Drum Beat (1954)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Excellent, a Must See

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Captain Jack, the Modoc leader, is depicted as a murderous savage throughout, despite being somewhat admired by the white hero, Alan Ladd, yet the film fails to mention that until the early 1870's the State of California was still offering bounties on Indian scalps, men, women, and children.The Modocs had been deported to Oregon, and forced to share the reservations of their tribal enemies, and had only returned to their homes in California because they were being murdered.In fact, it was the white immigrants to California who had murderously attacked, enslaved, and persecuted the Modoc Indians, because they happened to live in "Gold Country," and the more-or-less official policy of the California Government was to "drive the native Indians into the sea," if at all possible, but in the meantime they could legally be sold and used as slaves, despite the fact that California was nominally a "Free" State.

This film is not good treating the Indians, normally the directors in Hollywood in the past go to the facts or consequences of initial disagreement between Indians and whites but not to what whites did it with the Indians, i.e. the real cause of the problem. Did the director Delmer Daves try to show why and how the Modocs were moved from their reservation in Northern California to one in Oregon? Why did the whites move the Modocs from their home? What were the real causes of the war? Instead we have the consequences of mistreating Indians, a film with many Indians killed and so many white people wanting to make "justice". The Indians by themselves were always peaceful and this film shows an image totally absurd. Personally I do not know the whole history but it is doubtful that Captain Jack was a terrorist as he is shown. Even there is some incoherence the way Charles Bronson (Captain Jack) behaved during the battles and how presumably he killed General Canby with the other Captain Jack caught by the army and condemned. Reading a little bit about Johnny MacKay one may be doubtful about his so peaceful intentions as shown in the film. This material does not make any justice with the Modocs. When one sees such a film finally accepts that Marlon Brando was right.

This western is one of Alan Ladd's best films and he is the peace commissioner turned Indian fighter who finally brings peace in the far west. The film is based on factual events as Modoc boss Captain Jack ignores repeated overtures for peace and leaves the cavalry no choice but to resort to arms to stop the killing and outrages. Ladd and Charles Bronson, the Indian leader, make fine adversaries and the movie has lots of action and beautiful scenery. A great cast of western favorites are in the film and Ladd even has a moment or two to clinch with with pretty Audrey Dalton. Marisa Pavan is an Indian maiden who also has a yen for Ladd. Delmer Daves directed this film, which is another in a succession of excellent Daves westerns. Victor Young's fine music accompanies the film.

Delmer Daves' initial success came with the influential 'Broken Arrow,' which was a beautiful and humane film... Daves made another film about Indians, 'Drum Beat', which he recognizes to be the most authentic of his movies...The hallmark of Daves' Westerns is their authenticity... Where Ford pictured the West as it should have been, Daves has tried to recapture the West as it was...The film provides Bronson with his real break-through role as a screen actor... He makes indelible impression on audiences in his vivid role as the renegade Indian heavy Captain Jack who repudiates peace talk... Captain Jack is proud, ruthless and treacherous, scaring everybody plenty... The setting for this fact-based story is Oregon represented by location shooting in Northern Arizona's Coconino National Forest in 1872...Indian expert Johnny MacKay (Alan Ladd) is presidentially appointed as Peace Commissioner, assigned to effect a treaty, without resort to arms, with the Modoc Indians of the Oregon-California border...The Modoc majority leans toward the hoped-for peace, but a renegade band strongly resists, under the self-appointed leadership of the vicious Captain Jack (Bronson), whose men ravage the area and skirmish with the soldiers of Fort Klamath...In the film's exciting climax, MacKay personally tracks down Jack and battle him in fierce hand-to-hand combat into the sweeping current of a river...The sweet Audrey Dalton portrays the lovely eastern girl who loves Johnny 'more than any peace on earth.'Marisa Pavan is the friendly Toby who dares to believe that she can bring peace and goodwill to her people...Hayden Rorke is President Grant who knows in his heart that 'peace doesn't come cheaply.'Anthony Caruso is the friendly Modoc chief who never trust Captain Jack...Elisha Cook, Jr. is the unscrupulous trader who sells Winchesters to the Modoc Indians...Rodolfo Acosta is Scarface Charlie who warns Captain Jack: 'You kill, or they kill you.'Robert Keith is Bill the coachman, who yells after the murder of his woman, Lily: 'You dish out your peace, Johnny. I'll dish out my end.'"Drum Beat" is a lively item, thanks to Delmer Daves, who keeps the familiar story line moving at a fair clip... The material is trite but the production value gives it gloss, and the film benefits greatly from its applied research on Indian character...