The Undefeated (1969)

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Stanley Hough (story)
(more)

Release Date:

27 November 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are...

Plot Keywords:

Colonel | Mexico | Civil War | Horse | Mexican Revolution

Cast

John Wayne	...	Col. John Henry Thomas
Rock Hudson	...	Col. James Langdon
Antonio Aguilar	...	Juarista Gen. Rojas (as Tony Aguilar)
Roman Gabriel	...	Blue Boy
Marian McCargo	...	Ann Langdon
Lee Meriwether	...	Margaret Langdon
Merlin Olsen	...	Cpl. Little George
Melissa Newman	...	Charlotte Langdon
Bruce Cabot	...	Sgt. Jeff Newby
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Lt. Bubba Wilkes (as Michael Vincent)
Ben Johnson	...	Short Grub
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. Anderson
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Soloman Webster (Thomas rider)
Paul Fix	...	Gen. Joe Masters
Royal Dano	...	Maj. Sanders (one-armed major)
Richard Mulligan	...	Dan Morse
Carlos Rivas	...	Diaz
John Agar	...	Christian
Guy Raymond	...	D.J. Giles
Don Collier	...	Goodyear (Thomas rider)
Big John Hamilton	...	July Mudlow (cowardly Langdon party member)
Dub Taylor	...	McCartney
Henry Beckman	...	Thad Benedict
Víctor Junco	...	Maj. Tapia
Robert Donner	...	Judd Mailer
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Escalante (as Pedro Armendariz Jr.)
James Dobson	...	Corp. Jamison
Rudy Diaz	...	Sanchez
Richard Angarola	...	Mr. Petain (Maximilian's representative)
James McEachin	...	Jimmy Collins
Gregg Palmer	...	Ezra Parker
Juan García	...	Col. Gomez
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Faulkner	...	Mrs. Anderson (uncredited)
Barbara Faulkner	...	Anderson's Daughter (uncredited)
Jan Faulkner	...	Anderson's Daughter (uncredited)
Leslie Faulkner	...	Anderson's Daughter (uncredited)
Bob Gravage	...	Bobby Jo Hicks (uncredited)
John Hudkins	...	Whit (uncredited)
Kiel Martin	...	Union corporal with message that the war is over (uncredited)
Hal Needham	...	Yankee corporal at river crossing (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Yankee sergeant at river (uncredited)

Directed by
Andrew V. McLaglen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Lee Barrett		screenplay
Stanley Hough		story (as Stanley L. Hough)
Lewis B. Patten		novel (uncredited)

Produced by
Robert L. Jacks	....	producer

Original Music by
Hugo Montenegro

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier

Film Editing by
Robert L. Simpson		(as Robert Simpson)

Art Direction by
Carl Anderson

Set Decoration by
Chester L. Bayhi
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Edith Lindon	....	hair stylist
Leo Lotito Jr.	....	makeup artist (as Leo Lotito)
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor (as Dan Striepeke)
Dave Grayson	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Clarence Eurist	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Cunningham	....	assistant director

Sound Department
David Dockendorf	....	sound
Richard Overton	....	sound

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Art Cruickshank	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Hal Needham	....	stunt coordinator
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stan Barrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
William H. Burton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roydon Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Couch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kent Hays	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Clyde Hudkins Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Nuckles	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
J.N. Roberts	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Danny Sands	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred M. Waugh	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Wyatt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Ziker	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Hugo Montenegro	....	conductor
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (as Herbert Spencer)
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor (uncredited)
Jack Hayes	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
'Chema' Hernandez	....	livestock coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1969) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1969) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1969) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Magnetic Video (video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Die Unbesiegten (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Batinin devleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
De obesegrade (Sweden) [sv]
De ubesejrede (Denmark) [da]
El dúo invencible (Venezuela) [es]
I due invincibili (Italy) [it]
Les géants de l'Ouest (France) [fr]
Los indestructibles (Spain) [es]
Los invencibles (Mexico) [es]
Niezwyciezeni (Poland) [pl]
Nunca Foram Vencidos (Portugal) [pt]
Oi aittitoi (Greece) [el]
Voittamattomat (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | New Zealand:PG | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

During filming John Wayne fell from his horse and fractured three ribs. He couldn't work for almost two weeks. Then he tore a ligament in his shoulder and couldn't use one arm at all. The director, Andrew V. McLaglen, could only film him from an angle for the rest of the picture. His only concern throughout was not to disappoint his fans, despite being in terrible pain.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The movie is set in 1865. The Confederates are using 1873 Springfield Trapdoor rifles, The Mexican bandit leader is using a 1873 Trapdoor Carbine, John Wayne is using his 1873 Colt Peacemaker and an 1892 Winchester 30-30 rifle.

