The Appaloosa (1966)

Man tries to recover a horse stolen from him by a Mexican bandit.

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

James Bridges (screenplay), Roland Kibbee (screenplay)

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Anjanette Comer, John Saxon

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlon Brando	...	Matt Fletcher
Anjanette Comer	...	Trini Medena
John Saxon	...	Chuy Medena
Emilio Fernández	...	Lazaro (as Emilio Fernandez)
Alex Montoya	...	Squint Eye
Miriam Colon	...	Ana
Rafael Campos	...	Paco
Frank Silvera	...	Ramos -Pig Farmer
Larry D. Mann	...	Priest

Storyline

Matt Fletcher, a Mexican-American buffalo hunter is constantly harassed and humiliated by bandit general Chuy Medina. When the bandit steals his horse - the appaloosa of the title - he sets out to even scores; at the climax, single-handedly, he takes on the whole gang.

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Plot Keywords:

horse movie | sonora mexico | mexico | appaloosa horse | big sombrero | 

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Taglines:

Between the Hunter and the Hunted..the Wanton and the Wanted...lies the violent trail...Southwest to Sonora! (original poster)

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Bob Thomas' 1973 biography "Marlon: Portrait of the Artist as a Rebel," producer Alan Miller, appalled at his star's lack of interest in the film and his lackluster performance, penned a bit of doggerel about Marlon Brando, whose character is called "Mateo" by his Mexican friend in the film, "Mateo, his heart/It bleeds for the mass,/But the people he works with/He kicks in the ass."

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Goofs

The Appaloosa which portrays the title character was actually a registered Appaloosa stallion named Cojo Rojo. He was born in 1960 and just prior to being used for the film he was racing on the California tracks. He sired several foals, including several race champions. During filming a few other similarly marked horses were used as stunt horses, but the majority of work was done by Cojo Rojo.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Priest: Madam.
[enters confessional booth]
Matt Fletcher: I'm having a little trouble getting started, Father.
Priest: You are in the House of God now, my son. Speak from your heart.
Matt Fletcher: Well, I've done a lot of killin'. I've killed a lot of men and sinned a lot of women. But the men I killed needed killin' and the women wanted sinnin', and well, I never was one much to argue.

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Connections

Referenced in Brando (2007)

User Reviews

Great movie! Totally unexpected. Brando's spaghetti western.

I caught this on television and loved it. It's Brando's spaghetti western. Lots of fantastic landscapes. close-ups and acting. Not very violent, but extremely effective. Great soundtrack, would be awesome in surround, but mono track was terrific. John Saxon was a great bad guy ( a Mexican, no less) and character actors are authentic. Well worth seeing. Sidney J. Furie shows real skill as a director even though he was only thirty three at the time. There's elements of John Ford, Howard Hawkes and Sergio Leone. Sometimes it was hard to buy Brando in this role, it's more an Eastwood type of role, but he's such a great actor that he becomes convincing. John Saxon playing a Mexican bandit is a terrific performance, even though it's a white guy playing a Mexican. Hollywood at it's best.

E.Forster Toronto, Canada

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

October 1966 (Austria)

Also Known As:

The Appaloosa

Filming Locations:

Wrightwood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1