User reviews

This film is set during the US Civil War. Because the US was tearing itself apart, European powers took this as an opportunity to take control of Mexico. They installed a puppet ruler of sorts, Maximillian, and convinced the man the Mexican people wanted him...though most didn't. As for the elected president of Mexico, Juarez, he was forced to run and years of fighting followed. I mention all this because this is the context for "The Eagle and the Hawk".

When the story begins, sometime incredibly unlikely takes place. An American agent (Dennis O'Keefe) teams up with a Texas Ranger (John Payne) to go to Mexico to look into trouble brewing south of the border. Now the notion of a Yankee and a Confederate working together in any capacity during the Civil War seems ridiculous....but hey, that's the plot!

Once in Mexico they learn several things. First, the American agent was looking for a fellow agent and he learns the man was very brutally murdered. Second, there's a local self-appointed leader, General Liguras (Thomas Gomez), who is supposedly aligned with Juarez. Third, there's a man who they describe as a 'German' (he's about as German as Chow Mein!) who is a big man with his own private army of sorts. How do all three of these things fit together? Well, the Yankee and Reb both work different sides in order to learn the truth.

This is a decent movie, with nice color cinematography and location shooting in Sedona, Arizona. However, it's also amazingly short on action and is quite talky. Not a bad film at all, though a VERY unlikely one considering the political affiliation of Payne's and O'Keefe's characters!

Americans love to make films about the Juarez and Maximilian conflict and a big reason is that we were on the popular side then against foreign imperialism. In this case that of the French who were putting an Austrian emperor on a newly created throne of Mexico which would have become a client state. In this case both the Union and Confederacy see the danger of Emperor Maximilian.

So in a move arranged by Governor Francis Lubbock of Texas played by Grandon Rhodes, Union Army spy Dennis O'Keefe and Texas Ranger John Payne are on a joint mission to talk to a would be Pancho Villa played by Thomas Gomez who is being suckered by Fred Clark who is an agent of Maximilian from attacking Texas. Gomez is dreaming big dreams of reconquering it for Mexico, but he doesn't know he's being played for a sucker and that neither the USA or the CSA is going to stand for that.

Payne indulges in a little romance with Rhonda Fleming who is unhappily married to Clark. And Clark who possessed one of the best slow burns this side of Edgar Kennedy and usually is a comic villain plays it straight and serious here.

Payne and O'Keefe later teamed for another western for Paramount B unit producers Pine-Thomas called Passage West are much better in a much better western with The Eagle And The Hawk.

Stars John Payne, Dennis O'Keefe. During the civil war here in the states, france is trying to establish Maximillian as the leader of mexico, rather than someone from mexico. Croyden and Randolph are heading into the area to check things out. it starts out as a light comedy; they are rivals... competitors for everything. and when they get into town they find that the locals are divided into two camps -- those for Juarez, and those for Maximillian. the town is led by local bigshot Liguras (Thomas Gomez... it took me a minute to figure out that he was also Curly in Key Largo!) there's going to be a battle or showdown at some point... Keep an eye out for Fred Clark. he was the married man in How to Marry a Millionaire. and of course, was Harry on the George Burns show. Clark is Danzeeger, the local big cheese, who may also be involved in the missing guns. directed by Lewis Foster. he won the oscar for Mr. Smith Goes to Wash. original story by Jess Arnold. one of the two he wrote that were made into film. not much info out there on him... appears to have died at 47, according to imdb. this one gets much better as it goes along. they quit cracking jokes and it turned into a good story, based on some actual history.

A "cultural" insert,at the beginning of this western,tells us it's loosely based on historical facts:The war between Maximilian von Habsburg (abetted by Napoleon the Third ,who made one of his biggest mistakes in this Mexican adventure)and Benito Juarès,who was a genuine hero for Mexicans.

Loosely is the word indeed.The villain is French,a Max and Nap's spy,but,as far History is concerned ,everything stops here.All that remains is par excellence routine western:two brave heroes(Payne and O'Keefe,the eagleS) ,one gorgeous heroine(Fleming),a baddie,and a patriot general (Tomas Gomez,who sadly resembles more Zorro's Sergeant Garcia than a dashing officer).Thanks to the three leads,the movie is watchable,and boasts,as a highlight ,a sadistic scene of quartering between two mustangs.

However,people who saw the lines at the beginning and who wish to see something "historical",should catch William Dieterle's "Juarez" (1939) with Paul Muni and Bette Davis.

