BY JOHN LEMAY
Though
it may be a little too campy for some, Captain
Apache (1971) makes for one of the more wildly entertaining Spaghetti
Westerns. Actually, some critics go so far as to group this film into a western
subgenre called the “Acid Western†(the likes of which include El Topo and other surrealistic fare).
The film was not an Italian project but was made by Benmar Productions out of Great Britain which
produced A Town Called Hell the same
year (as such, the fantastic church set from that film reappears in a redressed
fashion for Captain Apache). Though initially
Yul Brynner was announced as the star in April of 1970, Spaghetti superstar Lee
Van Cleef eventually took the role (though Brynner certainly would have looked
the part more than Van Cleef). Despite the declining state of European Westerns
in 1971, this was one three that Van Cleef made that same year, the other two
being The Return of Sabata and Bad Man’s River.
The
story follows Van Cleef as an Apache US Army Captain, hence the title (his real name is never given throughout the
film) at some point in the 1870s during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. Captain
Apache’s mission is to solve the murder of the Indian Commissioner, Harry
Collier and decipher the meaning behind his cryptic dying words: “April
Morning.†The investigation quickly leads Captain Apache to gunrunner Mr.
Griffin (Stuart Whitman) and his amorous “fiancée†Maude (Carroll Baker). Much
of the proceedings center on Captain
Apache investigating various people with ties to the murder only to have them
turn up dead as well. This all leads the Captain to a late night train ride
with all of the principal characters. It is here where we finally learn that
April Morning doesn’t refer to a time or date, but a train car carrying the
President of the United States! The action is pretty atmospheric from there,
though a surprise twist will either register as just that—or a big joke—depending
on your opinion of it.
Though
the film isn’t as surreal as other Acid Westerns, it does have quite a milieu
of elements in play. Its main claim to fame is the fact that Lee Van Cleef
sings the title song. Apparently Van Cleef had seen Lee Marvin singing in Paint Your Wagon (1969) and wanted to
give it a try himself. The results aren’t as bad as one might expect, though
the film’s composer revealed in an interview that Van Cleef was somewhat
difficult to work with in the recording sessions. Van Cleef also notoriously appears
in the film wearing a wig and is minus his mustache (as Native Americans don’t typically
have facial hair). Then there is the near constant assault of gags and one
liners to the extent that this almost seems to be a “beans western†like They Call Me Trinity. A witch and her
hallucinogenic potion even adds a semi-supernatural element to the story. Most
all Spaghettis have a sequence where the hero is captured and then tortured or
beat up, in the case of this film Captain Apache is forced to ingest the
witch’s potion and goes on a strange hallucinogenic journey to the underworld.
But mostly the film plays like an Old West version of the James Bond series for
many reasons. A bedroom scene where Van Cleef is romancing Carroll Baker is
particularly Bond-like when she puts a knife to his neck and he coolly responds
by putting a gun to hers. Van Cleef’s verbal duels with Stuart Whitman over
dinner is another Bond-like element as are a pair of identical twin gunmen
henchmen that menace Van Cleef on Whitman’s behalf.
In
many respects, though produced in 1971, the film’s campy flavor is more in line
with cinema of the late 1960s more so than the early 1970s—the music in
particular. Many will no doubt be surprised to learn that the film’s composer
Dolores Claman later wrote “The Hockey Theme†for Hockey Night in
Canada—Canada’s most recognizable piece of music aside from their national
anthem. Though the score is no Morricone level masterpiece, it is still
enjoyable in its own zany way. The same can also be said of the direction by
American Alexander Signer. This was one of few feature films he shot as he
mostly stuck to directing episodes of TV series such as The Fugitive and The Man from
U.N.C.L.E. to name a few.
For
Van Cleef completests and fans of off-beat Spaghettis Captain Apache is a worthwhile addition to their Blu-Ray library.
Like other Kino Lorber releases, the picture is excellent (as is the sound) and
the release also includes trailers for two other Van Cleef films: Sabata and Barquero. Otherwise there are no special features to speak of.
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John LeMay is the author of several western non-fiction titles, among them Tall Tales and Half Truths of Billy the Kid. Click here to order from Amazon.