In 1870, when white men and Indians are fighting bitterly, Tom Jeffords (Stewart) strongly believes the Apaches are treated unfairly. After befriending their leader Cochise (Jeff Chandler) and arranging a truce, he is called upon by a U.S. Army general to negotiate a government peace treaty. Though he fulfills his mission, Jeffords soon experiences great tragedy when he, his Indian wife (Debra Paget) and good friend Cochise become targets of a renegade ambush.Delmer Daves’s movie about ex–army scout Tom Jeffords’s one-man peace mission to the Apaches, and the diplomatic partnership he formed with Cochise, has a child’s-storybook clarity to it. That applies to not only its lovely Technicolor compositions but also its scenario, characterizations, and still-arresting mix of violence and delicacy. Broken Arrow wasn’t the first Western to express sympathy for the Indian side in the frontier wars (Devil’s Doorway came out earlier in 1950 and filed a more scathing brief on the Indians’ behalf), but it was Daves’s picture that had a decisive impact on popular consciousness and effectively amended the ground rules of the genre. James Stewart’s Jeffords may be less compelling than the troubled Westerners the star would soon be playing for Anthony Mann, but there’s real tenderness and vulnerability in the performance. Jeff Chandler scored a supporting-actor Oscar® nomination for leavening the dignity of Cochise with sly humor. –Richard T. Jameson
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March 5, 2010
#1
What we have here is a revisionist effort toward the American Indian, nothing wrong with that. It’s just stories & movies that have a moral to tell often don’t come off. Stewart is good as is Jeff Chandler as Cochise, an honorable Indian, willing to make an effort at peace. Is it real compared to history? I really don’t know. This movie was made to be a statement about the American Indian; he was an honorable man & he was pushed by the whites into fighting for their ancestral lands or to retain what little they had left. This movie portrays that scenario well but it doesn’t make it a great one.
March 5, 2010
#2
James Stewart and Jeff Chandler have fine performances in thie 1958 Western. Good portrayal of the American Indians. This production was nominated for three Academy Awards, “damn good western” with plenty of action. Good performance by Debra Paget who plays the part of an American Indian woman. This is a Ten (10) excellent.
March 5, 2010
#3
The acting in this movie is great. It tells a story of whites and idians and how they could get along. It is also a love story. James Stewat and Jeff Chandler are what really makes this movie. If you like classic westerns this is one that I think you will enjoy.
March 5, 2010
#4
I just want to say that I am very pleased with this DVD. The picture and sound quality was excellent, and for anyone seeking wholesome family entertainment with a Western accent these days,this is an excellent choice. James Stewart’s portrayal of Tom Jeffords is outstanding, as is Jeff Chandler’s as Cochise. I doubt, though, that the real Cochise had blue eyes! Considering that this movie was made in 1950, it was definitely ahead of its time in its very fair treatment of Native Americans as human beings rather than as brutish savages. There are some nice bits of information on Apache social customs, too. Kudos to Amazon for offering such a great product at a reasonable price.
March 5, 2010
#5
Yellow Butterfly
This is one of my favorite movies in the Western genre. Of course, James Stewart, along with Gary Cooper, is one of my all time favorite actors. I was deeply moved and impressed by this movie when I was a child. I’ve never forgotten it. It is definitely a movie to keep and watch over and over.
Sandra E. Waldron is the author of “Fusion: Sizzle”, “Liebesträume”, and “Violet Dawn”, as well as a number of short stories in the Amazon Shorts section.