Conquest of Cochise (1953) User Reviews

Colorful Indian/Cavalry Western about the notorious Apache leader and his revolt against white men

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 7 August 2012]

Agreeable but underrated B-movie about the famous Indian leader , being set on spectacular landscapes and attempts to adhere to historical facts concerning his life . History comes alive in color by Technicolor with passable actors and adequate action . 1853 an Army Major named Tom Burke (Robert Stack , future Elliot Ness in The untouchables) along with Capt. Bill Lawson (John Crawford) have been sent to Tucson to agree peace with the Indians. He is successful with Cochise (John Hodiak : Lifeboat , Battleground) , the Apache leader, but Cochise is unable to get the Comanches to make peace treaty . The Apaches then turn back a raid by the Comanches and white men rode into the hills to turn back the Apache tide . The cavalry officer tries to keep a lid on a volatile situation when Indian leader Cochise is being prodded into starting a warn . There is a man in Tucson that wishes the Indian war against the cavalry to go on and when a stray Army rifle is discovered and it murders Cochise's spouse, it appears the Apaches will break the peace treaty . Later on , the daughter (Joy Page who worked in Casablanca) of a Mexican wealthy owner is kidnapped by Indians and Cochise fall in love with her .

There are wonderful outdoors shot on spectacular territory and it displays action , shootouts, violence and though sometimes is slow-moving , isn't tiring neither dreary , sustaining the interest for quite a while . The movie also portrays the sensitive side of the Native American character though is dramatically slack and some moments there's nothing left to maintain viewer involvement . The film states that there were thousands Apache warriors at war in Arizona, when in fact was in the entire state and never more than several hundred fighting the white settlers and the US Army at any one time . This Indian-on-the-warpath tale is based on historical character and real events : Cochise and and the Gadsden Purchase 1853 that just brought part of Mexico into the United States . The motion picture didn't obtain success and resulted to be mediocre at box office , in spite of the appropriate sets , glimmer cinematography in Technicolor by Freulich and atmospheric musical score ; being filmed on location in Santa Clarita, Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park California, USA .

This low-budgeted motion picture was professionally directed by William Castle . He was an expert craftsman with some of the all-time great schlock names serving as the producer Sam Katzman and fondness for gimmicks as proved in his successful terror films such as House of haunted hill , The Tingler , Mr Sardonicus , Strait-jacked , Homicidal , Macabre and 13 Ghosts . Castle emulated Alfred Hitchcock , this included the practice of appearing in the trailers, and even making cameo appearances in his films . Furthermore , he made several Western such as 1955 Duel on the Mississippi , 1955 The Gun That Won the West ,1955 El Americano , 1954 Masterson of Kansas , 1954 The Law vs. Billy the Kid , 1954 Jesse James vs. the Daltons , 1954 Battle of Rogue River , 1953 Fort Ti , 1951 cave of outlaws. Rating : 5'5 . Acceptable and passable .

A routine western with a few good moments

[dinky-4 · 5/10 · 16 April 1999]

I saw this movie when it was new, back in 1953, and the only thing I remembered about it was the final reel in which Cochise (John Hodiak) is sentenced to suffer three tortures: (1) scalded by hot steam, (2) sliced with knife blades, and (3) burned by fire. Many years later I saw the movie again and, what do you know?, the only thing worth remembering about it is that final reel. Robert Stack makes a serviceable, though undistinguished, hero, and the color photography has that "brightness" so common in early 1950's movies.

Positively Cleopatra like

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 24 June 2014]

Sam Katzman formerly of Monogram Studios probably could not believe the budget he had with Columbia Pictures for Conquest Of Cochise. Color and location shooting. I can hear him saying I know I'm not at Monogram any more.

This story about Cochise takes place as the USA has formally taken over the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, the last bit of continental USA that we acquired. The Mexicans sold it to us for a tidy sum, it was mostly desert and its largest city was a desert settlement that was called Tucson. But it did sit across a possible southern continental railway route and we bought it for that purpose.

Now to enforce some law there because Cochise and his Chiracahua Apaches rule most of that bit of turf with Comanches occasionally raiding in there as well. That's what Major Robert Stack of the US Cavalry is sent there to do, make a treaty. Of course there are forces who don't want a treaty made.

