Ulzana's Raid
Encyclopedia
Ulzana's Raid is a 1972 revisionist Western
starring Burt Lancaster
, Richard Jaeckel
and Bruce Davison
. The film, which was filmed on location in Arizona, was directed by Robert Aldrich
based on a script by Alan Sharp
.
Set in 1880s Arizona
, it portrays the brutal reaction by Chiricahua Apaches
to maintain their culture in the face of continual European expansion of the American West.
The bleak and nihilistic tone
showing U.S. troops chasing an elusive but murderous enemy has been seen as allegorical to the United States participation in the Vietnam War
.
with a small war party
. Soon news reaches the local military commander, who sends messengers to local homesteads. Both are ambushed and killed; to avoid capture one kills the woman he is escorting and then himself. The warriors play catch with his heart. The woman's husband, who stayed behind, is captured and tortured to death. Army
scout
MacIntosh (Lancaster) is given the job of finding Ulzana for a troop of soldiers led by an inexperienced Lieutenant
Garnett DeBuin (Davison). Joining them on the mission is a veteran sergeant (Jaeckel) and Apache scout
Ke-Ni-Tay (Luke). Ke-Ni-Tay knows Ulzana, as their wives are sisters.
The cavalry troop leaves Fort Lowell
and soon finds evidence of the brutal activities of the Apache war party. The film then focuses on the soldiers' reality, facing a merciless enemy with far better local skills. We follow the lieutenant through his struggles with his Christian conscience and view of humanity. MacIntosh and Ke-Ni-Tay attempt to out-think and out-fight their enemies, while advising the Lieutenant what to do. Ulzana and most of his men abandon their horses, led circuitously by two others in an attempt to tire the pursuers' heavily loaded mounts. Ke-Ni-Tay notices that the trail is now of unladen horses, and Macintosh works out a plan which leads to the loss of the horses and the death of their two Apache escorts, including Ulzana's son. The lieutenant prevents his men from mutilating the dead.
The raiders attack a nearby farm, torturing the homesteaders and seizing two horces. McIntosh realizes that remaining Apaches physically and psychologically need horses and will try to obtain them by raiding the troop. The woman of the burned out farm, instead of being raped to death, has been left alive so that the cavalry will be forced to send her to the fort with an escort. By splitting the troop, Ulzana hopes to successfully attack the escort and seize its horses. McIntosh suggests a decoy plan to make Ulzana falsely believe that his tactics are successful.
Ulzana's warriors ambush the small escort detachment, obtaining all of its horses and killing most of the soldiers before DeBuin can arrive with the rest of his force. McIntosh is fatally wounded. Ke-Ni-Tay scatters the captured horses as sounding bugle calls which alert Ulzana of his approach. Ulzana flees afoot as the remants of his band are killed. Ke-Ni-Tay confronts him and shows him the Army bugle taken from the body of his son. Ulzana puts down his weapons and sings his death song before Ke-Ni-Tay kills him. The troopers suggest that Ulzana, or at least his head, should be taken back to the fort. The lieutenant orders him to be buried. MacIntosh knows he won't survive the journey back to the fort and chooses to stay behind.
and in Nogales, Arizona as well as the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
.
There are two cuts of the film because Burt Lancaster helped to produce the movie. One version was edited under the supervison of Aldrich, the other by Lancaster. There are many subtle differences between the two although the overall running times are similar and most of the changes involve alterations of shots or lines of dialog within scenes.
Revisionist Western
The Revisionist Western, Modern Western or Anti-Western traces to the mid 1960s and early 1970s as a sub-genre of the Western movie....
starring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
, Richard Jaeckel
Richard Jaeckel
Richard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
and Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
. The film, which was filmed on location in Arizona, was directed by Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
based on a script by Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp a novelist and screenwriter. He published two novels in the 1960s, and since then has written the screenplays for about twenty films, mostly produced in the United States....
.
Set in 1880s Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, it portrays the brutal reaction by Chiricahua Apaches
Chiricahua
Chiricahua are a group of Apache Native Americans who live in the Southwest United States. At the time of European encounter, they were living in 15 million acres of territory in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico...
to maintain their culture in the face of continual European expansion of the American West.
The bleak and nihilistic tone
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
showing U.S. troops chasing an elusive but murderous enemy has been seen as allegorical to the United States participation in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Plot
Following mistreatment by agency authorities, Ulzana breaks out of the San Carlos Indian ReservationSan Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1871 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe. It was referred to by some as "Hell's Forty Acres," due to a myriad of dismal health and environmental conditions.-Formation:President U.S....
with a small war party
War Party
War Party may refer to:* War party, an organized military raid, particularly by historical Native Americans* War Party , 1988 film starring Billy Wirth and Kevin Dillon* War Party , 2004 album by the heavy metal band GWAR...
