Escape from Fort Bravo (DVD)

I really didn't know what to expect from this film. I purchased it for my mother because she likes Westerns and it would look good on a 65 inch Hi-Def TV and it had SDH or what used to be called subtitles! My mother can hear, but, she has some hearing loss which makes it hard to hear dialogue sometimes. With the subtitles she can enjoy a film so much better that I will not buy videos anymore without that option.The film looked fairly good as far as definition goes. There were some shots that were a little fuzzy and every time there was a processed shot the picture quality diminished. The scenery was nice and it was well shot.The storyline was a little different than other types of stories since it was during the Civil War period, but, really a Western film. I had never seen it before and was able to enjoy the story. Parts of it were predictable, but, not as much as one might expect. I didn't know who was going to live or die for the most part and the Indian battle was actually pretty exciting, especially as they had elements with arrows and spears I had never seen in any Western before that was quite interesting.Although it was shot in something called Ansco Color, I think I still would have preferred Technicolor, but, the colors still looked pretty good. All-in-all an enjoyable film.

This is a movie made by John Sturges, one of the great American directors. The stars are: William Holden, Eleanor Parker and John Forsythe. With a pedigree like this, you'd think this movie would be a sure fire hit. You'd be wrong.The reasons for its failure can be seen by contrasting it with The Magnificent Seven which was a great masterpiece by Sturges.The story of The Magnificent Seven has a certain grandeur of purpose which immediately grips the audience. Seven gunfighters aid a Mexican village to rid themselves of a bunch of bandits. Escape from Fort Bravo has none of this higher purpose. A bunch of Union soldiers guarding Confederate prisoners must depend on them to fight off the Mescalero Indians in Arizona.There are chases involving the Indians through spectacular Death Valley. Yet it is just all too predictable.The Magnificent Seven had Yul Brynner as the main hero. He was tough and yet you could warm to him. He had a basic decency. The baddie was Eli Wallach, the bandit chief Calvera. What a magnificent performance he gave, aided by some truly wonderful dialogue. " If God didn't want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep." The dialogue in Fort Bravo is not at all memorable.Fort Bravo has a very stern and grumpy William Holden as Captain Roper, the hero. It was impossible to warm to him. I don't know who was the baddie: was it John Forsythe as the decent Confederate officer? Or was it the Mescalero Indians?The music by Elmer Bernstein in Seven was simply superb: the music in Fort Bravo just average.The supporting cast in Seven was so memorable ( Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Horst Bucholz). The supporting cast in Fort Bravo made no impression, not even Eleanor Parker.Fort Bravo was made in 1953 and The Magnificent Seven in 1960. In those 7 years Sturges really learned something. I guess Fort Bravo was the apprenticeship.

I just like this movie. Well presented on BluRay. Early 50's western so Indians are the movie Indians of that era. The twist is that the soldiers are Union troopers bringing back Confederate escapees. John Sturges directs, and he went on to make a lot of good westerns, William Holden stars. Supporting cast is good.

What more could you ask for William Holden & Eleanor Parker, set in Arizona during the latter part of the Civil war, the Confederates want to escape from a Union prison "Fort Bravo" hunting them will be captain Roper(Holden)waiting for all of them are the Mescalero Indians, great story smoothly directed by John Sturges. Excellent transfer to Blu-ray with crisp images & v/good sound.

Holden is great as is John Forsyth as confederate POW. Holden is Union prison guard. Forsyth conspires with a southern sympathizing lady new to their frontier post. An added benefit is the actor best known as "Floyd the Barber" from the Andy Griffith show playing a western settler sympathetic to the Confederate cause. It does seem unlikely that captured rebel troops would have brought along their best dress uniforms for the ball held at the fort.This film reminded me of the Heston film MAJOR DUNDEE where he is Federal officer guarding CSA prisoners the leader of which is the British actor Richard Harris. (Best known today for his role in the original Harry Potter film and as vocalist on one of several versions of Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park" song. )

This is a great western action packed western movie great actors.

One of the best westerns I've seen! If you love William Holden's, acting then you will love this movie. Eleanor Parker is beautiful here & captures the attention of yankee Captain Roper, (the man that captures & returns everyone who tries to escape Fort Bravo) just as she was instructed to do by her fellow southerners . The only catch is no one expected her to fall in love with the yankee captain. Confederate prisoners a Captain (John Forsythe) & Sergeant (William Demarest) make for a great cast.

Actors & Story Line.

Hot on the heels of William Holden's Oscar triumph in Stalag 17, came this exciting western directed by the-then upcoming director John Sturges.The story set during the Civil War, concerns a Union outpost holding Confederate prisoners. William Holden is excellent as the tough as nails Captain Roper, the officer who always brings back escaping prisoners, if necessary, on the end of a rope. Eleanor Parker does well with her role as a scheming Confederate sympathizer on a mission, and the rest of the cast, including John Forsythe, William Demarest, Richard Anderson and Carl Benton Reid are all seen to good advantage.The film is beautifully filmed on eye-catching locations and builds to a tense and exciting finale.I regard this one of the 1950's best westerns and it certainly deserves repeat viewings.As for the Blu ray, released by the Warner Archive Collection, the picture quality, despite some dips into softness here and there, looks absolutely gorgeous. No problems with the sound, either.Anyone who owns the Region 1 Warners release on DVD, should not hesitate in upgrading for this title. You will not be disappointed.I hope Warners release more of these old treasures on Blu ray.It is also Region Free, thankfully.

Its quite a good western but I feel that it is let down by the somewhat ludicrous ending, whereby we are supposed to believe that some of the escapees and Holden actually survive - they would easily have been wiped out. Up till then, the story builds quite nicely with a Union Captain (William Holden) ensuring that none of his Confederate prisoners escape from Fort Bravo. Eleanor Powell arrives for a wedding and Holden pursues her romantically. However, he does not realize that her true motive for coming is to help her Confederate lover and some of his pals to escape. When Holden discovers that they are gone, he sets out in their pursuit. He finds them but both sides are required to unite against the Indians who are ruthless in battle. Eleanor Parker switches her affections to Holden and although the final shoot-out is tense and nicely crafted, I'm afraid that there is just no way that any of them would have survived. Holden being shot several times by the Indians and still living and the cavalry coming to the rescue just at the right moment relegates this western into cliche land. With a better ending, this film would have make it clear into the "Good" category.

a good decent old fashioned western that was enjoyable , it looks a little dated and is a little slow to get going but there is a rip roaring finale to save the day . another film of similar story is duel at diablo which is a more brutal action packed version .

Good film, William Holden, Eleanor Parker and John Forsythe, set during the American civil war, there is a very exciting sequence towards the end of the film in which a large group of hostile Apaches pin down a party escaping from Fort Bravo

excellent movie. recommended