Evil white men and misguided young Iroquois braves (who have not yet earned their intelligence feathers) are the ones responsible for a war between the natives and the settlers in this well plotted "eastern" with silly dialogue and ridiculous casting. The Mohawks are a peaceful tribe who have taken in their displaced Tuscaroras brothers, forced off their land up north by other white settlers. They are vindictive to all white men, and their anger is not aided by the presence of the nasty John Hoyt, the self entitled original settler who wants the Indians and the other whites out and is determined to create a war where he comes out the only survivor. Great way to settle, create peace, and build a community.
Mohawk chief Ted De Corsia has been living in peace with the settlers, but he finds that two of the younger Mohawks as well as the Tuscaroras don't want to continue that peaceful existence, mainly thanks to Hoyt's manipulations and memories of the starving Tuscaroras from their displacement. The pretty young Rita Gam is an Indian maiden in love with young white artist Scott Brady who is involved with Boston native Lori Nelson, also distracted by settler Allison Hayes, later the 50 ft woman.
Neville Brand is a Mohawk warrior who manipulates young Tommy Cook, the chief's son, into joining his cause even though Cook is a friend of Brady's. With the joining forces of the Tuscaroras, the white man will have a dangerous battle on their hands, especially when Hoyt accelerates the hatred by murdering the chief's son. While the natives look realistic in their outfits, the English that they speak is far too polished and the young natives seem as if they've just come in from the hop.
The casting of obviously white actors truly takes away from any realism, although Brand and De Corsia are somewhat believable. Veteran actress Mae Clarke ("The Public Enemy's grapefruit gal) fortunately doesn't speak many lines as her New York accent would give her away in a second. Then there's 40's comic Vera Vague as Nelson's uppity aunt, initially thinking that the natives were "cute", then revealing her prejudices in the last scene. She's far from the lovable star of Columbia shorts who always exclaimed "Oh you naughty boy!" I enjoyed the film in spite of its many flaws, mainly because of the painting like vision that came off of the camera work, and found the idea of both good and bad on both sides to be a fair representation of a historically true incident, greatly fictionalized for the screen.
Mohawk chief Ted De Corsia has been living in peace with the settlers, but he finds that two of the younger Mohawks as well as the Tuscaroras don't want to continue that peaceful existence, mainly thanks to Hoyt's manipulations and memories of the starving Tuscaroras from their displacement. The pretty young Rita Gam is an Indian maiden in love with young white artist Scott Brady who is involved with Boston native Lori Nelson, also distracted by settler Allison Hayes, later the 50 ft woman.
Neville Brand is a Mohawk warrior who manipulates young Tommy Cook, the chief's son, into joining his cause even though Cook is a friend of Brady's. With the joining forces of the Tuscaroras, the white man will have a dangerous battle on their hands, especially when Hoyt accelerates the hatred by murdering the chief's son. While the natives look realistic in their outfits, the English that they speak is far too polished and the young natives seem as if they've just come in from the hop.
The casting of obviously white actors truly takes away from any realism, although Brand and De Corsia are somewhat believable. Veteran actress Mae Clarke ("The Public Enemy's grapefruit gal) fortunately doesn't speak many lines as her New York accent would give her away in a second. Then there's 40's comic Vera Vague as Nelson's uppity aunt, initially thinking that the natives were "cute", then revealing her prejudices in the last scene. She's far from the lovable star of Columbia shorts who always exclaimed "Oh you naughty boy!" I enjoyed the film in spite of its many flaws, mainly because of the painting like vision that came off of the camera work, and found the idea of both good and bad on both sides to be a fair representation of a historically true incident, greatly fictionalized for the screen.