Hondo (1953)

Army despatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring Apaches, and he becomes their protector.

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

James Edward Grant (screenplay), Louis L'Amour (story)

Stars:

John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Hondo Lane
Geraldine Page	...	Angie Lowe
Ward Bond	...	Buffalo Baker
Michael Pate	...	Vittorio - Chiricahua Apache Chief
James Arness	...	Lennie - Army Indian Scout
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Silva
Leo Gordon	...	Ed Lowe
Tom Irish	...	Lt. McKay
Lee Aaker	...	Johnny Lowe
Paul Fix	...	Maj. Sherry
Rayford Barnes	...	Pete - Card Player in Saloon

Storyline

Hondo Lane, a despatch rider for the cavalry, encounters Angie Lowe, a woman living alone with her young son in the midst of hostile Apache territory. She presumes she is safe because the Apaches, under their chief Vittorio, have always left them alone. Later Lane has a run-in with Angie's reprobate husband and is forced to kill him, not knowing who he is. Vittorio captures Lane and to save his life, Angie tells the Apache chief that Lane is her husband, unaware that Lane has killed her real husband. In order to protect her from a forced marriage with one of the Apache, Lane reluctantly goes along with the lie, though he knows the truth must eventually come out, to Vittorio and to Angie, both.

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Plot Keywords:

apache | cavalry | indian war | river | texas | 

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Taglines:

First she was afraid he'd stay---then she was afraid he wouldn't.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for western violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Athapascan languages

Release Date:

5 April 1954 (UK)

Also Known As:

Hondo, l'homme du désert

Filming Locations:

Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Wayne-Fellows Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pal, the dog that played Sam, was the son of Lassie. In the movie, he is supposed to be vicious and ill-tempered, but the temperatures during filming were so hot, he simply panted instead of snarling when on camera. In order to overcome this, he was kept in a special air-conditioned crate while on set and was only brought out for his shots.

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Goofs

In the final battle scene at the end of the movie, the wagon being driven by Buffalo Baker has one of its lead horses go down. John Wayne cuts the animal loose and the wagon takes off with three horses pulling it. In the final scene of the movie, after the battle has concluded, the wagon rides off with a full compliment of four horses.

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Quotes

Hondo Lane: Before I go, I wanna explain somethin'.
Angie Lowe: Yes?
Hondo Lane: It didn't happen in the low way you heard it. I didn't bushwack him
Angie Lowe: I never for a moment thought you did, but you've killed him.
Hondo Lane: I didn't have any choice. He cut loose at me.
Angie Lowe: I should have known that. I should have known you were lying to make me think well of you. Poor Ed. I guess he wasn't the sort of man to die well. Sorry now I hated him so much. I guess he couldn't help being weak and selfish.
Hondo Lane: I just didn't have any choice.
Angie Lowe: I know that.
Hondo Lane: Are you ...
[...]

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Connections

Remade as Hondo and the Apaches (1967)

User Reviews

John Wayne as cavalry scout and protecting a defenseless widow and her son against Apaches

This exciting Western was released in three dimensional (3-D with some gimmickry) in the 50's, a highly topical exhibition mean , nowadays being successfully going back and including polarized glasses. It was the time when introduced Cinemascope and 3-D to compete with TV and attract people to movie theaters . It deals with Hondo Lane (John Wayne) , a scout for the US cavalry, he meets Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page)and falls in love with her , in this typical and entertaining western of the the 50's . The drumbeats of the Apaches sound a grim warning to a woman living in an isolated farm with her son . Hondo Lane becomes stubborn guard Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page in her first movie character) alarmed about the pending Indian uprising and then he turns into a figure father to her son named Johnny. The homesteader Angie, decided to await the return of his gruff husband, refuses to leave his property in spite of the imminent danger from a nearby Indian tribes. The woman living in the wilderness presumes she is safe because the Apaches (led by Michael Pate and Rodolfo Acosta) , under their leader Vittorio, have always left them alone. Later Lane has a run-in with Angie's reprobate husband (Leo Gordon) and is forced to murder in self-defense, not knowing who he is. Vittorio (Michael Pate) captures Lane and to save his life, Angie tells the Apache chief that Lane is her husband, unaware that Lane has murdered her real husband. In order to protect her from a forced marriage with one of the Apache, Lane reluctantly goes along with the lie and both of them fend off the violent Indians .

This classic western contains thrills , action , fights , brawls , impressive battles and spectacular scenarios . Wayne interpretation is the major plus , he's frankly sensational and awesome. This picture, being filmed in 3-D scenery and that it more attractive and impressive look for the legendary John Wayne whom was a novelty the shooting in this system. Interesting screenplay by James Edward Grant , Western's usual writer , though results to be a variation on ¨Shane¨. The film is a well-made Western with a fine result, a colorful photograph and an enjoyable love story . Furthermore , it shows a human view of the Indians and their relations to the American west settlers. This apparently unknown western was nominated for two Academy Awards, a nomination prize for the magnificent acting by Geraldine Page (her first nomination in her long career), and another for Louis L'Amour, well-known writer of novels set on the wild west. Glamorous and glimmer cinematography in superb Technicolor by Robert Burks (Hitchcock's ordinary) and Archie Stout . Lively and sensible musical score by Hugo Friedhofer . The motion picture is compellingly directed by John Farrow (Big clock , Wake Island , Copper cannon ,Captain Jones , among others) . The film was restored by the John Wayne Society for re-release in 1995 and todays is considered as the Duke at his best . Followed by a short-lived TV series . Rating : Above average .Worthwhile watching and a John Wayne's favourite .