History Film / FortApache

* NoodleIncident: Something happened in the past to bring shame to Collingwood but glory to Thursday, which also ruined their friendship (note how Collingwood still addresses Thursday by his first name).

* DancesAndBalls: There are two - an officers' ball in honour of Washington's birthday and the Non-Commissioned Officers' Ball. It is no coincidence that ''both'' are rudely interrupted by Colonel Thursday.

* PlayingAgainstType: Henry Fonda, mostly known for playing thoughtful everyman characters, here plays an arrogant aristocratic glory-hound.

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar: A lot of the characters are at least partly defined by what they did in the war, and in particular the higher ranks they had in it. Owen Thursday obviously was a general of volunteers who after the war was restored to his lower regular army rank. Sergeant Beaufort was a Confederate major, and Sergeant-Major O'Rourke an infantry captain in the Irish Brigade of the Union Army. And there was that [[NoodleIncident mysterious action in the war]] that brought glory to Thursday and shame to Collingwood.
** The NoodleIncident could also be viewed as [[EpilepticTrees an alternate universe version of Little Big Horn where both the Gen. Custer analogue (Thursday) and the Major Reno analogue (Collingwood) survived, and the Custer analogue managed to spin things to his advantage.]]

* ColonelBadass: Col. Thursday ... well, sort of... at least until he orders the infamous Thursday's Charge, which results in the [[SuicidalOverConfidence utter destruction of half the regiment]].

* {{Deconstruction}}: This was one of the earliest Westerns to [[FairForItsDay depict with some sympathy the plight of the Indians.]] The Apache are suffering at the hands of a corrupt government Indian Agent, with little recourse but to flee the reservation to force the military's hand to get rid of that agent. Instead, it's the racist Thursday, who's dismissive of Apache fighting skills and itching for a glorious military victory, who aggravates the situation and leads half his men to their doom. And when Captain York stands alone as the Apache charge at him, they stop right in his presence and turn back, demonstrating that they honor soldiers who respect them and aren't the violent savages depicted in other Western films of the day.

* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitlegvrlc0fm I'll Take Four Beers Too]]

* [[{{Deconstruction}} Revisionist Western]]: This was one of the earliest Westerns to [[FairForItsDay depict with some sympathy the plight of the Indians.]] The Apache are suffering at the hands of a corrupt government Indian Agent, with little recourse but to flee the reservation to force the military's hand to get rid of that agent. Instead, it's the racist Thursday, who's dismissive of Apache fighting skills and itching for a glorious military victory, who aggravates the situation and [leads half his men to their doom. And when Captain York stands alone as the Apache charge at him, they stop right in his presence and turn back, demonstrating that they honor soldiers who respect them and aren't the violent savages depicted in other Western films of the day.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: In spades with Lt. Mickey O'Rourke, who is very much presented as EstrogenBrigadeBait early in the movie. Inverted with Sergeant Mulcahy.

* GreyVsGreyMorality: Neither side is shown as particularly nice. The Apache's torture prisoners while TheGovernment tolerates corrupt treatment of Indians. At the same time there are honorable people on both sides.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: As noted, the main plot is a retelling of the Little Big Horn, transplanted to Arizona.

* SoldiersVsWarriors: Bluecoats(soldiers) vs Apaches(warriors). The cavalry are [[PunchClockHero Punch Clock Heroes or Villains]] or both (depending on how you look at it) doing their job for TheGovernment, while the Apaches are an individualistic ProudWarriorRace.

* SoldiersVersusWarriors: Bluecoats(soldiers) vs Apaches(warriors).

* [[TheGeneralsDaughter The General's Daughter]]: Philadelphia -- who is, at least, the Colonel's daughter.

* {{Mexican-AmericanWar}}: Bizarrely, Thursday refers to Robert E. Lee as "Captain Lee", ''i. e''. by the rank Lee held when that war began. He also refers to Napoleon as "Bonaparte".
** It highlights [[TheResenter the contempt Thursday has]] for military leaders who had achieved greater glory than he had.

''Fort Apache'' is a 1948 Republic Pictures {{Western}} film starring Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/HenryFonda, ShirleyTemple, her then-husband John Agar, Ward Bond, Victor [=McLaglen=], Pedro Armendariz, and directed by Creator/JohnFord. ''Fort Apache'' is considered, with ''SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' (1949) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950), a part of Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy."

* FakeAmerican: Pedro Armendariz acquits himself well as Sergeant Beaufort, a former Confederate staff officer.

* PlayingAgainstType: Henry Fonda had never played a character this unlikeable before, and would not do again until ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest''.

