Pillars of the Sky (1956)

In Oregon Country, 1868, several tribes of Native Americans have been placed on a reservation north of the Snake River. Here Doctor Holden has built a church, and many of the tribes have ... See full summary »

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Sam Rolfe (screenplay), Heck Allen (novel)

Stars:

Jeff Chandler, Dorothy Malone, Ward Bond

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Chandler	...	First Sgt. Emmett Bell
Dorothy Malone	...	Calla Gaxton
Ward Bond	...	Dr. Joseph Holden
Keith Andes	...	Capt. Tom Gaxton
Lee Marvin	...	Sgt. Lloyd Carracart
Sydney Chaplin	...	Timothy
Willis Bouchey	...	Col. Edson Stedlow
Michael Ansara	...	Kamiakin
Olive Carey	...	Mrs. Anne Avery
Charles Horvath	...	Sgt. Dutch Williams
Orlando Rodriguez	...	Malachi
Glen Kramer	...	Lt. Winston
Floyd Simmons	...	Lt. Hammond
Pat Hogan	...	Jacob
Felix Noriego	...	Lucas

Storyline

In Oregon Country, 1868, several tribes of Native Americans have been placed on a reservation north of the Snake River. Here Doctor Holden has built a church, and many of the tribes have accepted Christianity and Christian names. Sgt. Emmett Bell is in charge of maintaining order here. When the cavalry, under the command of Col. Stedlow, arrives, building a bridge across the river and intending to open a road across the reservation to areas north, some of the tribal chiefs feel their treaty has been violated. As the cavalry column advances into the reservation, Kamiakin vows to lead the tribes in battle against the encroaching white men.

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Plot Keywords:

cavalry | christianity | native american | native american reservation | based on novel

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Taglines:

The story of a people's faith and the courage of a man they called Godless!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dem Tode entronnen

Filming Locations:

Joseph, Oregon, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few westerns where the Indians actually ride bareback or on blankets instead of a blanket over the saddle.

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Goofs

When Sgt Bell goes to the tent for a drink of whiskey and Sgt Carrracart tells him the still is small, Sgt Bell leaves and Sgt Carracart takes a drink from a canteen. The canteen is a Scout model made of Aluminum and not available until the 1900's.

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Connections

Featured in Cuba (1979)

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Soundtracks

"Down in the Valley"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Milton Rosen

User Reviews

Different, and surprisingly good

Given the basically no-star cast and the fact that it came from Universal-International, it's understandable that you might think this would be just another run-of-the-mill "B" oater--and you'd be dead wrong. This first-rate western has several things going for it. The breathtaking Oregon locations have been beautifully captured by Harold Lipstein's expert Technicolor cinematography. The colors are lush, and the photography is so atmospheric you can almost feel the chill in your bones as the troops slog through the rugged mountain country. There are several rousingly staged and exciting action scenes, notably a somewhat lengthy sequence in which a wagon train loaded with troops cuts its way through a mass of charging Indians. The performances by a cast of veteran character actors--Lee Marvin in an early role (although his Irish brogue is a bit much), Keith Andes, Charles Horvath, Alberto Morin and Willis Bouchey, among others--are top-notch, Dorothy Malone is beautiful, Jeff Chandler gives a more authoritative (and animated) performance than he usually did and Ward Bond does an outstanding job as a caring and concerned missionary who doesn't want to see bloodshed on either side. The main thing the film has going for it, though, is the subject matter. Rather than having the usual Apaches or Comanches rampaging through the Southwest, the film is set in the Oregon mountain country, and the Indians are not superstitious savages but have been converted to Christianity by missionary Bond, and many in their religious zeal have given up their "animal" names and taken the names of Biblical figures (to further drive the point home, one soldier complains to Bond that, since he has "Christianized" the Indians, they have no qualms about attacking at night; "uncivilized" Indians never attacked at night for fear that if they were killed, their spirits would roam in the dark forever and never find peace). As far as I know, this particular facet of the Indian wars had never been tackled before or, for that matter, since. The story consistently holds your interest (although the triangle between Chandler, Malone and Andes tends to slow things down somewhat), the action scenes are terrific, the photography, as noted, is superb. A very worthy effort from veteran director George Marshall. Well worth your time.