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Escape From Fort Bravo [1953] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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"William Holden Series ... Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) ... MGM (2008)"
Review date: 2008-09-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
MGM presents "ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO" (9 December 1953) (98 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) -- Our story line and plot, In the Civil War, Fort Bravo is a prison camp for captured southerners --- Its isolated position and unfriendly natives make escape almost impossible, but anyone who tries is always brought back by by-the-book Captain Roper (William Holden) --- Another Captain John Marsh (John Forsythe) a Confederate and a group of prisoners hatch a plot to get away by bringing in a southern belle Carla Forester (Eleanor Parker) to distract Roper --- The plan seems to work, but the inhospitable desert, the murderous Indians, and - most importantly - the Colonel apparently wronged in love mean that this is only the start --- William Holden and John Forsythe both love Parker --- Besides the three main leads mentioned above, the supporting cast includes William Demerest, William Campbell, Richard Anderson, Polly Bergen, and in a pre "Broken Arrow" role, John Lupton --- Campbell and Demerest do provide some comic relief, playing off each other's abilities, but the lead actors do carry the picture and prevent it from becoming just another Cavalry-Indians western --- Filmed on location at California's Death Valley, "Escape from Fort Bravo" was co-written by Australian-born actor Michael Pate --- Another brilliant John Sturges film with excellent directing.
Under the production staff of:
John Sturges - Director
Nicholas Nayfack - Producer
Frank Fenton - Screenwriter
Michael Pate - Screen Story
Philip Rock - Screen Story
Robert Surtees - Cinematographer
Jeff Alexander - Songwriter / Composer (Music Score)
Stan Jones - Songwriter
George Boemler - Editor
Malcolm Brown - Art Director
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director
Ralph S. Hurst - Set Designer
Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer
Helen Rose - Costume Designer
Warren Newcombe - Special Effects
SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. William Holden (aka: William Franklin Beedle Jr.)
Date of Birth: 17 April 1918 - O'Fallon, Illinois
Date of Death: 16 November 1981 - Santa Monica, California
2. Eleanor Parker
Date of Birth: 26 June 1922 - Cedarville, Ohio
Date of Death: Still Living
3. John Forsythe (aka: John Lincoln Freund)
Date of Birth: 29 January 1918 - Penn's Grove, New Jersey
Date of Death: Still Living
4. John Sturges (Director)
Date of Birth: 3 January 1911 - Oak Park, Illinois
Date of Death: 18 August 1992 - San Luis Obispo, California
the cast includes:
William Holden ... Capt. Roper
Eleanor Parker ... Carla Forester
John Forsythe ... Capt. John Marsh
William Demarest ... Campbell
William Campbell ... Cabot Young
Polly Bergen ... Alice Owens
Richard Anderson ... Lt. Beecher
Carl Benton Reid ... Col. Owens
John Lupton ... Bailey
Fred Graham ... Jones
Charles Stevens ... Eilota
Glenn Strange ... Sgt. Compton
Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow Western Classics --- all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 98 mins on DVD ~ Warner Home Video ~ (8/26/2008)
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Reviews
William Holden hunts down escaped Confederate prisoners
Review date: 2004-07-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
William Holden plays Captain Roper, a ruthless Union officer in charge of Confederate prisoners at a stockade in Arizona in 1863. Not only the prisoners but his fellow officers dislike Roper, who always recaptures escapees and punishes them big time. When Roper drags a young prisoner (John Lupton) back to the fort with a rope around his neck, he is finally called before Colonel Owens (Carl Benton Reid). But Roper insists what he does is necessary for discipline. Then Carla Forrester (Eleanor Parker) comes to the fort for the marriage of her friend, the commandant's daughter (Polly Bergen), but she is really a Confederate spy who entrances Roper and then helps Captain John Marsh (John Forsythe) and some other prisoners escape. Of course, Roper heads out to pursue them.
This 1954 film directed by John Sturges is not a great Western, but it is certainly a solid effort by all concerned. The story is nothing we have not seen before, but what stands out is Holden's performance as his character emerges over the course of the film. I do not think it is going way out on a limb to see a parallel with Robert DeNiro's character in "The Deer Hunter," a basically decent man who has to be harsh and cruel to do the job required of him under trying circumstances. The love triangle between Holden/Parker/Forsythe is a bit forced. Richard Anderson turns in a nice performance as Lt. Beecher, the voice of moral outrage at the way Roper does his job. I would give this film five stars except for the fact that outside of a minor battle in New Mexico the Civil War never really made it out West and I find it hard to believe there are that many Confederates held prisoner in Arizona.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
William Campbell
Eleanor Parker
William Holden
John Forsythe
William Demarest
Creators:
William Holden (Primary Contributor)
Eleanor Parker (Primary Contributor)
Robert Surtees (Cinematographer)
George Boemler (Editor)
Nicholas Nayfack (Producer)
Frank Fenton (Writer)
Michael Pate (Writer)
Phillip Rock (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 0883929005123
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: DVD-Video, NTSC,
Release date: 2008-08-26
Universal product code (UPC): 883929005123
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 99 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1953
Language: English (Original Language)