'''''Fort Apache''''' is a 1948 Republic Pictures {{Western}} film starring Creator/JohnWayne, Creator/HenryFonda, ShirleyTemple, her then-husband John Agar, Ward Bond, Victor [=McLaglen=], Pedro Armendariz, and directed by Creator/JohnFord. ''Fort Apache'' is considered, with ''SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' (1949) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950), a part of Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy."

* BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Years after [[spoiler:Thursday wiped out half his own troops]], York is in command of Fort Apache [[spoiler:and is preparing a campaign to capture the latest Apache rebel Geronimo]]. Chatting with reporters covering the campaign, they mention [[spoiler:a flattering portrait of Thursday's doomed last stand hanging in Washington DC, discussing how heroic Thursday must have been in leading that charge. York, knowing the real story but also knowing that the truth would hurt army morale, goes along with the false story]]. This is also [[TruthInTelevision Truth in Television]] as people covered up the blunders made at the real Battle of Little Big Horn for decades.

** Becomes an IronicEcho at the end [[spoiler: when Thursday charges back into the massacre to join his doomed men.]]
*** And York [[spoiler: picks up the VerbalTic when ''he'' becomes the commanding officer at Fort Apache.]]
* ColonelBadass: Col. Thursday ... well, sort of... [[spoiler:at least until he orders the infamous Thursday's Charge, which results in the [[SuicidalOverConfidence utter destruction of half the regiment]]]].

* DeathEqualsRedemption: To his credit, when Thursday realizes what he'd done, he [[spoiler:charges back into the ambush knowing it will mean his death. His death also means that Thursday's daughter Philadelphia will be free to marry the young Lt. O'Rourke, and O'Rourke's father lampshades this by pointing out that Thursday can apologize in the afterlife to their grandchildren]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: during the introductions between Thursday and the Apache leaders, one of the Indian lieutenants is presented as [[spoiler:Geronimo]]. At the end of the movie, [[spoiler: York is leading his troops out to capture Geronimo, now leading another uprising against unjust conditions]].

* HeroicSacrifice: Very understated: [[spoiler:"You'll find Lieutenant O'Rourke with his troop, sir."]]
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: The most prominent is the Apache leader Cochise. One of his supporters is [[spoiler:Geronimo]]. Robert E. Lee gets name-dropped by Col. Thursday while giving out orders to set up a trap [[spoiler:using Lt. O'Rourke as bait]]. Thursday himself is an stand-in of Col. George Armstrong Custer as the movie is a re-telling of the Battle of Little Big Horn.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: The usual pattern from Westerns, where Indians are shown as bad shots that engage in headlong charges that make them easy targets is inverted in the scene where [[spoiler: the cavalry charges recklessly into a canyon and is picked off by Apache sharpshooters from both sides]].

* TheNeidermeyer: Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday (modeled on the real-life George Armstrong Custer) is an arrogant martinet to his own men (even after explicitly saying that he is ''not''); out of class snobbishness, obstructs the path of True Love between his daughter and a young lieutenant because the latter is the son of an Irish noncom; sees war as a path to personal glory; provokes a conflict with the Apaches that better diplomacy could have avoided; and, worst of all, [[spoiler:gets most of his regiment slaughtered through tactical incompetence and stubborn refusal to listen to Captain York, who knows the Apaches much better]]. For all of that, York credits him with improving the quality of the regiment through his strict discipline.

* NiceHat: Colonel Thursday's iconic, if somewhat ludicrous cap-and-havelock combination [[spoiler: which in the final scene is also worn by Colonel York]].

** Cochise knows this from the exchanged glance they have at the parley, [[spoiler:which is why he stops the Apache attack right in front of York and turns back, showing his respect.]]
* OverprotectiveDad: Col. Thursday. He doesn't want his daughter Philadelphia seeing that dashing young Irish lieutenant, so much so that he [[spoiler: sends O'Rourke on a [[TheUriahGambit seeming suicide mission]] to fix telegraph cables as bait]].

* {{Retirony}}: Captain Sam Collingwood is trying to get moved from the eponymous Fort to an instructing position at West Point. When [[spoiler: his wife finally gets the letter saying that his transfer went through, he is riding off with the regiment to confront the Apaches. Someone tells her to go, to run and tell him that he should come back, but she says "Sam isn't a coward", and then twists the knife by handing the letter back to the message-boy, saying "Keep it. For the captain's return."]]
* [[{{Deconstruction}} Revisionist Western]]: This was one of the earliest Westerns to [[FairForItsDay depict with some sympathy the plight of the Indians.]] The Apache are suffering at the hands of a corrupt government Indian Agent, with little recourse but to flee the reservation to force the military's hand to get rid of that agent. Instead, it's the racist Thursday, who's dismissive of Apache fighting skills and itching for a glorious military victory, who aggravates the situation and [[spoiler:leads half his men to their doom]]. And when [[spoiler:Captain York stands alone as the Apache charge at him, they stop right in his presence and turn back, demonstrating that they honor soldiers who respect them and aren't the violent savages depicted in other Western films of the day]].

