Main Cast: Pierre Brice, Lex Barker, Daliah Lavi, Guy Madison, Ralf Wolter
Release Year: 1963
Country: IT/FR/YU/WG
Run Time: 122 minutes
Plot
This 1963 Eurowestern begins with a dead rancher and some Indians, indicating that the Apaches have broken their peace treaty. Only a young boy knows that the killings (which include his parents) were actually done by ruthless land grabbers hoping to start a war between the Indians and the settlers. Shatterhand (played by Lex Barker), who is the adopted brother to the Apache's chief, tires to clear his friends' names and follows the trail of deception which leads right back to the gates of the Cavalry's fort. ~ Cub Koda, All Movie Guide
Hugo Fregonese - Director, Fred Srp - Editor, Riz Ortolani - Composer (Music Score), Siegfried Hold - Cinematographer, Arthur Brauner - Producer, Robert Adolf Stemmle - Screenwriter, Ladislas Fodor - Screenwriter, Karl May - Book Author
The film Old Shatterhand (known as Apaches Last Battle in the UK) is a very successful Eurowestern based on the character Old Shatterhand invented by German novelist Karl May. It is a French, Italian, Yugoslavian, West German co-production. With about 5,000,000 DM in production the film was the most expensive Karl-May-Western. Composer Riz Ortolani was even allowed to use a chorus for his film score. Part of the set for this production was the Plitvice Lakes National Park in in Croatia.
Old Shatterhand, Apaches Last Battle (UK), Battaglia di Fort Apache (Italy), Cavaliers rouges, Les (France)
Killings of innocent ranchers indicate the Apaches have broken the peace treaty. Old Shatterhand, blood brother of the Apache chief Winnetou, finds out that ruthless lands grabbers did the killings, hoping to start off a war between the Indians and the settlers, and follows the trail right back to the gates of the cavalry's fort.
Background
After the success of director Harald Reinl's "Treasure of Silver Lake" (Der Schatz im Silbersee) in 1962 produced by Horst Wendlandt for the Rialto Film-Company, also his rival Artur Brauner from the CCC-Film-Company wanted to have his share in this looming series. Since Wendlandt got the rights for the original Karl-May-novels (although none of his films ever got too close to their respective plots), Brauner only had the chance of making a movie "inspired by" Karl May, using some of the already known personnel personated by American Lex Barker as "Old Shatterhand" and French Pierre Brice as "Winnetou". American Guy Madison was allowed to play one of the bad guys and exotic Israeli Daliah Lavi was one of the "damsels in distress", before turning to a singing career as did American Bill Ramsey, the comic part in this movie, already known in Germany for his Schlagers and later Jazzsongs.
One mystery remained from the movie: today no one remembers who the original singer of the song "Nothing To Say" („Die Stunde kam“) by saloon-singer Rosemarie (played by but not sung by Kitty Mattern) was.
Awards
"Goldene Leinwand" (= Golden Screen) for over 3 million visitors within 12 months handed over on October, 8th 1965 at Gloria-Palast-cinema, Berlin.
