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Henry Fonda and John Wayne face off in John Ford's Fort Apache |
Director: John Ford
Cast: John Wayne (Captain Kirby York), Henry Fonda (Lt
Colonel Owen Thursday), Ward Bond (Sgt Major Michael O’Rourke), Shirley Temple
(Miss Philadelphia Thursday), John Agar (Lt Michael O’Rourke), Dick Foran (Sgt Quincannon),
Pedro Armendariz (Sgt Beaufort), Miguel Inclan (Cochise), Victor McLaglen (Sgt
Festus Mulcahy), Guy Kibbee (Captain Wilkens), George O’Brien (Captain Sam
Collingwood), Anna Lee (Emily Collingwood)
Fort Apache was
the first of Ford’s “cavalry trilogy”, exploring problems and personality
clashes of remote cavalry posts in the middle of what used to Native American
territory. Contrary to what you might expect, this is a complex, intriguing
film that brilliantly explores tensions between very different ways of thinking
and issues of class in America, which are so often overlooked. If it sells some
of the tensions of clashing ideals down the river with an ending that fully
endorses the myth over the reality, the fact the film makes clear that the idea
of a well-meaning army all pulling together is a myth says a lot.
John Wayne is Captain Kirby York experienced, more liberal
minded acting commander of Fort Apache. Aware of the difficult balance of
maintaining good relations with the Apache tribe while protecting American
expansionist interests, he’s perfectly suited for keeping the peace in the
West. Unfortunately he’s replaced by Lt Col Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda), an
arrogant, class-conscious – if polite and honourable man – who applies the
letter of the law to all his dealings, so obsessed with rules (he protests “I’m
not a martinet” while bemoaning the lack of proper uniform in the dust filled
heat of the West) that he sees no reason to moderate even the most corrupt of
the local officials who have driven the Apache to revolt, instead demanding the
Apache submit. Disaster is on the cards.
Ford’s film revolves around the personality clash between
York and Thursday. While both dutifully respect the chain of command, it’s
clear that York has a closer bond and understanding with both the men under
them and the complex considerations to balance when dealing with the Apache.
Thursday, on the other hand, is an arrogant, prickly character, bemoaning his
“demotion” from a field rank of General in the Civil War, to an “obscure” fort.
A posting he is determined to escape from with an honour laden victory as soon
as possible.
With Ford’s romantic regard for the ordinary soldier and
regular Joe, the sort of posh New-Englandish Thursday is a clear stand-out. A
stiff-backed martinet, he never listens to others (he constantly needs to be
reminded about names) and has a snobbish disregard for Lt O’Rourke (a callow
John Agar) whose father, far from being officer class, is an Irish Sgt Major at
Fort Apache. Thursday is notably uncomfortable at such Fordesque events as a
NCO ball, or when talking with the men – he even looks unsettled in the desert,
wearing full uniform and avoiding a hat in favour of an army cap with a dust-sheet
attached at the back (no Ford hero would be seen dead wearing such a thing).
The character works so effectively because he is played so
delicately and skilfully by Henry Fonda. Cast against type – and looking older
– Fonda plays Thursday as a frustrated man, terrified of failure who simply
lacks the flexibility to adjust to situations. Rules instead are there to be
followed in detail, regardless of his personal feeling. Corrupt government
agent Meacham he treats with contempt, but he will defend his incompetent
regime in Apache land to the death. With the Apache he can’t see past his own
inbred ideas of superiority, treating them with a paternal disappointment,
certain that they are no match for American cavalry might (spoiler, they certainly
are). Fonda however keeps Thursday human, a flawed, rigid man dropped into a
role he is ill-suited to and struggling to adjust.
John Wayne offers an equally careful performance as York.
Unlike Thursday, York adjusts his actions and decisions based on situations and
personalities, rather than enforcement of rules. Army regulations can be
respected but applied with sense. Meacham to him should be hounded out of town
as the root cause of all the problems. Cochise, the Apache chief, he treats
with respect and honour – abiding by deals and attempting to compromise with
him to find a peaceful solution (a negotiation Thursday of course torpedoes
with his arrogance and intransience). Wayne is often thought of as the action
hero, but here Ford starts to explore his elder statesman quality, as well as
his underlying decency and honour as an actor.
Other sub plots interweave neatly around this. John Agar’s
young O’Rourke flirts with Thursday’s more liberal daughter (played brightly by
Shirley Temple) – needless to say this relationship meets with no approval from
Thursday. Thursday’s old colleague Sam Collingwood – now a time-serving captain
at the Fort – is paralleled with him and York, as a time-server and mediocrity,
a decent family man but lacking the will to do what he knows is right. Ward
Bond provides both comedy and also a warm fatherly quality as Sgt Major
O’Rourke, proud of his son and re-enforcing discipline on his (mostly Irish of
course!) soldiers.
And of course the action is handled extremely well. A chase
sequence with Apache, cavalry and a wagon (under-manned and out-gunned, because
Thursday believes a few men and rounds of ammunition should be enough to see off
the Apache) is filled with excitement. And, of course, the film builds towards
the inevitable disaster Thursday’s rigid mismanagement was always heading
towards: a suicide charge against a well defended Apache position, fighting to
defend a corrupt agent who Thursday and York both know should be replaced.
It’s a film that quite daringly shows that American’s
“mission” in the West was often founded on corrupt officials, and that the
military leaders were sometimes rigid, incompetent martinets who led their men
to avoidable disaster. It’s shame then that the York – and the film – chooses
in a flash forward at the films end to promote the idea of Thursday’s charge
being a glorious defeat, rather than an avoidable disaster. And that, this
printing of the legend, is important to protect the “why we fight” idea of
America. It’s the downside of Ford’s love of the past, of the mythology of the
West, that even in the end of a film about incompetence, it’s still seen as
noble and important to protect people from the truth and promote the legend,
than tell the truth. But then for Ford, protecting the memory of the ordinary
soldiers who died is the key – and if that means never questioning the how or
why, well then that’s a price worth paying. It’s an idea we perhaps have far
less sympathy with today.
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