The Undefeated (1969)

After the Civil War, ex-Confederate soldiers heading for a new life in Mexico run into ex-Union cavalrymen selling horses to the Mexican government but they must join forces to fight off Mexican bandits and revolutionaries.

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay), Stanley Hough (story) (as Stanley L. Hough)

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:

ex soldier | french | army | band | cat | 

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Taglines:

Across 2000 miles of savage wasteland ... they lived a thundering adventure that rocked two nations !

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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:

The Undefeated

Filming Locations:

Bavispe River, Sonora, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$7,115,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$8,000,000, 31 December 1969

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Wayne had previously wanted Rock Hudson to star alongside himself in The Alamo (1960).

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Goofs

Reused footage. The first group of soldiers to be blown up are blown up again seconds later.

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Quotes

D.J. Giles: Wait a minute! I didn't do anything!
John Henry Thomas: You should have!

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Connections

Referenced in American Grindhouse (2010)

User Reviews

Major, I don't think you realise that the war is over.

The Undefeated is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and adapted for the screen by James Lee Barrett from a story by Stanley L. Hough. It stars John Wayne & Rock Hudson, features a musical score by Hugo Montenegro and William H. Clothier provides the South Western cinematography.

Much yee-hawing and lots of patriotic fervour, The Undefeated is a fun and undemanding way for the Western fan to spend a couple of hours. Plot basically revolves around some post Civil War rivalries between Union and Confederate leaders played by Wayne and Hudson respectively. Both men and the groups they have under their control, get mixed up in the Maximillian/Juarez revolution in Mexico. Cue moral quandaries, big decisions and life affirming human interests; as McLaglen (aided by Wayne apparently) directs unfussy without pushing the envelope of Western directing. True enough at times the tone is uneven, it's hard to tell if it's meant to be light hearted or serious during some passages (kind of why John Ford was a genre master since he could achieve it comfortably), and some casting decisions are rather baffling (hello Roman Gabriel); but it's all very spirited, especially Hudson, to round it out as a solid genre offering from the late 1960s. 6.5/10