Broken Arrow

UPC: 024543436799

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Suitable for Children]

Summary: Indian scout Tom Jeffords (James Stewart) is sent out to stem the war between the Whites and Apaches in the late 1870s. He learns (through an uncomfortably close encounter) that the Indians kill only to protect themselves, or out of retaliation for white atrocities. Befriending the sagacious Apache leader Cochise (Jeff Chandler), Jeffords ensures safe passage for white mail-carriers through Indian territory. As he becomes closer to his Native American "brothers", Jeffords falls in love with and weds a pretty Apache girl (Debra Paget). This being a 1950 film (miscegenation was frowned upon by the Production Code), you can guess what happens to her. Jeffords wants to avenge his bride's death at the hands of white renegades, but it is the so-called "savage" Cochise who advises him not to. Having learned much from each other, Jeffords and Cochise symbolize the white/Indian detente with the traditional broken arrow. This superb, non-condescending film has been criticized in some circles because of the alleged depiction of Cochise as an Indian "Uncle Tom", and because actor Jeff Chandler was not a genuine Native American. Nonetheless, Broken Arrow stands the test of time far more successfully than the later, politically correct Dances with Wolves. In 1956, Broken Arrow was adapted into a TV series starring John Lupton as Jeffords and Michael Ansara as Cochise. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Western

Awards: Best Cinematography - Color – null Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding – null Best Color Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Cinematography - Color – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: cc

Fox Movietonenews: Stars See "New" 50-Star Flag, Broken Arrow Ceremony
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Original Theatrical Trailer

Broken Arrow

Format: DVD

Release Date: 05/22/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 93 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Broken Arrow
1. Main Titles [:02]
2. Apache Territory [:12]
3. Jefford's Lesson [1:14]
4. A Pretty Big Order [4:42]
5. The Apache Ways [2:37]
6. Cochise's Country [2:50]
7. Face-to-Face [5:04]
8. White Painted Lady [:11]
9. Not Afraid [1:46]
10. The World of an Indian [5:08]
11. Apache Attack [:49]
12. Indian Lover [3:52]
13. The Christian General [3:45]
14. New Feelings [:35]
15. Cochise's Return [4:42]
16. Forbidden [2:36]
17. Good News [:27]
18. Apache Knife [4:50]
19. Alone Together [2:58]
20. The Peace Conference [:09]
21. Broken Arrow [1:48]
22. Renegades [2:21]
23. Ceremony of Love [2:46]
24. You Are My People [1:25]
25. Stolen by Apaches [3:17]
26. Death in the Canyon [1:34]
27. The World of Cochise [2:24]
28. The Will to Peace [1:34]

Craig Butler

Broken Arrow is a good Western, but it's more important historically as one of the early films to attempt a more balanced view of native Americans on film. Seen today, it seems a bit na?ve and some of the efforts at fairness come off as heavy-handed, but all in all the basic story and the production are strong enough to offset this. And it's quite impressive to see a film from 1950 in which a white man marries a non-white woman, even if the mores of the time did insist that the marriage had to end tragically. Some will also object to the fact that the leading native American roles are played by white actors, another standard practice at the time. At the time, Jeff Chandler's Cochise was highly praised, with the actor even winning an Academy Award nomination. Today, his performance is less impressive, although this is more due to the stilted characterization demanded of the script than by flaws in Chandler's performance. As might be expected, however, it is James Stewart's performance that really is the one to watch. Freed from the demands placed upon Chandler to represent the nobility of an entire race, Stewart is free to create a living, breathing, thinking, feeling individual, and he does this with the rare grace and talent that is the hallmark of his best work. Delmer Daves directs with a careful hand, and his handling of the action sequences is noteworthy. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Trevor Bardette  Actor 
Nacho Galindo  Actor 
John Marston  Actor 
Jack Lee  Actor 
Chris Willow Bird  Actor 
Delmer Daves  Director 
Michael Blankfort  Screenwriter 
Julian Blaustein  Producer 
Hugo W. Friedhofer  Composer (Music Score) 
Alfred Newman  Composer (Music Score) 
Albert Maltz  Screenwriter 
James Stewart  Actor 
Jeff Chandler  Actor 
Debra Paget  Actor 
Basil Ruysdael  Actor 
Will Geer  Actor 
Joyce MacKenzie  Actor 
Arthur Hunnicutt  Actor 
Raymond Bramley  Actor 
Jay Silverheels  Actor 
Argentina Brunetti  Actor 
Robert Adler  Actor 
Harry Carter  Actor 
Robert Griffin  Actor 
Billy Wilkerson  Actor 
Mickey Kuhn  Actor 
J.W. Cody  Actor 
John War Eagle  Actor 
Charles Soldani  Actor 
Iron Eyes Cody  Actor 
Edwin Rand  Actor 
John Doucette  Actor 

Country: USA