* YouAreInCommandNow: [[spoiler: At the end, Thursday realizes he's led half his army to their deaths, and he refuses York's offer to drag him to safety. Asking for York's saber (to rejoin his doomed men), Thursday snorts "When you command this regiment, and you probably will, '''command it!'''" With Thursday's death, York ''does'' gain command.]]

* PlayingAgainstType: Henry Fonda had never played a character this unlikeable before, and would not do again until ''OnceUponATimeInTheWest''.

* TheAmericanCivilWar: A lot of the characters are at least partly defined by what they did in the war, and in particular the higher ranks they had in it. Owen Thursday obviously was a general of volunteers who after the war was restored to his lower regular army rank. Sergeant Beaufort was a Confederate major, and Sergeant-Major O'Rourke an infantry captain in the Irish Brigade of the Union Army. And there was that [[NoodleIncident mysterious action in the war]] that brought glory to Thursday and shame to Collingwood.

** Owen Thursday's charactization as an arrogant, aging martinet with no social skills whatsoever, is actually rather different from the flamboyant Custer, whose attitude to non-regulation dress and hair was actually the opposite of Thursday's. What they have in common is bitterness towards the government which in their view did not properly recognize their brilliance in TheAmericanCivilWar and a fatal show of incompetence in their last battle.

* YouAreInCommandNow: [[spoiler: At the end, Thursday realizes he's led half his army to their deaths, and he refuses York's offer to drag him to safety. Asking for York's saber (to rejoin his doomed men), Thursday snorts "When you command this regiment, and you probably will, '''command it!'''" With Thursday's death, York ''does'' gain command.]]

'''''Fort Apache''''' is a 1948 Republic Pictures {{Western}} film starring Creator/JohnWayne, HenryFonda, ShirleyTemple, her then-husband John Agar, Ward Bond, Victor [=McLaglen=], Pedro Armendariz, and directed by Creator/JohnFord. ''Fort Apache'' is considered, with ''SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' (1949) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950), a part of Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy."

'''''Fort Apache''''' is a 1948 Republic Pictures {{Western}} film starring JohnWayne, HenryFonda, ShirleyTemple, her then-husband John Agar, Ward Bond, Victor [=McLaglen=], Pedro Armendariz, and directed by JohnFord. ''Fort Apache'' is considered, with ''SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' (1949) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950), a part of Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy."

* SceneryPorn: It's JohnFord directing a {{Western}}. There's Monument Valley in all the exterior shots.

* ShoutOut: The ChaseScene with the four Sergeants and Lt. O'Rourke recreates the climactic chase from Ford's own ''{{Stagecoach}}'', including many individual shots. In all likelihood Ford filmed it in the exact same spot in Monument Valley.

* TactfulTranslation: Slightly inverted, in that Cochise calls the Indian agent Meacham "''un hombre malvado, que no dice la verdad''," which Sergeant Beaufort renders as "a yellow-bellied polecat of dubious antecedents and conjectural progeny."

'''''Fort Apache''''' is a 1948 Republic Pictures {{Western}} film starring JohnWayne, HenryFonda, ShirleyTemple, her then-husband John Agar, Ward Bond, Victor [=McLaglen=], Pedro Armendariz, and directed by JohnFord. ''Fort Apache'' is considered, with ''SheWoreAYellowRibbon'' (1949) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950), a part of Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy." Essentially a fictional retelling of the Battle of Little Bighorn, relocated to Monument Valley and using Apache instead of Sioux, the film details the arrival post-Civil War of by-the-book West Point graduate Colonel Owen Thursday (Fonda) to a remote and run-down cavalry post deep in Indian territory. Thursday quickly works to shape up the ragtag group of soldiers, occasionally butting heads with his underling Captain York (Wayne), a less educated but more experienced officer especially with dealing with the local tribes. When the Apache under Cochise rise up against the corruption of a government Agent, Thursday sees the brewing conflict as a chance to reclaim some of the glory he had during the Civil War, despite the protests by York that the Apache have legitimate grievances, and that the Apache are better fighters than Thursday thinks.