Like for souper-1, this is a nostalgia film for me, the first ever seen in a cinema, in Sydney in 1950, when I was 7. Seen with my mother and 5yo brother. Could only recall the torture scene and re-watching it for the first time in 68 years makes me realise how much over the heads it would have been for 2 young boys. Not the easiest of films to follow, partly because it is rather a mishmash of genres and burns rather slowly and a bit mysteriously at times for the first hour or so. A reminder of how films used to promote smoking, something so pleasurable as to be engaged in with your dying breaths.

During the midst of the Civil War in 1863, a Texas Ranger (John Payne) and a Union agent (Dennis O'Keefe) team-up for a mission south of the border. Their focus is a town where a government agent had gone missing and the factions supporting Benito Juárez and, secretly, wannabe French-imposed emperor Maximilian. The beautiful Rhonda Fleming is on hand.

"The Eagle and the Hawk" (1950) is similar to the later "Vera Cruz" (1954), except that it takes place during the Civil War rather than immediately afterward. While it's not great like that movie, it's okay and has its highlights. The main problem is that, after a promising opening, it bogs down in the talky politics & intrigue of the Mexican town.

But the Technicolor and locations are to die for and the characters played by Payne and O'Keefe make for an entertaining duo while redhead Rhonda is stunning. The film impressively mixes magnificent location shooting with matte paintings and studio sets.

The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in Sedona, Arizona, and Paramount Studios, Hollywood.

GRADE: B-/C+

Watchable Turn-of-the-Decade Western.

1950 Was a Sign-Post on the Dusty Trail of the Western Movie that Signaled a "New Direction" for the Popular Genre.

On the Horizon were Films with More on the Mind than "Cow-Boys and Indians".

More Adult

More Concerned with the Characteristics of the Characters.

Still Wearing Cowboy Hats of Course, but Not Always Announcing what was Beneath the Black & White Sun, Wind, and Dust Shields.

In other Words a Maturation.

A Place Where Horses Didn't Have Cute Kid-Friendly Nick-Names.

The Films from Directors like Anthony Mann and Budd Bottichier and Occasionally John Ford would Not Only Entertain Audiences,

but Layer the Movies with an Intent of Purpose that the First Wave of the Screen Western Lacked.

This Movie's Concern was Politics.

More Precisely, the Fate of National Territory.

The Title Symbolizes a Mexican "General", Following Juarez, and a Plan to Invade the United States Texan Border (while they were looking the other way fighting the Union in the Civil War).

It's Not a Deep-Dive into History but a Nod toward Delivering an Elementary Level History Lesson.

It has its Moments, but Overall a bit Flat and Pedestrian with the Cast the Most Glaring of Miss-Steps and Wasted Talent.

One of the Aforementioned Maturation and Next-Level Stuff, occurs Between John Payne and 2 Horses in a Violent Scene the Likes of Which were Previously Absent or Only Eluded.

Worth a Watch.

IMDb shows a cover staring Cary Grant and Carole Lombard, and noted as being a 1933 movie. The Cary Grant movie was actually released in 1950. Another movie has Cary Grant, Fredric March and Jack Oakie. One text is for a 1933 Western (taking place in Mexico) staring John Payne, Rhonda Fleming and Dennis O'Keefe. The text says it's a story set in 1863, but the cover shows airplanes. When I look at IMDb's Mobile App, I see two movies with this name but they are also mixed up. The Internet version for IMDb (on my desktop computer) doesn't even offer the 1933 movie to look at. The Mobil text about the two movies gives a third variation involving the Civil War. >>> IMDb, please fix this <<<

This is very entertaining movie - - not GREAT - - but,then, there are more average movies made than any other. Perhaps my high rating is based on nostalgia, but aren't movies supposed to evoke such emotions? This is one of those matinées from my childhood, early teens to be exact, that I would take the time to watch whenever I discovered that it was going to be on TV. Now, very few old movies are on TV, being replaced by new "classics" from the 60's, 70's, etc. I just think it's too bad that films like this will probably never be transferred to DVD, and if they are, they'll be done by third rate companies like Goodtime and Alpha.

Again, a good adventure film from the '50s that only seems available on DVD in a rather poor print and whoise last 20 or 30 minutes have mismatched image and sound. Rather refrain. Miguel Marías

I don't know if you have noticed, but in Paramount westerns, and also adventures films, you often had TWO lead male characters, for the good side, but two characters between whom there was nearly always a gal, and some elements that also made them fight one against the other; for instance one of them was not the Union during the Civil War, and the other for the Confederates.... But when both of those guys had to fight against the really villain of the plot, the ugly bad guy, this time both our guys fought together against the evil dude. This excellent but predictable western will make no exception to this scheme. And useless to say that one of our heroes will not make it in the end. But who? The torture cavalcade scene, between the two horses, is very impressive, shocking, I think it is even worse, more cruel, than when the "subject" is tied between FOUR horses. I did not know this "indian" torture.