War Paint (1953 film)
| War Paint | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
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| Directed by | Lesley Selander |
| Produced by |
Howard W. Koch Aubrey Schenck |
| Written by | C Fred Freiberger William Tunberg Aubrey Schenck (uncredited) |
| Starring |
Robert Stack Joan Taylor |
| Music by | Arthur Lange |
| Cinematography | Gordon Avil |
| Edited by | John F. Schreyer |
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Production
company |
Bel-Air Productions
K-B Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
|
89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
War Paint is a 1953 Western film directed by Lesley Selander, starring Robert Stack and Joan Taylor. A U.S. Cavalry lieutenant is assigned to deliver a peace treaty to a powerful Indian chief, but two Indians have vowed to kill the officer before he completes his mission.
The film was shot in Pathecolor and filmed on location in Death Valley.
The pre-credit sequence of the film starts out with Bureau of Indian Affairs Commissioner Kirby and the last survivor of his US Cavalry escort shot and scalped by Taslik and his squaw Wanima.
The film proper begins with Lt. Billings leading his patrol, that has escorted Cpl Hamilton, a cartographer who has been making maps of the area. On the way back to the fort they are met by a messenger, who brings orders that they are to meet Commissioner Kirby and his party at a trading post in order to deliver a recently signed Indian treaty from Washington to the chief of the local tribe. The messenger gives the treaty to the Lieutenant, who commandeers him to join his patrol. The patrol, who are unaware of the fate of Kirby and his party, have nine days to get the treaty to the chief, lest a new uprising start.
At the trading post is Taslik, who offers to lead the patrol to the chief. Taslik is wearing war paint that he explains is from his killing members of a rival tribe who have trespassed on his tribe's land.
Unknown to the patrol, Taslik and Wanima, who is shadowing the patrol, are strongly against the peace treaty. The two sabotage the patrol's supplies at every turn in various undetected ways. On their journey the patrol discovers the remains of Commissioner Kirby's escort.
The patrol finally get wise to Taslik when they discover that he has led them in a giant circle looking for water. With time rapidly vanishing, Lt. Billings collects all the remaining water of the rapidly diminishing patrol to fill one water bottle. This is given to one of the troopers, who is to make his way overland to the Indian village while the rest of the men conserve their strength by travelling only at night. Wanima ambushes the trooper and kills him but is wounded herself and becomes unconscious.
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Wikipedia