaniz	...	Felipe
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Mexican Minister
Edward Colmans	...	Don Francisco de Cordova
Alex Montoya	...	Jose Antonio Felicisimo de la Vega y Garcia
Steven Ritch	...	Tukiwah, Cochise's Lietenant
Carol Thurston	...	Terua, Cochise's Wife
Rodd Redwing	...	Red Knife, Comanche Chief
Robert Griffin	...	Sam Maddock, Tucson Bar Owner (as Robert E. Griffin)
Poppy del Vando	...	Señora de Cordova

Storyline

Its 1853 and the Gadsden Purchase has just brought part of Mexico into the United States. An Army Major has been sent to Tucson to make peace with the Indians. He is successful with Cochise, the Apache leader, but Cochise is unable to get the Comanches to agree. The Apaches then turn back a raid by the Comanches. There is a man in Tucson that wants the Indian war against the Americans to continue and when a stray Army rifle is found and it kills Cochise's woman, it appears the Apaches will break the peace treaty.

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Plot Keywords:

tied to a stake | american indian | bare chested male bondage | scalded by steam | native american | 

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adamastos fylarhos

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The film states that there were 40,000 Apache warriors at war in Arizona, when in fact there were never anywhere near 40,000 Apaches in the entire state and never more than several hundred fighting the white settlers and the US Army at any one time.

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Quotes

Major Tom Burke: It is a custom of our people, the handshake. It means we each give our word to what has been said.

User Reviews

Worth Watching for the Ending

Conquest of Cochise (1953)

** (out of 4)

Another Castle Western from Columbia certainly sticks to its "B" origins but there are a few interesting ideas that make it worth sitting through, although no one should expect a classic. Set in 1953 Arizona, Maj. Tom Burke (Robert Stack) wants to avoid a war between whites and Indians but a greedy Mexican wants both sides to fight and kill each other off. Indian Cochise (John Hodiak), on the other hand, wants peace but his people begin to pressure him into fighting this war. This film certainly doesn't have enough going for it to recommend to all people but I think those who enjoy "B" Westerns might find enough entertainment in its 70-minutes to make it worth watching. The film has way too much talk during the early parts but the final fifteen-minutes really pick up and end up packing a very strong punch. We start off when Cochise is sentenced to three tortures with one being bathed in hot steam and another impressive sequence where he's tied to a pole while the other Indians ride their horses up to him and slice him up with knives. This sequence doesn't contain anything too graphic but the editing and way it was directed makes it quite effective. We fall this up with a big battle scene that has the expected gunshots, bodies falling and of course the wild horse chases. Director Castle is best known for his horror films and most of them were in B&W but these early Westerns he did at Columbia gives you the chance to see him work in color and he certainly takes advantage of it. This movie looks like a coloring book because of all the vivid colors that are constantly on display. Whenever a set is on display it's got as many colors as they could possibly put in and this is a plus as there's always something to look at. Stack is pretty good in his role as I enjoyed the laid back approach he brought the character. It seems like the majority of the budget went to painting Hodiak red but he too is good in the role and gives it a certain passion that you can feel. The rest of the cast are pretty much what you'd expect in a film like this in terms of performances and character. Sam Katzman served as producer so that should pretty much tell you everything you'd need to know. Again, there's nothing overly special here but the final fifteen-minutes are well worth watching.