The Stalking Moon (1968)

A sympathetic retired army scout takes-in a white woman and her half-Apache son, not knowing that the boy's father, a murderous renegade Apache, is after them.

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Alvin Sargent (screenplay by), Wendell Mayes (adaptation)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Eva Marie Saint, Robert Forster

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	Sam Varner
Eva Marie Saint	...	Sarah Carver
Robert Forster	...	Nick Tana
Noland Clay	...	Boy
Russell Thorson	...	Ned
Frank Silvera	...	Major
Lonny Chapman	...	Purdue
Lou Frizzell	...	Stationmaster (as Lou Frizell)
Henry Beckman	...	Sgt. Rudabaugh
Charles Tyner	...	Dace
Richard Bull	...	Doctor
Sandy Brown Wyeth	...	Rachel (as Sandy Wyeth)
Joaquín Martínez	...	Julio (as Joaquin Martinez)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Stage Driver Shelby (as Red Morgan)
Nathaniel Narcisco	...	Salvaje

Storyline

When an army scout retires to a farm in New Mexico he takes pity on a white woman and her "half-breed" son recently rescued from Indians, and invites them to join him. He does this even knowing the child's father is a feared and murderous Apache and that sooner or later a showdown is almost inevitable.

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Plot Keywords:

apache territory | native american | half breed | apache indian | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

You can't escape The Stalking Moon

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

In The Big Country (1958)--starring and produced by Gregory Peck -the foreman (played by Charlton Heston) Steve Leech rides a very striking and beautiful black and white paint horse. Ten years later in this film--also starring Peck--the same horse is ridden by the Apache chief Salvaje (played by Nathaniel Narcisco).

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Goofs

A young boy spends almost the entire film walking across the mountains for days, then, when he puts his feet up, the bottoms of his moccasins are neither soiled nor worn but look brand new.

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Quotes

Major: One more year! That's all I ask.
Sam Varner: That's all you asked last year.
Major: That's all I'll ask next year!

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Connections

Referenced in Gregory Peck: His Own Man (1988)

User Reviews

slow but steady

A tense, fairly realistic, and mature western from 1968, when the genre was on the way to near oblivion, only to be saved now and then by the likes of Peckinpah and Eastwood. Unfortunately, this film is not so well known and has been unfairly characterized as plodding and slow. It definitely has a degree of introspectiveness to it, but their is a gem of a pursuit story. The film does its best not to sugarcoat the west. The locales and people are pretty impressive for their gritty primitiveness and overall authenticity. The central story about a fierce Apache warrior who's waging his own brutal campaign to kill as many whites as he can, chasing the white woman who was his wife and the mother of his son, while an ageing army scout does his best to protect them is framed by some pretty awesome photography of blinding sandstorms, thick vegetation, and lots of rocky cliffs and a fine score.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Stalking Moon

Filming Locations:

Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

National General Pictures, Pakula-Mulligan, National General Production Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1