Chuka
by Gordon Douglas
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ernest Borgnine, James Whitmore, John Mills, Luciana Paluzzi, Rod TaylorDirector: Gordon Douglas
Brand: Paramount
Producer: Rod Taylor
Cinematographer: Harold E. Stine
Editor: Bob Wyman
Producer: Jack Jason
Writer: Richard Jessup
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Chuka
Movie Review: Dark, cynical western with great cast
Summary: 4 Stars
As westerns were adjusting to the times in the late 60s, along came a dark western made on a small budget that is about as dark as westerns come in terms of storytelling. Riding south across the desert, a gunslinger named Chuka comes across a broken-down and stranded stagecoach with two passengers, one of them a woman from his past. Chuka escorts them to the nearest fort, Fort Clendennon, only to find a worst situation. The Arapaho are on the warpath and seem on the verge of a huge attack. What's worse is that the fort's garrison are the dregs of the cavalry, men sent their as a sort of punishment. Can Chuka figure out what to do before the coming attack? The action is good here, especially a knock-down, no holds barred fight between Chuka and an army sergeant played by Ernest Borgnine, and the final battle is a memorable one, fairly graphic too for the times. Not a huge budget here and the movie was filmed on an indoor set for the fort, but the story and cast overcome the flaws. Definitely give this one a try.
Rod Taylor leads a very capable cast as Chuka, a cowhand turned hired gun who meets a woman he loved from his past. Taylor played several anti-heroes in westerns, and is very good here as he builds up an impressive kill count. Ernest Borgnine is good in a tough guy role as Sgt. Otto Hahnsbach, the tough sarge who remains loyal to the fort's commander when everything points against it. John Mills plays Colonel Stuart Valois, the commander of the fort who yearns for the good old days with his British regiment in India. Italian beauty Luciana Paluzzi makes the most of a somewhat unnecessary part as Veronica, a Mexican woman with lots of money who may still have feelings for Taylor's Chuka. James Whitmore has a good role as Lou Trent, the grizzled old head scout who clashes with Valois and sides with Chuka. It's an all-around good cast that makes an average movie a notch above the rest.
The DVD, a good deal at around $10, has the movie in a high quality widescreen presentation but since the movie was filmed mostly on an indoor set, there's only a few shots of the California locations. No special features at all, but the print of the movie is a good one. A very good western that shows how the genre was changing, give Chuka a try!
Summary of Chuka
Throughout the West, one name means action: Chuka! Tension builds for soldiers guarding a besieged prairie fort against Indian attacks. Their nerves are frayed and their spirits are dying. But there's a glimmer of hope: the lone gunfighter who's come to help them is the man called Chuka!Rod Taylor co-produced the 1967 Chuka and stars as the titular gunslinger whose lonely path leads to a U.S. Army outpost manned by foul-ups, degenerates, and a half-mad, alcoholic commander (John Mills). Surrounded by starving Arapaho Indians clearly getting ready to massacre the fort's inhabitants, Mills' character, Colonel Valois, refuses to yield to Chuka's demand that everyone clear out and allow the Arapaho to take provisions they need to survive. With Valois drunk and unbending, a creepy second-in-command (Louis Hayward) leading a mutiny, a two-fisted sergeant (Ernest Borgnine) defending Valois against any criticism, and the presence of two Mexican women (one of whom has a romantic past with Chuka) who will not be spared during a slaughter, Chuka does what he can to broker a peaceful way out of the dilemma. Directed by Gordon Douglas (The Detective), Chuka is self-consciously arty (camera angles turn up in the weirdest of places) yet dramatically enthralling. Very much an actor's vehicle that, on the one hand, allows the likes of James Whitmore to wallow in mannerisms, Chuka also features several startlingly emotional scenes. Among them is the aftermath of a brutal fight between Taylor and Borgnine, in which their bloodied characters--too exhausted to speak--communicate mutual respect by pawing at each other's heads, like infant brothers. --Tom Keogh
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