Themes: Otherwise Engaged, White People Among Indians
Main Cast: Audie Murphy, Anne Bancroft, Jay Silverheels, Charles Drake, Tommy Rall
Release Year: 1956
Country: US
Run Time: 88 minutes
Plot
Walk the Proud Land is the true story of Indian agent John Philip Clum, as set down on paper by Clum's son. The film begins in 1874, as Clum, an Eastern government representative, arrives in San Carlos, Arizona. It is Clum's intention to uphold the peace between the settlers and the Apaches, and to encourage a form of self-government among the Indians. Realizing that he can never hope for cooperation from the Apaches so long as renegade warrior Geronimo (Jay Silverheels) is at large, Clum determines to negotiate the surrender of Geronimo -- and he intends to do it alone. Anne Bancroft co-stars as an Apache widow who falls in love with the married Clum. Though rather skimpy in the action department, Walk the Proud Land scores with strong characterizations and well-crafted scriptwork. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A potentially powerful story gets diluted a bit too much in Walk the Proud Land, a based-on-real-life Western. Not that Land is a bad film; it's simply an average picture that could have been significantly better. Part of the problem is that Gil Doud and Jack Sher's screenplay spends too much time concentrating on the home life of its leading character, rather than on the real specifics of his major accomplishment: finding Geronimo and convincing him to surrender, thus making possible a peace (however temporary it ultimately was) between settlers and the Apache tribes. The latter, real-to-life story has surprises and drama; the former "home life" story is tired and not very convincing. Star Audie Murphy, not t]an actor of the greatest range, also seems more at home when dealing with the "Indian problem" than with the personal life drama. Despite these flaws, there are some very good things in Land, including a young and quite stunning Anne Bancroft as the Apache widow who longs for Murphy. Tommy Rall also leads an interesting tribal ceremony, and the Technicolor photography is quite eye catching. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Bill Newberry - Art Director, Bill Thomas - Costume Designer, Phil Bowles - First Assistant Director, Jesse Hibbs - Director, Sherman Todd - Editor, Joseph E. Gershenson - Composer (Music Score), Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Herman Stein - Composer (Music Score), Joseph E. Gershenson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Bud Westmore - Makeup, Harold Lipstein - Cinematographer, Aaron Rosenberg - Producer, Russell A. Gausman - Set Designer, Ray Jeffers - Set Designer, Leslie I. Carey - Sound/Sound Designer, Frank H. Wilkinson - Sound/Sound Designer, Jack Sher - Screenwriter, Gil Doud - Screenwriter, Woodworth Clum - Book Author
This is the true story of Indian agent John Philip Clum, as set down on paper by Clum's son. The film begins in 1874, as Clum, an Eastern government representative, arrives in San Carlos, Arizona. He is sent to try new approach to peace with Apaches based on respect for automomy rather than submission to Army.
