Unconquered is an epic tale of romance, greed & revenge set on the backdrop of America between the French & Indian wars & our war for Independance. It tells the tale adventurer Chris Holden (Gary Cooper) who, while on a voyage back to America from Britain, runs afoul of unscrupulous profiteer Martin Garth (Howard De Silva) over indentured servant/bond slave Abby Hale (Paulette Goddard). Garth's treachery knows no bounds as we are repeatedly given healthy doses of seedy dealings throughout the film. Holden is driven to the western frontier, which in this time period is the Ohio/Pennsylvania border, after a brief breakup with his fiance, to help with a rising Indian problem. Holden is more of a hero for our time as he is more calculating & brutal than most heroes of that era. A pleasant surprise from what is typically served to movies goers of that time. Throughout Holden's adventures, we are treated to many familiar faces. From always entertaining Ward Bond, to Boris Karloff playing Indian Chief Gayasuta, to long time character actors De Silva (a familiar face who you probably would never remember his name) & Mike Mazurki (Ditto), to a very young Lloyd Bridges. For that matter, all the characters from the most often encountered to bit players are all well thought out & presented. As is to be expected from an epic of this time, there are alot of painted backdrops & in studio shots, but there are plenty outdoor vistas as well. The action & adventure is so continuous that we hardly notice. Unlike today's films, we are spared much of the "brutality" of this dangerous time. Most of it's horrors are implied & left to our imagination instead of thrust upon us with the gore of todays offerings. Much happens throughout this film, but it all leads back to the conflict between Holden & Garth that we encountered right at the start. Director Cecil B. DeMille treats us to one of his most most spectacular, but rarely known epic sagas! This is one not to be missed! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys well done period pieces! This is truely a rare gem!Read full review
First thing is that Paulette Goddard is my favorite film star of all time. She deserved more than she got in roles. She also should have got the role of Scarlett O'Hara in GWTW. Secondly DeMille movies are always exciting films to watch. He truly is a showman. Notably NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE, REAP THE WILD WIND (also starring Miss Goddard, and GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. I've been waiting for UNCONQUERED to come out on DVD for awhile and was delighted when I saw that it was. How about NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE? Thirdly, UNCONQUERED has great scenes in it; Indians attach Fort Pitt, canoe going over the rapids, Paulette captured by Indians. Gary Cooper, the hero was perfect opposite our star as was Howard DeSilva, a terrific villain, Ward Bond as the best friend, DeMille's daughter, Katherine as Desilva's squaw and Boris Karloff as the Indian Chief. Wonderful casting and spectacle.Read full review
I love watching movies about the French and Indian War period! Gary Cooper and Paulette Goodard do a great job portraying the main characters. He plays a somewhat wealthy captain, while she is just an indentured bond slave made so after killing a man while trying to protect her brother. Cooeper's acting is "on the money"! In the first few scenes, Goodard seems to overact a bit--mostly during the courtroom sentencing period. She improves as the movie progresses. Unconquered is based on a book by Neil H. Swanson which I have not read, but intend to. The setting is Fort Pitt. I understand that a scaled down model was used at times, and some of the fort was actually built so that the scenes could look real, and they do look real for the most part. I saw this movie years ago and forgot about it until recently. A scene with Ward Bond stuck with me. He was walking through a fair/market area of sorts and he is carrying a very beautifully crafted spinning wheel complete with a distaff!! He is about to go in to see a mermaid when he encounters his old friend, Gary Cooper. There is a lot of American Indian battles with the fierce leader, Boris Karloff as chief. I love this movie! The ONLY downside is that Paulette's make-up, and especially lip stick, remains in tact throught it all. Not realistic! Of course in a Cecil B. DeMille, 1947 movie, lip stick would remain perfect. I highly recommend this movie and wanted to own it so that I could watch it as often as I want. Enjoy.Read full review
DeMille, Cooper, restored technicolor, early American drama. The only way the film could look better would be in Blu Ray, but the color and overall picture look great. Fun watching and highly recommended.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Although I do not agree with how the Native Americans are portraiyed in this picture,I have to say I really liked this movie.Well acted out in levels of censerity seldomly displayed in modern pictures,to say the least I found this movie very captivating.I loved the time frame,and found the scenery remarkable.I give it 8 out of 10.i recomend you try it too, if you like a good clasic.
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