Fort Apache

The first film in Ford's cavalry trilogy was an instant Western classic, with Henry Fonda as a bitter commander who feels exiled at remote Fort Apache, and John Wayne as a desert battle trained officer who treats Chief Cochise with the respect he deserves. Historically cited as one of the first films to treat Native Americans with respect, Ford cast hundreds of Navajo to play Apache parts, and ultimately the plot portrays the ensuing massacre after Fonda misjudges and underestimates the Apache forces. Beautiful cinematography, ripping battle scenes, strong characters, and a gripping plot.

From John Ford comes a truly great western, and serves as a highlight for American cinema. Ford's direction is superb, his realisation of the life of the calvary is satisfyingly-rendered, and the story he tells is finely crafted. The script is intelligent and thought-provoking, and the scenery and cinematography are magnificent. The acting is absolutely wonderful too, Henry Fonda is especially outstanding in a difficult role and John Wayne gives one of his finest, more delicate performances(The Shootist also comes to mind) in this film too. The score is rich and somewhat grandiose, further adding to the elegiac tone of the film and superbly might I add. Overall, just a great western(one of the best of its genre actually) and a great film in general. 10/10 Bethany Cox