RELEASED IN 1955 and directed by Anthony Mann, "The Last Frontier" (aka "Savage Wilderness") stars Victor Mature as an uncivilized mountain man in 1864 who, along with his two trapper buddies (James Whitmore & Pat Hogan), seeks succor at a wilderness fort on (or near) the Bozeman Trail in the Northwest manned by a young captain (Guy Madison) and a brigade of inexperienced recruits. Jed Cooper (Mature) can't help but be attracted to a beautiful, but distant woman at the fort (Anne Bancroft), who's waiting for her gun-ho husband, a dishonored colonel, to return from another remote fort (Robert Preston). Meanwhile, Red Cloud & his braves threaten Federal advances in the region. Peter Whitney plays a grim, hulking sergeant and Russell Collins a reasonable doctor at the fort.
If you can get past the hopelessly hokey opening & closing song, this is a surprisingly great, original Western and one of Anthony Mann's best. The main role was originally intended for Brando, who certainly would've been interesting, but Mature performs with his renowned beaming gusto.
While it might not seem like it on paper, the setting and plot are original for a Western and, believe it or not, this is easily the best fort & cavalry Western I've ever seen. No kidding. The characters aren't one-dimensional and are therefore interesting.
Take, for instance, Preston's Colonel Marston: He's sort of made out to be the antagonist, but you can't help respect his decisiveness, courage and honorability. A lesser man, for example, would've hated the young Captain (Madison) for defying him whereas the Colonel actually respects him for his bold actions and even commends him (!). He understandably seeks redemption for his gallant failure at Shiloh, which unnecessarily cost the lives of a thousand men. This would be fine if it were only HIS life on the line rather than an entire brigade of raw recruits.
The love affair subplot is handled well and the action-packed climax is unpredictable, although one-element (the final one) is eye-rolling and tacked-on by the studio (NOT approved by Mann). Nevertheless, "The Last Frontier" was a huge hit at the box off. It's akin to a mid-50's version of the remarkable "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), albeit taking place a hundred years later in the remote northwest.
THE MOVIE RUNS 98 minutes and was shot in Popocatépetl Volcano, Puebla, Mexico (SE of Mexico City), which is an acceptable substitute for the Oregon/Wyoming/Montana region. WRITERS: Philyp Yordan & Russell S. Hughes based on Richard Emery Roberts' novel "The Gilded Rooster."
GRADE: A
If you can get past the hopelessly hokey opening & closing song, this is a surprisingly great, original Western and one of Anthony Mann's best. The main role was originally intended for Brando, who certainly would've been interesting, but Mature performs with his renowned beaming gusto.
While it might not seem like it on paper, the setting and plot are original for a Western and, believe it or not, this is easily the best fort & cavalry Western I've ever seen. No kidding. The characters aren't one-dimensional and are therefore interesting.
Take, for instance, Preston's Colonel Marston: He's sort of made out to be the antagonist, but you can't help respect his decisiveness, courage and honorability. A lesser man, for example, would've hated the young Captain (Madison) for defying him whereas the Colonel actually respects him for his bold actions and even commends him (!). He understandably seeks redemption for his gallant failure at Shiloh, which unnecessarily cost the lives of a thousand men. This would be fine if it were only HIS life on the line rather than an entire brigade of raw recruits.
The love affair subplot is handled well and the action-packed climax is unpredictable, although one-element (the final one) is eye-rolling and tacked-on by the studio (NOT approved by Mann). Nevertheless, "The Last Frontier" was a huge hit at the box off. It's akin to a mid-50's version of the remarkable "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), albeit taking place a hundred years later in the remote northwest.
THE MOVIE RUNS 98 minutes and was shot in Popocatépetl Volcano, Puebla, Mexico (SE of Mexico City), which is an acceptable substitute for the Oregon/Wyoming/Montana region. WRITERS: Philyp Yordan & Russell S. Hughes based on Richard Emery Roberts' novel "The Gilded Rooster."
GRADE: A