A trapper and his two partners work as scouts for a remote army fort where they witness an incompetent colonel's decision to throw his small unprepared garrison against Red Cloud's sizable S... Read allA trapper and his two partners work as scouts for a remote army fort where they witness an incompetent colonel's decision to throw his small unprepared garrison against Red Cloud's sizable Sioux force.A trapper and his two partners work as scouts for a remote army fort where they witness an incompetent colonel's decision to throw his small unprepared garrison against Red Cloud's sizable Sioux force.
- Spotted Elk
- (uncredited)
- First Sentry
- (uncredited)
- Red Cloud
- (uncredited)
- Luke, Sentry
- (uncredited)
- Sentry
- (uncredited)
- Sergeant
- (uncredited)
- Sentry
- (uncredited)
- Sentry
- (uncredited)
- Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJames Whitmore plays Victor Mature's father figure and helped raise him in the film, despite the fact that Mature was actually eight years older than Whitmore.
- GoofsThe Colonel takes over the Captain's command without any orders after he loses his own. The Captain even mentions it once, but is casually dismissed by the Colonel since he is the Captain's superior officer. It has never worked that way in the Army, a superior officer cannot take over a junior officer's command without official orders, and if he tries to, the junior officer and his staff have every right to place the superior officer under arrest, especially if he endangers the entire command (and given that the Colonel has twice lost entire commands, this is not an unrealistic danger).
- Quotes
Gus: Sorry about the Colonel back.
Jed Cooper: I ain't glad.
Gus: Jed, you did right. And I'm proud of you. Makes me feel as though I didn't bring you up too bad after all.
Jed Cooper: I didn't do it for you, Gus.
Gus: She made you, didn't she? Well, most likely she wanted him dead just as much as you do, but only she couldn't. That 'll be the Christian in her. That's the part of your education that's most been sadly lacking. You ain't got no Christian in you.
Jed Cooper: I ain't?
Gus: No. There's two kinds of love, Jed. The way you love and the way a christian does. She can't be had your way.
Jed Cooper: How the Christians do?
Gus: Well, they begin with... you don't pine for another man's wife.
Jed Cooper: Never?
Gus: Well, maybe sometimes. But a good Christian fights it off.
Jed Cooper: How?
Gus: Well, he gots himself another woman.
Jed Cooper: You mean a Christian loves a woman he don't like, because he can't get the one he wants? I call that real sneaky!
- SoundtracksThe Last Frontier
by Lester Lee - Ned Washington
Sung by Rusty Draper over the opening credits
Reprised by Rusty Draper at the end
The point is graphically brought home to trappers Victor Mature, James Whitmore, and Pat Hogan when the Sioux under Red Cloud relieve them of their possessions and work. The Sioux don't mind the mountain men, but don't like what they see with the army building forts in the territory. Go seek refuge with the white soldiers.
When they do seek it, temporary commander Guy Madison welcomes the trio to the fort even with Pat Hogan being an Indian himself and offers them work as scouts. They accept, but when spit and polish commander Robert Preston shows up they wish they hadn't, especially Mature.
Preston is a glory hunter with a beautiful wife he's also trying to make a big show for in the person of Anne Bancroft. He makes Henry Fonda's colonel in Fort Apache seem warm and fuzzy by comparison. His is the best performance in the film.
Mature unfortunately has had too little experience with civilization in his life. He just sees Anne Bancroft and it's the testosterone taking over at that point. His character is a harbinger of what we would see later on in Clint Eastwood films though Mature is more loquacious.
The Last Frontier boasts some nice location cinematography and a well staged final battle scene. Unfortunately the 180 degree turn in Victor Mature's character proves ultimately a bit much for me to swallow.
- bkoganbing
- Mar 18, 2008
- How long is The Last Frontier?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Savage Wilderness
- Filming locations
- Popocatépetl Volcano, Puebla, Mexico(fort set located about 19°4'32"N, 98°42'0"W)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,000,000
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1