Nevertheless Stack goes to negotiate with Cochise who is played most impressively by John Hodiak.

Broken Arrow which is set post Civil War has a lot of similarities and an actor who got great acclaim for playing Cochise. Jeff Chandler got an Oscar nomination for his performance. Broken Arrow got a far bigger budget than Conquest Of Cochise. Still what Hodiak did should have gotten more acclaim.

Conquest Of Cochise was not a bad film and for a Sam Katzman production its positively Cleopatra like.

An overlooked Columbia screen gem

[NewEnglandPat · 7/10 · 19 May 2003]

The Gadsden Purchase of Southern Arizona is the setting for this underrated western that has fine action, good photography and a nice music score. The plot involves the U.S. Government's attempt to forge a peace treaty between ancient enemies, the Apaches and Mexicans, the latter of whom the American troops are duty-bound to protect from Cochise's raiders. Indian-hating Mexicans and trouble-making Americans stand in the way of peace and inflame hostilities on both sides of the border. The Comanches, at war with both the Americans and the Mexicans, hope to enlist Cochise and his Apaches as allies in their war of extinction against their enemies. Robert Stack is the best-known name among a good cast of players who were veterans of many western films. John Hodiak is Cochise, and his mannered, formal bearing as the Apache chief is better than might be expected.

Worth Watching for the Ending

[Michael_Elliott · 22 August 2010]

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.

Apaches vs. Commanches!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 7 June 2018]

"Conquest of Cochise" is another low budget but competent little 70 minute western from the team of producer Sam Katzman and director William Castle. shot in glorious technicolor, it provides spectacular scenery under which the story unfolds.

A piece of Mexican territory containing Tucson is sold by Mexico to the U.S. in 1853. Army Major Tom Burke (Robert Stack) is sent to the area to make peace with the Apache led by the notorious Cochise (John Hodiak). Burke, who has an eye for the ladies, takes an interest in the daughter of rich Mexican land owner Don Francisco De Cordova (Edward Coleman), Consuelo (Joy Page).

Cochise is in favor of peace with the whites but his co-chief Takiwah (Steven Ritch) favors war with the white eye. Slick townsman Sam Maddock (Robert Griffen) who deals in arms, wants to keep the hostilities going. Consuelo's cousin Felipe (Rico Alaniz) whose wife was killed by the Apache, tries to kill Cochise when he comes for peace talks at Don Francisco's hosienda, but is stopped by Consuelo.

Maddock supplies Felipe with a new repeating rifle. Still upset with the Apache, Felipe tries again to murder Cochise but kills his young wife by accident. Tukiwah again tries to convince Cochise to go to war bekieving that a soldier was the murderer. Cochise gives Burke four days to produce the real culprit. Meanwhile Cochise holds Consuelo hostage wher an attraction develops between her and Cochise.

Cochise meanwhile, is having trouble keeping the Commanche under Chief Red Knife (Rodd Redwing) from going to war. Burke brings in Felipe as the killer with the understanding he will be tried by white man's law. Cochise again tries to make peace with the whites and the Commanche. However Red Knife takes Cochise prisoner and tortures him. Red Knife is about to put Cochise to the fire when.............................................................................................

The movie, though it has an exciting finale, kind of drags in the middle. I was expecting that Cochise would have to fight Red Knife at some point or Burke vs. Red knife or Takiwah, but that didn't happen. Maddock's early demise was unexpected.

This time Katzman and Castle had recognizable leads in Hodiak and Stack who perform competently. Joy Page makes a fetching pawn between the two leaders. Also in the cast are John Crawford as Capt. Lawson and real life Apache Charlie Stevens as one of the Apache chiefs.

Just as an aside, the rifle shown appears to be a Winchester which didn"t come along until much later. As far as I know, the U.S. Army was still using single shot rifles at this time.

Clunkiness of Cold Cheese...

