The Undefeated (1969)

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay), Stanley Hough (story),

Stars:

John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Antonio Aguilar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	Col. John Henry Thomas
Rock Hudson	...	Col. James Langdon
Antonio Aguilar	...	Gen. Rojas (as Tony Aguilar)
Roman Gabriel	...	Blue Boy
Marian McCargo	...	Ann
Lee Meriwether	...	Margaret
Merlin Olsen	...	Little George
Melissa Newman	...	Charlotte
Bruce Cabot	...	Jeff Newby
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Bubba Wilkes (as Michael Vincent)
Ben Johnson	...	Short Grub
Edward Faulkner	...	Anderson
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Webster
Paul Fix	...	Gen. Joe Masters
Royal Dano	...	Maj. Sanders

Storyline

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and company are bringing horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head while Langdon is leading a contingent of displaced southerners, who are looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences in order to fight off both bandits and revolutionaries, as they try to lead their friends and kin to safety.

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Plot Keywords:

colonel | mexico | confederate | revolution | horse | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

27 November 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Unbesiegten

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming John Wayne fell from his horse and fractured three ribs. He couldn't work for almost two weeks. Then he tore a ligament in his shoulder and couldn't use one arm at all. The director, Andrew V. McLaglen, could only film him from an angle for the rest of the picture. His only concern throughout was not to disappoint his fans, despite being in terrible pain.

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Goofs

When Colonel Langdon leaves to go ask John Henry to give up his horses to save the Colonels men, he leaves and the sun is still up. He is shown riding at a full gallop at sunset and arrives at John Henry's camp sometime around daybreak. John Henry and his men take the herd back at a walk and still arrive just before noon, covering the same amount of ground at a walk in less than 6 hours, that the Colonel traveled all night to cover.

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Quotes

Col. John Henry Thomas: [Thomas and Langdon are talking to the Mexican bandit] Is the flap on your holster snapped or unsnapped, my Confederate friend?
Col. James Langdon: Snapped, my Yankee friend.
Col. John Henry Thomas: Then, I guess I'm his pigeon.
[Draws and fires as the Mexican goes for his gun]

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Connections

Featured in Jan-Michael Vincent Is My Muse (2002)

User Reviews

The Undefeated (1969)

(6/10) John Wayne's other movie from 1969. Often incorrectly labeled as one of Duke's weakest Westerns, I found this to be a clever and fun albeit unspectacular western. I liked how the film bordered on the friendly hostility edge between Wayne's Union troops and Hudson's Confederates. The conflict was always in flux, never turning too animistic or friendly which all comes together in the entertaining fourth of July brawl scene which was undoubtedly the film's best moment. First Rock Hudson film I ever saw, I was extremely impressed by his acting ability. Seeing one of the most famous openly homosexual actors work alongside the conservative Duke is entertaining for nostalgia's sake. The ending was too anti-climatic for me and the film was uneven at times, but it was a good watch with some good historical background.