Paula Hammond - Features EditorRobert Aldrich isn’t a director you usually associate with Westerns. Perhaps best known for his iconic film noir, Kiss Me Deadly, his unsettling psychological horror, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and his action-packed war movie, The Dirty Dozen, Apache was be his first foray into the genre…. and a huge hit.
Following the surrender of Geronimo (Monte Blue) to the United States Cavalry, Massai (Burt Lancaster) becomes the last remaining Apache warrior. After he’s captured by the American military, he’s put on a prison train to be forcibly resettled on a reservation in Florida. All seems lost, when Massai manages to escape his captors, and sets out to return home, where he hopes to settle down with Nalinle (Jean Peters) and farm the land. But when the frontier is shrinking day-by-day, returning to his home suddenly doesn’t seem so easy.
In the 21st Century, Apache is not a film that stands up to much scrutiny. Burt Lancaster’s blue-eyed native is a fascinating character, but also a stilted stereotype of the sort of noble ‘brave’ that populated cinema of the period.
However, despite Lancaster’s performance, there’s no doubt that Aldrich’s film was way ahead of the curve, in its creation and portrayal of a sympathetic protagonist fighting back against white, colonial settlers. Had Apache been made in the ‘90s, rather than the ‘50s, then perhaps the studio would have had the balls to cast actual native actors. But, it is what it is: is a mixed bag, combining visually stunning imagery, complex characters, and a story that speaks of resistance and survival. The only problem is that story doesn’t hold up so well when the lead is played by a white guy in pretty awful red-face.
Apache is a product of its time, but one by a celebrated auteur, whose work is always worth a watch.
Presented on Blu-ray as part of The Masters of Cinema Series, Apache is available this December 2025, in a strictly limited edition of to 2,000 copies.
