A colorful historical drama about the discovery of what is now California and the evils surrounding it through the conquest and captivity of those already there. Questionable casting has both Richard Egan and Anthony Quinn as Spanish officers, with Egan hardly right for the part, especially when seen on a horse talking with the accented Quinn.
The narration at the beginning indicates that the details are based on fact, but that the language spoken is different. Egan is a fine actor (one of my favorites of the 50's, and especially as the powerful Sam Clegg on "Capital"), but his casting is totally jarring. With actors like Cesar, Fernando or Ricardo popular during this time, surely 20th Century Fox could have done better and used Egan to better use elsewhere.
As the mission priest whose world they turn upside down by storming in and causing the death of a native woman, Michael Rennie is totally commanding, telling Egan, Quinn and their men off for their hypocrisy as Christians. It's one of the few times on screen I recall hearing something like this. Jeffrey Hunter as the native chief and Rita Moreno as his sister are other major characters, their participation later in the film stirring up the bulk of the conflict. This is colorful and certainly epic, but hard to avoid the flaws.
The narration at the beginning indicates that the details are based on fact, but that the language spoken is different. Egan is a fine actor (one of my favorites of the 50's, and especially as the powerful Sam Clegg on "Capital"), but his casting is totally jarring. With actors like Cesar, Fernando or Ricardo popular during this time, surely 20th Century Fox could have done better and used Egan to better use elsewhere.
As the mission priest whose world they turn upside down by storming in and causing the death of a native woman, Michael Rennie is totally commanding, telling Egan, Quinn and their men off for their hypocrisy as Christians. It's one of the few times on screen I recall hearing something like this. Jeffrey Hunter as the native chief and Rita Moreno as his sister are other major characters, their participation later in the film stirring up the bulk of the conflict. This is colorful and certainly epic, but hard to avoid the flaws.