This Universal picture made money at the box office, but not enough money to be profitable for the studio. It was an "A" budget production with an expensive star, Audie Murphy, who had proven himself in a slew of other westerns and action adventure yarns that appealed to conservative audiences. Why they decided to put him into a biographical role as an Indian agent who sympathized with the Apaches is somewhat baffling.
Murphy's fans were accustomed to him playing white-centric roles, where he usually went up against the natives who were on the other side of civilization and the law. In these pictures, Murphy's characters were meant to uphold the ideologies of European Americans in the west, not to make concessions to Indians, least of all warring Apaches. WALK THE PROUD LAND is a story which seems the antithesis of all that.
Adapting the real-life story of government agent John Clum, this is undoubtedly a more 'enlightened' look at the relationships between whites and native people during a contentious time in U. S. history. But Murphy doesn't fit the part, given the persona that was associated with him in his previous films, not to mention his status as a hero during World War II.
Indeed, the role of a pacifist would have worked better with a liberal actor like Henry Fonda or Burt Lancaster. Perhaps Murphy was anxious to spread his wings and show people what he could do with a different sort of heroic character, but contemporary audiences did not buy it.
Another problem is the casting of the two lead actresses. Piper Laurie was intended to play Murphy's wife on screen in this effort, but she decided to cancel her contract with Universal and study method acting in New York. That would turn out to be a good decision for her, as she would bounce back later in THE HUSTLER alongside Paul Newman.
With Piper Laurie suddenly not available, the role of Murphy's wife was given to Patricia Crowley who was more identified with romantic comedies at her home studio Paramount. Unfortunately, Crowley doesn't register much in the story and she is not given anything significant to do in her limited scenes.
The other main female presence is Anne Bancroft, miscast as a native girl who has designs on Murphy and wants to take the place of his wife. Interestingly, Miss Bancroft would also study method acting in the late 50s and refine her performance techniques like Miss Laurie did.
I am not saying Bancroft is an amateur in WALK THE PROUD LAND; on the contrary, she provides a very engaging performance. But I still found her attempt to play an Indian problematic, and she is not portraying a sympathetic character, which seems at odds with the story's thesis, that we are supposed to give Apaches a chance.
In the hands of other performers, the story might have come across better. Also, if it had been filmed as an independent production that was allowed to take a few substantial risks, they might have been able to overcome the studio formula and turn out an insightful motion picture.
As it stands, the whole thing feels like experimental play-acting and experimental storytelling by a company that usually gave audiences conservative western fare...fare that didn't make too much of a difference or try to masquerade as a think-piece. Ultimately, this is hollow piece of entertainment which despite its good intentions, fails to connect with viewers on a meaningful level.
Murphy's fans were accustomed to him playing white-centric roles, where he usually went up against the natives who were on the other side of civilization and the law. In these pictures, Murphy's characters were meant to uphold the ideologies of European Americans in the west, not to make concessions to Indians, least of all warring Apaches. WALK THE PROUD LAND is a story which seems the antithesis of all that.
Adapting the real-life story of government agent John Clum, this is undoubtedly a more 'enlightened' look at the relationships between whites and native people during a contentious time in U. S. history. But Murphy doesn't fit the part, given the persona that was associated with him in his previous films, not to mention his status as a hero during World War II.
Indeed, the role of a pacifist would have worked better with a liberal actor like Henry Fonda or Burt Lancaster. Perhaps Murphy was anxious to spread his wings and show people what he could do with a different sort of heroic character, but contemporary audiences did not buy it.
Another problem is the casting of the two lead actresses. Piper Laurie was intended to play Murphy's wife on screen in this effort, but she decided to cancel her contract with Universal and study method acting in New York. That would turn out to be a good decision for her, as she would bounce back later in THE HUSTLER alongside Paul Newman.
With Piper Laurie suddenly not available, the role of Murphy's wife was given to Patricia Crowley who was more identified with romantic comedies at her home studio Paramount. Unfortunately, Crowley doesn't register much in the story and she is not given anything significant to do in her limited scenes.
The other main female presence is Anne Bancroft, miscast as a native girl who has designs on Murphy and wants to take the place of his wife. Interestingly, Miss Bancroft would also study method acting in the late 50s and refine her performance techniques like Miss Laurie did.
I am not saying Bancroft is an amateur in WALK THE PROUD LAND; on the contrary, she provides a very engaging performance. But I still found her attempt to play an Indian problematic, and she is not portraying a sympathetic character, which seems at odds with the story's thesis, that we are supposed to give Apaches a chance.
In the hands of other performers, the story might have come across better. Also, if it had been filmed as an independent production that was allowed to take a few substantial risks, they might have been able to overcome the studio formula and turn out an insightful motion picture.
As it stands, the whole thing feels like experimental play-acting and experimental storytelling by a company that usually gave audiences conservative western fare...fare that didn't make too much of a difference or try to masquerade as a think-piece. Ultimately, this is hollow piece of entertainment which despite its good intentions, fails to connect with viewers on a meaningful level.