The Undefeated 1969

     The setting of this film is just after the Civil War.  John Henry Thomas was a Union Colonel and James Langdon was a Confederate Colonel.  John Henry and James are in separate groups but both are leading both animals and people to the Mexican border.  John Henry has sold a large herd of horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head.  He had planned to sell to the US government but they were paying $25 a head.  James is leading a group of displaced southerners looking for a new life in Mexico.  There properties have been lost to carpetbaggers overrunning the South. When faced with both bandits and revolutionaries, the two men need to mend their differences and join together to stay alive.

     You can tell that Wayne is older in this film than North to Alaska of 1960.  He was 53 years-old 1960 in 62 years-old in 1969.  Fist fights, brawls and shoot outs must have been very popular between 1960 and 1969?  There are many of them in North to Alaska and also in this film?  Maybe they are a script fill in with no dialog needed?  I think this film has a weak plot and script!!  2 1/2* (This movie is so-so)     

115 min, Western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen with John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Antonio Aguilar, Roman Gabriel, Marian McCargo, Lee Meriweather, Merlin Olsen, Melissa Newman, Bruce Cabot, Jan-Michael Vincent, Ben Johnson, Edward Faulkner.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10, 17% critic 65% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 328 reviews, TCM user rating 5* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Baton, Rouge, Louisiana; Durango;, Sierra de Organos, Sombrerete, Zacatecas, Sierra de los Ajos, Bavispe, La Presca de La Angostura, San Pedro de la Cueva, Huasabas, Nacori Chico,  Bavispe River and Bacadehuachi, Sonora, Mexico.  John Wayne needed to lose most of the weight he put on to play Rooster Cogburn in True Grit of 1969.  Wayne fell from his horse, fractured three ribs and was unable to work for almost two weeks.  Later, he tore a ligament in his shoulder and couldn’t use one arm at all.  During that time, he could only be filmed from a certain angle for the rest of the picture.  Wayne liked working with tall actors.  He was hoping James Arness at 6 feet 7 inches would be cast in the role played by Rock Hudson.  Wayne also liked to play bridge and Hudson was a good player plus the same height.  Wayne wore lipstick in his movies that he applied himself?  He told Hudson that his lips would not show on film without lipstick?  This film implies that most of the people in Mexico supported the fight against Maximilian.  The Catholic Church thought Benito Juarez to be a troublemaker and a rabble-rouser.  The Church strongly supported Emperor Maximilian’s rule.  There is another film with the same title from 2011.