They Came to Cordura (1959)

An army major, himself guilty of cowardice, is asked to recommend soldiers for the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Mexican Border Incursion of 1916.

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writers:

Ivan Moffat (screenplay), Robert Rossen (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Major Thomas Thorn
Rita Hayworth	...	Adelaide Geary
Van Heflin	...	Sgt. John Chawk
Tab Hunter	...	Lt. William Fowler
Richard Conte	...	Cpl. Milo Trubee
Michael Callan	...	Pvt. Andrew Hetherington
Dick York	...	Pvt. Renziehausen
Robert Keith	...	Colonel Rogers
Carlos Romero	...	Arreaga
Jim Bannon	...	Capt. Paltz (as James Bannon)
Edward Platt	...	Colonel DeRose
Maurice Jara	...	Mexican Federale
Sam Buffington	...	1st Correspondent
Arthur Hanson	...	2nd Correspondent

Storyline

After a cavalry charge during the 1916 U.S. "war against Pancho Villa," unheroic awards officer Tom Thorn (who is obsessed with the nature of courage) recommends 4 men for the Medal of Honor. He is ordered back to Cordura with them...and prisoner Adelaide Geary, gringo who sheltered the enemy. On the arduous journey, Thorn's heroes show a different face, and Thorn may have one last chance to prove he's no coward.

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Plot Keywords:

cowardice | mexican rurale | u.s. cavalry | violence | bandit | 

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Taglines:

Slashing Story of a Desert Warrior Who Fought His Way From HELL TO GLORY !

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Cooper was only six years younger than 63-year-old Colonel Rogers, although his character Major Thorn was supposed to be about thirty years younger.

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Goofs

One of the soldiers is singing the folk song Denver, which was written by Randy Sparks for the New Christy Minstrels in 1962. the movie is set in the Mexican Wars in 1916.

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Quotes

Cpl. Milo Trubee: [after getting a boil on his backside lanced] That didn't hurt a bit.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue:

On the night of March 8th, 1916, a large mounted force of Mexican rebels under Pancho Villa crossed the American Border and attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico, killing and wounding both American civilians and soldiers.

As a result of this action,the United States Army sent an expedition into Mexico with orders to capture Villa and disperse his forces.

It was during this campaign that one man, an United States Army officer,was forced to come face to face with two of the great fundamental questions that affect mankind:

What Is Courage? What Is Cowardice?

This is the story of his search for an answer.

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Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Hometown Hero (2005)

User Reviews

"Not Much Of A Story. Not Much Of A War."

What exactly is courage? How can a man know if he will act bravely when the supreme test comes? These are the questions occupying the mind of Major Tom Thorn as he escorts a detail of medal-winning troopers out of Mexico and back to the USA. "What made you do it?" is Thorn's repeated question to the heroes. He once lost his nerve in combat, and his subsequent life has been one long meditation on the nature of bravery, and how a man comes by it. In the wilderness of Mexico, Thorn's moral fibre is put to the sternest of tests.

Set in 1916, the film centres on a US military expedition deep into Mexico, a punitive response to Pancho Villa's raid on American territory. Gary Cooper plays Thorn, and though he invests his character with a certain quiet dignity, he can hardly be accused of acting.

Thorn is despatched back to the USA with a small group of men, each of whom is to be decorated for valour. As the Cavalry's Awards Officer, Thorn will have to prepare citations, and he obsessively quizzes the men about why they did what they did, how they felt at the time, and so forth.

Typically for a film of its era, "Cordura" assembles a melange of ethnic tokens, throws them into a difficult situation, then concentrates on the tensions and confrontations which result. Richard Conte is Truby, the crafty latin type, and Van Heflin plays Chawk, the angosaxon brute. Dick York is Renziehausen, the German American from (where else?) Wisconsin. Thorn is hoping to learn the secret of courage from his motley crew, but discovers that the answer to his question can only be found within himself.

Nice angles are developed to open out the plot's basic premise. A cavalry charge against the Mexicans looks like dashing American heroism, but might be no more than cynical fakery on the part of medal-hunting Colonel Rogers. Chawk might be an unfeeling ruffian rather than a hero. The arrival in the group of Mrs. geary (Rita Hayworth) complicates the issues, because the presence of a beautiful woman causes the men's interests to diverge.

The Mexican terrain is spectacular, and the film's central proposition is an interesting one, but the end product is so-so. It is difficult to warm to Cooper as an actor, or indeed to his character. Tab Hunter (as Lieutenant Fowler) goes way over the top. Thorn's sudden perking-up beside the rail track is a ludicrous event.

Verdict - Would-be essay on the wellsprings of human courage peters out into humdrum adventure yarn.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1959 (Japan)

Also Known As:

They Came to Cordura

Filming Locations:

Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Goetz Pictures, Baroda Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1