Escape from Fort Bravo

1953 "M-G-M's Great Romance Excitingly photographed in Ansco Color"
6.6| 1h39m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 04 December 1953 Released
Producted By: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A Southern belle frees a Rebel officer and his men from a Union captain's Arizona fort.

Genre

Western

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Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) is currently not available on any services.

Director

John Sturges

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Escape from Fort Bravo Audience Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Wordiezett So much average
Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
vincentlynch-moonoi If you want it in a nutshell, this is a good Western, but not a great Western (although I have an idea the people making this film thought it was a great Western). I enjoyed it...once...but I won't watch it again.The scenery is great, and although the film obviously needs restoration, there was something about the photograph that seems a bit awkward at times. A small but interesting point is that the film was made, in part, near Lupton, Arizona, and one of the supporting actors was John Lupton.Here's what I find interesting about this film. At the beginning of the film William Holden's character is so repulsive and cruel that -- at least for me -- one begins to root for the Confederates, which is helped along by the Confederate leader being John Forsythe.To a degree, the film seems a bit formulaic in spots, but it's a decent enough plot to hold your attention...although getting Eleanor Parker into Fort Bravo seemed a bit contrived...but you have to have a love interest. And, it was almost disappointing that the cavalry rides in to the rescue at the end of the film, although not all our characters survive.William Holden seemed uneven in this role. Not very good early on, later better at romance than I expected, and his character somewhat redeems himself toward the end; I doubt he's remembered for this film, but he's okay.Eleanor Parker was a very good actress, and I liked her here. John Forsythe seemed very likable as the Confederate leader; he played that well. As I was watching I was thinking about what a versatile character actor William Demarest was, here as a Confederate soldier. Even with a small role, I didn't realize Polly Bergen was in the cast; of course, this was the time in her career when she also played foil to Martin & Lewis in 3 films. Richard Anderson is a forgotten character actor that was always pretty decent. Howard McNear (Floyd the barber) is here, as well, in a somewhat more key supporting role (though he still doesn't get a lot of screen time).It's a decent Western, better than average, but probably not that memorable.
denis888 That could be a very nice movie, with an excellent cast of luminaries (William Holden as Captain Roper Eleanor Parker as Carla Forester John Forsythe as Captain John Marsh William Demarest as Campbell William Campbell as Cabot Young Polly Bergen as Alice Owens Richard Anderson as Lieutenant Beecher Carl Benton Reid as Colonel Owens John Lupton as Bailey), with seemingly good plot - Union camp for Cofederate prisoners of war, the seemingly excellent nature would also provide a big welcome addition... but the whole thing falls flat. First, the worst element of the movie is a hilariously cheap pavilion shoot, which spoils half of the outside scenes. The low quality of props, hollow sound, bad light make this all a miserable view. Then, the slow and somewhat dragging tempo spoils more. And finally, all the known clichés are here, too. The blood-thirsty Indians are here, the valiant heroes and blonde beauties are here. No, that does not hold well/// Only for Civil War movies completists
davidjanuzbrown William Holden excelled at Westerns ("The Wild Bunch", "Alvarez Kelly", "Streets of Laredo", "The Horse Soldiers" & "The Man From Colorado" to name a few), as he did in almost every film he was in. This film is no different. What makes it work is the complexity of the character Capt. Roper. This is a man who is as tough as nails, and makes Javert (From Les Miserables) seem like a normal person, the way he hunts down Confederate Prisoners like animals (Like he did with Bailey (John Lupton)). Yet, he does stuff like grow roses "Roper's Roses", and really hates his job. I love the relationship between him and Carla Forester (Eleanor Parker), who is very much his opposite. A Confederate Spy who is engaged to Capt. Marsh (John Forsythe), and breaks him out of the stockade, and goes with him, not because she wants to, but because of duty and obligation. Marsh, who is the other major character in the film, is a very interesting character, he seems to know that things will not work out the way he planned. Spoilers ahead. He knows that Carla really belongs to Roper, like when he had to snap at her to go with him when he and the other Confederate Soldiers escaped, and when after a fight, he told Roper that Carla fell in love with him, and she only did her duty (Helping them escape). Finally he died with a smile on his face when Bailey (The only Confederate soldier to survive),learned from Roper & Marsh how to be a hero, by escaping the Indians, and instead of running away, like he did earlier, he went back to the fort, and brought back the soldiers to save Roper, Carla, and Lt. Beecher (Richard Anderson). He also knew that Roper was the right person for Carla, because of his willingness to sacrifice himself for her and Beecher (When he went out to face the Indians alone, just before the Calvary showed up). This film deserves my highest praise 10/10
jpdoherty A movie that is somewhat underrated and unintentionally overlooked in "favourite westerns" discussions ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO is nevertheless an excellent and true classic western! Produced by MGM in 1953 it was richly photographed in Ansco color by the great Robert Surtees and sparkingly written by Frank Fenton along with the uncredited Michael Pate. Skillfully directed by John Sturges this was his first great success with the western genre. Set in a remote Union outpost for captured confederate prisoners during the Civil War, Sturges set out to give the story an authentic look so he filmed in the stunning locations of Death Valley and in and around the New Mexico Badlands. In a 1970 interview the director said he greatly regretted that he never got to make the picture in Cinemascope as he had planned. He had missed the full development of the process by just a few weeks. The first Cinemascope movie "The Robe" was released by Fox at the same time.William Holden, in one of his best parts, plays union Captain Roper a formidable hard-bitten taskmaster over the prisoners. Nobody escapes from Bravo! If they do Roper finds them and brings them back! The opening of the film has him doing just that as he drags escapee (John Lupton) back to the fort on foot and on the end of a rope to the chagrin of the other prisoners. Even Bravo's commanding officer (Carl Benton Reid) thinks he is too harsh ("Roper when I see you work at soldiering - I'm glad we're in the same army"). On a visit to the Fort for a wedding is the lovely Carla Forester (Eleanor Parker) whose real business is to arrange for the escape of her confederate officer lover (John Forsyth) and three of his men while at the same time ensuring Captain Roper falls for her charms, little suspecting that she herself would fall in love with him. Eventually they do make good their escape and the remainder of the picture has Roper and his troop in hot pursuit after them through dangerous Mescalero Apache territory culminating in a a very exciting sequence towards the end of the picture - when after a terrific chase by the Apaches - captor and captured are pinned down by the indians in a desert gully. Now together Union and confederate unite in a last ditch stand against a common enemy!Adding greatly to the proceedings is a terrific score by the almost forgotten composer Jeff Alexander. This is the best thing this composer has ever done especially the beautiful ballad he wrote "Soothe My Lonely Heart" which is sung in the picture by Stan Jones. Jones himself wrote the rousing Cavalry song heard over the opening and closing credits.A wonderful exciting movie that every fan will want in their collection now that it's available on DVD. Good one Sturges!!Classic line from "Escape From Fort Bravo"........ As the young confederate serviceman (William Cambell) says impatiently to veteran (William Demarest)............. "How did a decrepit old man like you ever get in the war?". Prompting the retort from Demarest "Cause all the smart young men like you was losin' it".