[LobotomousMonk · 5/10 · 24 February 2013]

I remain staggered when contemplating the inconsistency of William Castle's direction. My being boggled is seemingly rooted in Castle's implementation of two stylistic systems - malformed 'Twins' as it were. The Arnie isn't present in this outing. The "Devito" system is in full force with passive direction that features a tableau frontality dominant in the staging/blocking and camera positioning that succumbs to the idea that action should pass through it or track it in the most linear fashion. Like some of the Boston Blackie films, groups of characters are staged symmetrically creating an evenness like a Moe Howard bowl cut. Hackneyed quips and stilted performances abound. I believe the AFI archival notes on the film remark that the uniforms didn't fit historically. The stereotyping throughout Conquest of Cochise would fit adequately if you upped the action sequences in quantity and quality. The stereotyping could thus be rendered parodical cartoon or comic-strip homage, and vice-versa. The authorial voice of Castle is mute in this film and sequences are connected with sterile methodical execution. As such, the 4th Wall stands strong and the story is required to tell itself. The story itself is poor and the characterization does nothing to create spectator investment. Too much melodrama and not enough action renders a comic strip story into a tepid soap opera. Romantic subplots are developed as filler and not as focused torrid affairs. The talkiness is so overt that I have to wonder whether this churned out "B" historical Western was not produced solely to serve necking teens who needed a dark anonymous escape for a couple of hours. The ethnography of this film is bunk for a contemporary audience and perhaps outdated even at the time of its release. Were these Katzman-Castle history-drama productions simply gimmicks in service of a romantic subculture among audiences? I will admit that it would be easy to pay full attention to my lover's lips and blouse buttons with Conquest of Cochise playing - there would be no chance of a distraction.

Conquest of Cochise

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 3 April 2023]

Four disparate factions - Apaches, Comanches, the U. S. Cavalry, and established Mexicans - trying to figure each other out in and around Tucson on the eve of the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. Maj. Tom Burke (Robert Stack) leads the charge for the army, while Cochise (John Hodiak) must try to negotiate both the white man and his fellow natives in an effort to avert all-out war.

Fairly colourful and thoughtful western with a good performance by John Hodiak as Cochise and other cast members. It's got interesting take on the Mexican-Apache conflict. Throw a little Comanche in there too and you got a well-plotted western with some good action. The ending has a good shootout finale.

Is it really useful?

[searchanddestroy-1 · 1/10 · 30 October 2022]

I don't think so, as so many Sam Katzman productions, maybe not every of them however, but most of them for sure. Watch it only as a time waster, and also only if you are a die hard movie buff. Never look for historical facts, never with Katzman, it would be foolish. Directing is always bland, actors often ridiculous but the result rather surprisingly agreeable. It is a western about Chief Cochise and it could have been about any Indian leader: Chirf Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Geronimo.... Just non sense. Here, for the one millionth time, it is question of treacherous White dude selling booze to Indians, with predictable results.... I repeat, it is bearable. Nothing more. One thing very interesting though, the explanations that John Hodiak gives about Indians customs, for instance the water in the mouth that the Indians kids, future warriors, had to keep during a long run, without swallowing it. Thats was the only interesting thing in this tepid programmer. However I have seen far far worse and lousier. Especially from Katzman productions. Forget William Castle, the future director of som many excellent horror thrillers. He was just a yes man in this kind of films.

"Survival is our religion"

[clanciai · 9/10 · 18 February 2022]

This is an interesting film of the Indians with John Hodiak as the legendary chief of the apaches Cochise, who finds himself in a quandary, whether to make war with the white Americans or with his brothers the comanches. He chooses what he thinks is the lesser evil and gets trouble with the comanches. The diplomatic efforts to make peace between Robert Stack as the white major and Cochise encounter difficulties and lead inevitably to a violent serttlement with the comanches. John Hodiak was always interesting as a character on film, always playing personalities with great integrity, and here he is perfect as Cochise, an apache chief of superior self control. He never shows his feelings, but the audience must understand them all too well. The film is directed by William Castle, who made all the Crime Doctor films, and this is made with equal efficiency with no waste on nonsense. The film is mainly worth watching because of the insight into the apache way of life that it offers, and of course there is a lady involved (Joy Page) who also knows her own mind: she actually kills an Indian here in a raid. The colours are brilliant, they always are in films of Arizona, and that is an extra credit to the film to make it more than worth while. It is one of the first major westerns that take sides with the Indians or at least shows a deeper understanding and interest in them, which makes it important in the line of westerns. Robert Stack as the major is more standard military officer routine soldier, while it is the actions of Cochise that keep you engaged.