The Battle at Apache Pass

"The Fighting Story Of The Great Cochise!"

1952 1h 25m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 21

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Major Jim Colton is a sympathetic leader who has a working relationship with Apache leader Cochise. Colton is undermined by corrupt and politically ambitious Indian agent Neil Baylor who sets up a false attack, and the abduction of a local farmer's son. While Colton is away investigating the matter, Baylor convinces Lieutenant Bascom that Cochise's band is to blame, and incites him to lead an expedition against the Apache band to return the boy.

“The Fighting Story Of The Great Cochise!”

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Cast

John Lund
Maj. Jim Colton
Jeff Chandler
Cochise
Susan Cabot
Nono
Bruce Cowling
Neil Baylor
Beverly Tyler
Mary Keerney
Richard Egan
Sgt. Reuben Bernard
Jay Silverheels
Geronimo
John Hudson
Lt. George Bascom

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Sherman
Writers: Gerald Drayson Adams, Gerald Drayson Adams
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Cochise Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Sherman, shot by Charles P. Boyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ted J. Kent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Lund and Jeff Chandler and Susan Cabot carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Fighting Story Of The Great Cochise!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044399 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Sherman directs. Charles P. Boyle behind the camera. Ted J. Kent cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
274 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Cochise Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by George Sherman, shot by Charles P. Boyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Ted J. Kent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John Lund and Jeff Chandler and Susan Cabot carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Fighting Story Of The Great Cochise!".
8IMDB entry: tt0044399 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles P. Boyle
Editing: Ted J. Kent
Costume design: Rosemary Odell
Makeup / hair: Bud Westmore
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Battle at Apache Pass (1952)

Part of

Cochise Collection

An informal trilogy of films in which Jeff Chandler portrays Cochise, an Apache leader during the 19th century.

Also by

George Sherman

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-04-25
★ 6/10
Cochise does not break his word - it's Geronimo. The Battle at Apache Pass is directed by George Sherman and written by Gerald Drayson Adams. It stars Jeff Chandler, John Lund, Bruce Cowling, John Hudson, Susan Cabot, Jay Silverheels, Gregg Palmer and Jack Elam. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography Charles P. Boyle. A Technicolor production, the location's for the shoot were at Moab, Utah, with Arches National Park, Colorado River, Courthouse Wash, Ida Gulch and Professor Valley forming the backdrops to the story. The film is a fictionalised account of The Bascom Affair of 1861 and the Battle of Apache Pass that occurred in 1862, the latter of which saw the Indians witness for the first time in the region an artillery attack by means of mountain howitzers. It deals in the events that led up to the battle and focuses on the in fighting between Chiricahua warriors Cochise and Geronimo. Although both Chandler and Silverheels reprise their character roles from Broken Arrow 1950, The Battle at Apache Pass takes place prior to the events depicted in the 1950 movie. As solid as they come story wise, and with beautiful Technicolor scenery, Sherman's film is only really let down by not having acting gravitas in the American roles. Messrs Lund, Cowling and Hudson are OK, but the material needed more assured performers to play off of the excellent Chandler. On the feminine side Cabot does the best with what little she is given to do, while Beverly Tyler, playing a pretty important character narratively speaking, is just a pretty tug-of-war prop device. However, it's easy to look away from the lack of dramatic worth in the acting because Sherman's action set ups are very good, with the actual battle of the title brilliantly constructed in a rock formed valley, featuring reams of extras, lots of war-fare and the thunder of howitzers filling the ears. While Boyle's (Horizon's West/Tomahawk) photography is sumptuous and a credit to the cinematographer's craft. Salter's score, tho, is only standard fare, with familiar Redskin strains for the Indians and drum beat military thrusts for the Cavalry sequences. A fine film to look at, with a more than interesting story driving it forward, it sadly, tho, needed more grit from a good portion of the cast. 6.5/10

Production companies