New Mexico

1951 "ARROW-STREAKED ADVENTURE! BULLET-SCARRED STORY!!!"
5.7| 1h16m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 18 May 1951 Released
Producted By: United Artists
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Captain Hunt of the cavalry is trying to promote good relations with the Indian chief Acoma. But Hunt's superiors in the military insist on pursuing policies that will provoke a conflict, and Chief Acoma is not willing to let himself be insulted.

Genre

Western

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Director

Irving Reis

Production Companies

United Artists

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New Mexico Audience Reviews

Cebalord Very best movie i ever watch
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
SimonJack "New Mexico" is a cavalry and Indians Western that is just so-so as far as the story goes. A number of films have been made about the exploitation of Indians, illegal sales of weapons to Native Americans, and their mistreatment at the hands of dishonest and unscrupulous people. This one starts with that premise, and with some promise, but then slips into a battle between the Indians and cavalry. It doesn't have the love interest, but it does have the gratuitous female. This was an independent film produced by one of the poverty row studios and released through United Artists. The quality of the film is poor. The other technical aspects also are low. The acting is split – some good and some not so good. The good include Andy Devine as Sgt. Garrity, Marilyn Maxwell as Cherry, and Lloyd Corrigan as the corrupt Judge Wilcox. The bad is Ted de Corsia as Indian chief Acoma, Jeff Corey as Coyote, and Lew Ayres as Captain Hunt. Raymond Burr is in this film and is a real despicable character. He already has his huge physical frame in this film. He's such a delegable character that I can't tell if he's guilty or not of bad acting as well. We may have loved Burr as Perry Mason in his long-running TV series by that name (1957-66, and revival series from 1985 until his death in 1993). But in this and a couple other early films I've seen him in, he wasn't very good. What is of interest to me in this film, though, is the shooting location. This was mostly outdoors and on location in New Mexico. I thought I recognized the Acoma Indian Pueblo with its village built atop the 365-foot mesa. It's located about 60 miles West of Albuquerque, off I-40 at Exit 108. Today it's also called "Sky City." I visited there a few years ago, and took a tour from the Acoma Reservation Visitor's Center. In the 1950s – after this film was made, the Acoma tribe blasted a road through the rock to get to the top. We rode up in the tour bus and walked back down over a narrow, steep, almost hidden path. From the film, it appears that the views of the mesa and the church were from the South side, and possibly SE and SW. That would avoid any developed roads and facilities to the north. Today about 300 adobe buildings are on top of the mesa. Most now have been repaired and finished with adobe. These are mostly two-story and three-story residences, with exterior ladders to go from one level to another. About 30 people now live permanently atop the mesa. It has no modern conveniences, no running water, electricity or sewage. The residents truck their supplies up, and haul their garbage out. Since this movie was made, the tribe has built a very nice Visitor's Center near the base of the mesa. The Acoma Pueblo is one of the oldest continuously occupied places in North America. I went back and checked the shooting locations for this movie. The IMDb credits list Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Gallup, New Mexico, and California. But the credits don't specify the pueblo. While there are other pueblos to be sure, I don't think there's another located so distinctly as this one. And, there's a clue in the film tells me my guess is right. The Indian chief's name is Acoma. Now, how coincidental might that be, if it's not also the name of the tribe, reservation and pueblo where much of this movie was filmed?My six stars for this film are for the action and the interesting location. Movie buffs who find themselves in that area in the future would enjoy a stop off at the Acoma Visitor Center and a tour of the pueblo's "Sky City."
classicsoncall I doubt whether the opening scene could have possibly taken place in history. The Civil War ended on April 9th, 1865, and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated five days later on the 14th. That wouldn't have given him any time at all to head out to New Mexico and back, and it's not likely he would have done so with the war on. I guess we're not supposed to think about things like that.Following Lincoln's assassination, the peace treaty offered War Chief Acoma by the President is abrogated, and Territorial Judge Verne Wilcox (Lloyd Corrigan) is only too happy to enforce a seizure of Indian land under the direction of Colonel McComb. If you notice the sign indicating the Foreclosure Sale on Indian property, it was ordered for September 11th, so the Indians in a way had their own 9/11.I don't believe I've seen Lew Ayres in a Western before; he was generally competent here in his role as Captain Hunt, attempting to balance his military duty with a personal conviction toward treating the Indian fairly. He had a few resolute confrontations with Acoma (Ted de Corsia), then followed his orders to bring Acoma to justice following an uprising by the tribes. Curiously, there was no mention of the specific Indian tribes involved in the conflict, though my judgment says it was probably Apache.There were some interesting cast choices for this picture, with Marilyn Maxwell in a non-romantic lead, (unusual for this type of picture), heading West to promote her singing career with her manager (Verna Felton). She does a lively tune around the campfire later in the story. Andy Devine's on hand as Sergeant Garrity, and Jeff Corey appears virtually unrecognizable as cavalry scout Coyote. The most unusual appearance in the picture is that of Richard Burr, he's the skunk that killed Acoma's older son as the boys were attempting to run away from the cavalry party. Oh yes, can't forget Hans Conreid (also unrecognizable) as Lincoln in the opening sequence.Andy Devine's role isn't played for the comic relief he usually provides, though he did have a funny line while on the trail for Acoma - "I wonder if it's too late to join the Navy". As clever as that might have been, he later delivered that terrible clunker calling little Charley an Indian giver. Was that really necessary?
dbborroughs Old school western has peace with an Indian tribe collapsing after the death of President Lincoln. An evil colonel and inspector run roughshod over the native population. A captain, who was decorated by Lincoln for keeping the peace tries to keep things calm however war flares which put everyone in danger.Okay western is very much run of the mill. Its nothing you haven't seen before, especially if you're a fan of the genre. certainly its done well but at the same time the sense of having been here before makes everything seem less than it is. I liked it but at the same time I don't think I'll ever see it again, or really even remember it.
Snow Leopard "New Mexico" is a fair cavalry-versus-Indians movie that could have been better. It has a good cast and provides a couple good moments, but a routine script and a rather stereotyped set of characters keep it from realizing its potential.Lew Ayres, a fine actor, has the lead role of the cavalry's Captain Hunt, and the rest of a good cast is highlighted by Andy Devine, Raymond Burr, Marilyn Maxwell, and Ted De Corsia. Unfortunately, most of their characters are not given much depth, and they do not have much dialogue to work with either.The lack of depth of Captain Hunt is the most important, as the other characters are primarily defined in terms of their relationship with him. At the beginning, he seems to be developing as an interesting character. He is present at a meeting between President Lincoln and Chief Acoma (De Corsia), and seems to be sympathetic with the problems that Acoma's people face after Lincoln's untimely death, even defying for a while his insensitive and boorish military superiors. But when the inevitable conflict breaks out, Ayres is just given some stereotyped lines about how the Indians ought not to resort to violence. Likewise, Acoma, as the leader of the uprising, is a thoroughly conventional character, although at least portrayed with some degree of sympathy.There are some decent action sequences, and a couple of creative touches in the battle scenes, but it is likely that "New Mexico" will be of interest mainly to those who enjoy any and all Westerns.