hill indians

a young "soldier blue" of the  u.s. Army participates in a cruel expedition against a small group of Indians from the reservation  . The Indians are exterminated, except one girl.

The soldier calls her "Apache" by the name of her people, and takesher with him hoping to reach Fort Cobb. But the road is long, difficult and sown of enemies. Tommy protects "Apache" with all his might, but in the end, when they are close to salvation, both are killed

This film was like many Italian films that of trying to cash in on an original idea in this case soldier blue. Westrns have as much integrity as any other genre and The searchers was a brilliant example unlike the Italian film.In the beginning of the searchersw the well known film of John ford and maybe the greatest western everMartin and Ethan approach a snow-covered area where buffalo are gathered. Ethan shoots one of the buffalo, causing the rest to stampede. Then he goes into a passionate frenzy, shooting wildly at the herd - his senseless slaughter of the buffalo is intended to starve and deprive the Indians of food. 

 Marty protests the deliberate killings to deny food to the Indians but Ethan doesn't listen: "At least they won't feed any Comanches this winter." [His tactic suggests the same paradoxical approach toward Debbie - kill his own kin to cleanse her. Ethan's rampage against the buffalo parallels Scar's killing of cattle to lure the white men away from the ranch.]




Bugle sounds of a cavalry troop in the distance are heard merging with Ethan's gunshots, as they sight the renowned Seventh Cavalry, photographed majestically. As a jaunty Irish jig Garry Owen plays on the soundtrack, the cavalry is viewed in a mythically glorious sequence - they ride beautiful horses in lines, gallop through an icy river, and carry colorful flags against the white of the snow. Ethan and Marty ride up into an Indian camp/village, a scene of more slaughter - bloody corpses lie everywhere on the snowy ground, the result of a cavalry massacre, and a return to the cycle of retributive slaughter of one race by another. [The aftermath of the ride of the clean-cut cavalrymen is the bloody massacre of Indian women and children.]