. Soon news reaches the local military commander, who sends messengers to local homesteads. Both are ambushed and killed; to avoid capture one kills the woman he is escorting and then himself. The warriors play catch with his heart. The woman's husband, who stayed behind, is captured and tortured to death. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
MacIntosh (Lancaster) is given the job of finding Ulzana for a troop of soldiers led by an inexperienced Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Garnett DeBuin (Davison). Joining them on the mission is a veteran sergeant (Jaeckel) and Apache scout
Apache scouts
The Apache Scouts were part of the United States Army Indian Scouts, most of their service was during the Apache Wars up to 1886 though the last scout retired in 1947. The Apache scouts were the eyes and ears of the United States military and sometimes the cultural translators for the various...
Ke-Ni-Tay (Luke). Ke-Ni-Tay knows Ulzana, as their wives are sisters.
The cavalry troop leaves Fort Lowell
Fort Lowell
Fort Lowell was a United States Army post active from 1873 to 1891 on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Fort Lowell was the successor to Camp Lowell, an earlier Army installation. The Army chose a location just south of the confluence of the Tanque Verde and Pantano creeks, at the point where they...
and soon finds evidence of the brutal activities of the Apache war party. The film then focuses on the soldiers' reality, facing a merciless enemy with far better local skills. We follow the lieutenant through his struggles with his Christian conscience and view of humanity. MacIntosh and Ke-Ni-Tay attempt to out-think and out-fight their enemies, while advising the Lieutenant what to do. Ulzana and most of his men abandon their horses, led circuitously by two others in an attempt to tire the pursuers' heavily loaded mounts. Ke-Ni-Tay notices that the trail is now of unladen horses, and Macintosh works out a plan which leads to the loss of the horses and the death of their two Apache escorts, including Ulzana's son. The lieutenant prevents his men from mutilating the dead.
The raiders attack a nearby farm, torturing the homesteaders and seizing two horces. McIntosh realizes that remaining Apaches physically and psychologically need horses and will try to obtain them by raiding the troop. The woman of the burned out farm, instead of being raped to death, has been left alive so that the cavalry will be forced to send her to the fort with an escort. By splitting the troop, Ulzana hopes to successfully attack the escort and seize its horses. McIntosh suggests a decoy plan to make Ulzana falsely believe that his tactics are successful.
Ulzana's warriors ambush the small escort detachment, obtaining all of its horses and killing most of the soldiers before DeBuin can arrive with the rest of his force. McIntosh is fatally wounded. Ke-Ni-Tay scatters the captured horses as sounding bugle calls which alert Ulzana of his approach. Ulzana flees afoot as the remants of his band are killed. Ke-Ni-Tay confronts him and shows him the Army bugle taken from the body of his son. Ulzana puts down his weapons and sings his death song before Ke-Ni-Tay kills him. The troopers suggest that Ulzana, or at least his head, should be taken back to the fort. The lieutenant orders him to be buried. MacIntosh knows he won't survive the journey back to the fort and chooses to stay behind.
Cast
- Burt LancasterBurt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
as McIntosh - Bruce DavisonBruce DavisonBruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
as Lt. Garnett DeBuin - Jorge Luke as Ke-Ni-Tay (army scout)
- Richard JaeckelRichard JaeckelRichard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
as Sergeant - Joaquín Martínez as Ulzana (as Joaquin Martinez)
- Lloyd BochnerLloyd BochnerLloyd Wolfe Bochner was a Canadian actor, usually playing the role of suave, rich leading men.- Career :...
as Capt. Charles Gates - Karl SwensonKarl SwensonKarl Swenson was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, Swenson made several appearances with Pierre-Luc Michaud on Broadway in the 1930s and 40s, including the title role in Arthur Miller's first production, The Man Who...
as Willy Rukeyser (settler) - Douglass WatsonDouglass WatsonLarkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
as Maj. Cartwright (CO, Ft. Lowell) - Dran Hamilton as Mrs. Riordan
- John Pearce as Corporal
- Gladys Holland as Mrs. Rukeyser
- Margaret Fairchild as Mrs. Abbie Ginsford
- Aimée EcclesAimée EcclesAimée Eccles was born on January 1, 1949 in Hong Kong. -Movies to her career:*Little Big Man 1970*Pretty Maids All in a Row 1971*Ulzana's Raid 1972*Paradise Alley 1978*The Concrete Jungle 1982-References:...
as McIntosh's Indian woman (as Aimee Ecclés) - Richard BullRichard Bull (actor)Richard Bull is an American film actor, stage actor and television actor.He is best known for his performance as Nels Oleson, the kindly proprietor of Oleson's Mercantile and the long suffering husband of his wife Harriet on the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie which aired from 1974 to...
as Ginsford (settler) - Otto Reichow as 'Dutch' Steegmeyer (Indian Agent, San Carlos Reservation)
Production notes
The film, which cost $1.2 million, was shot on location in the United States southeast of Tucson, Arizona at the Coronado National ForestCoronado National Forest
The Coronado National Forest includes an area of about 1.78 million acres spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico....
and in Nogales, Arizona as well as the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
There are two cuts of the film because Burt Lancaster helped to produce the movie. One version was edited under the supervison of Aldrich, the other by Lancaster. There are many subtle differences between the two although the overall running times are similar and most of the changes involve alterations of shots or lines of dialog within scenes.