Broken Arrow

In 1870, former Union soldier Tom Jeffords (James Stewart) undertakes a sensitive but risky mission with the aim of negotiating peace with an Apache tribe headed by Cochise (Jeff Chandler). The sympathetic Jeffords lives with the tribe, learns their ways, and even marries one of the young women, Sonseehray (Debra Paget). In the meantime, he and Cochise contend with members of their respective races who don't want peace, before an unexpected tragedy pushes both sides to the brink of all-out war. Directed by Delmer Daves, Broken Arrow was lauded upon its theatrical release in 1950 as the first film to not treat Native Americans as marauding savages, and while this claim wasn't quite true, the film certainly broke new ground by tweaking the standard Hollywood portrayal. Stewart, making a return to the western genre after more than a decade, makes Jeffords a credible hero, but it's Chandler who commands attention with his Oscar-nominated turn as Cochise. DVD extras include Fox Movietone newsreels, and pressbook and poster galleries. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)