A movie that is somewhat underrated and unintentionally overlooked in "favourite westerns" discussions ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO is nevertheless an excellent and true classic western! Produced by MGM in 1953 it was richly photographed in Ansco color by the great Robert Surtees and sparkingly written by Frank Fenton along with the uncredited Michael Pate. Skillfully directed by John Sturges this was his first great success with the western genre. Set in a remote Union outpost for captured confederate prisoners during the Civil War, Sturges set out to give the story an authentic look so he filmed in the stunning locations of Death Valley and in and around the New Mexico Badlands. In a 1970 interview the director said he greatly regretted that he never got to make the picture in Cinemascope as he had planned. He had missed the full development of the process by just a few weeks. The first Cinemascope movie "The Robe" was released by Fox at the same time.<br /><br />William Holden, in one of his best parts, plays union Captain Roper a formidable hard-bitten taskmaster over the prisoners. Nobody escapes from Bravo! If they do Roper finds them and brings them back! The opening of the film has him doing just that as he drags escapee (John Lupton) back to the fort on foot and on the end of a rope to the chagrin of the other prisoners. Even Bravo's commanding officer (Carl Benton Reid) thinks he is too harsh ("Roper when I see you work at soldiering - I'm glad we're in the same army"). On a visit to the Fort for a wedding is the lovely Carla Forester (Eleanor Parker) whose real business is to arrange for the escape of her confederate officer lover (John Forsyth) and three of his men while at the same time ensuring Captain Roper falls for her charms, little suspecting that she herself would fall in love with him. Eventually they do make good their escape and the remainder of the picture has Roper and his troop in hot pursuit after them through dangerous Mescalero Apache territory culminating in a a very exciting sequence towards the end of the picture - when after a terrific chase by the Apaches - captor and captured are pinned down by the indians in a desert gully. Now together Union and confederate unite in a last ditch stand against a common enemy!<br /><br />Adding greatly to the proceedings is a terrific score by the almost forgotten composer Jeff Alexander. This is the best thing this composer has ever done especially the beautiful ballad he wrote "Soothe My Lonely Heart" which is sung in the picture by Stan Jones. Jones himself wrote the rousing Cavalry song heard over the opening and closing credits.<br /><br />A wonderful exciting movie that every fan will want in their collection now that it's available on DVD. Good one Sturges!!<br /><br />Classic line from "Escape From Fort Bravo"........ As the young confederate serviceman (William Cambell) says impatiently to veteran (William Demarest)............. "How did a decrepit old man like you ever get in the war?". Prompting the retort from Demarest "Cause all the smart young men like you was losin' it".