Run of the Arrow (1957)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller (writer)

Release Date:

5 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

A Rebel vet, O'Meara has refused to surrender when Lee does at Appomatox. O'Meara travels west and after escaping from...

Plot Keywords:

American Civil War | Beautiful Woman | Confederate | Shot In The Forehead | Native American

Cast

Rod Steiger	...	Pvt. O'Meara
Sara Montiel	...	Yellow Moccasin (as Sarita Montiel)
Brian Keith	...	Capt. Clark
Ralph Meeker	...	Lt. Driscoll
Jay C. Flippen	...	Walking Coyote
Charles Bronson	...	Blue Buffalo
Olive Carey	...	Mrs. O'Meara
H.M. Wynant	...	Crazy Wolf
Neyle Morrow	...	Lt. Stockwell
Frank DeKova	...	Red Cloud
Tim McCoy	...	Gen. Allen (as Colonel Tim McCoy)
Stuart Randall	...	Col. Taylor
Frank Warner	...	Banjo Playing Singer
Billy Miller	...	Silent Tongue
Chuck Hayward	...	Corporal with Saddle

Also Known As:

Hot Lead (USA) (video title)
The Last Bullet (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

St. George, Utah, USA

Company:

Globe Enterprises

Trivia:

At the time of its release, many critics commented favorably on director Samuel Fuller's "artistic" decision to concentrate on the feet of the participants in the actual "run of the arrow" rather than showing them in their entirety. In an interview, Fuller said there was a very simple reason for his decision: star Rod Steiger had badly sprained his ankle just before the scene was to be shot and wasn't able to walk, let alone run, so Fuller got one of the Indian extras who was built somewhat like Steiger to run in his place, which is why he shot only feet instead of close-ups or medium shots.

Quotes:

Walking Coyote: I coulda been a chief.
Pvt. O'Meara, 6th Virginia Volunteers Sharpshooter: Oh yeah? How come you're not a chief now?
Walking Coyote: Eh, I got no stomach for politics.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Purple Hills

Much better than similar 'Dances With Wolves'

Jaw-droppingly similar to DANCES WITH WOLVES in story and overall theme, this is a clearer, simpler, shorter, and in every way better movie. Fuller is one of the most visual, cinematic directors who ever worked, and he starts with a premise that is itself utterly visual: Steiger, a Southerner at the end of the Civil War, is so alienated now with both the North and the South that he does the only thing he can -- head West. And so he does, eventually finding himself caught between another war of cultures -- the Indian vs the white man.

Like all of Fuller's movies, this one is hard-hitting, brutal, emotional and stimulating. It does not sentimentalise the Indians or offer any easy choices for its characters. This is one of Fuller's rare pictures -- not often shown on TV -- but it is highly recommended.