Quotes:

[McCartney is dying]
Shortgrub: McCartney.
McCartney: Mr. McCartney. Shortgrub, I said a lot of mean things to the boys, didn't I?
Shortgrub: Yeah, you did.
McCartney: Tell them from me, I meant every damn word.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Jan-Michael Vincent Is My Muse (2002)

Lightweight, but Overlooked Western

"The Undefeated" got lost in the shuffle when it was released during a terrific year for Westerns. Competing against "Butch Cassidy," "The Wild Bunch" and John Wayne's other little Western that year, "True Grit," who was going to remember "The Undefeated"?

Well, not too many moviegoers. However, this is a nice production of a clever script that features several acting legends. With all of the (justifiable) attention on the Civil War in film, concurrent events in Mexico that were just as far-reaching for that country (and, in some ways, for the US) have largely been forgotten, or at least overlooked. Sure, people remember the Alamo from twenty years before the Civil War, and many recall Pancho Villa from 50 years after, but how much recognition has there been of France's blatant violation of the Monroe doctrine with its bid for dominance south of the US border while Grant and Lee were going at it? Clearly, not a lot.

So, this film serves as a nice history lesson. France tried to install its own emperor, Maximilian, on the throne of Mexico while the US was preoccupied with its Civil War. Unfortunately for the French, many Mexicans were not too thrilled with this idea. "Undefeated" takes Maximilian's struggle for survival and combines it with a tale of disaffected US and Confederate soldiers. What results is a very involving story set shortly after the Civil War in which former US soldiers on a cattle (horse) drive encounter former Confederate soldiers, along with their families, who aren't quite ready yet to give up their military trade and are on their way to serve as mercenaries for Emperor Maximilian.

So, with that as the backdrop, the film essentially becomes a character study. Wayne plays Wayne at his most iconic. Perhaps you can tell from time to time that he is not taking the whole thing very seriously, but he lends the film whatever air of gravity it possesses. Football legend Merlin Olsen surprisingly turns in a fine performance, Melissa Newman is very attractive as Hudson's flirty daughter, and quarterback Roman Gabriel of all people provides the romantic conflict. You aren't going to see most of these folks elsewhere, and they give it their all here in unique performances. Ben Johnson and some others of Wayne's traveling troupe of movie cowboys are along to give some down-home flavor, though they aren't called on to do much.

There are lots of chances for Wayne and his buddies to act tough and weathered. The main flaw to me is that the Rock Hudson character, leader of the Confederate force, comes across as too exuberant, a touch too "I'm so happy to be here in a Wayne film." For a man who has lost everything including his fancy mansion and property, his character comes across as a bit too happy-go-lucky. His character also is undercut several times as being naive, such as when Wayne's character has to come and warn him that his party is being tracked by bandits. Wouldn't a formed military body of battle-hardened soldiers know enough to maintain scouts in hostile territory? I thought Hudson rocked in "Ice Station Zebra" from the year before, but coming in to this role at the last minute to replace another actor probably didn't give him enough time to think the role through and maybe make a few script suggestions.

A confrontation between Wayne's small force and formed Mexican troops also is disappointing in how it is staged, making it seem perfunctory. Since this is the main "suspense" at the film's conclusion, the ending is kind of a let-down. Also, the fact that most of the film takes place in the middle of nowhere, with no contact with the world at large, gives the film an artificial feel, as if this were a laboratory experiment about post-war relations. At times like this, the story seems to go through the motions and almost plays like a made-for-TV film.

However, these are not fatal flaws. The heart of the film lies in the interaction of the characters and how they come to terms with how the world has changed since Appomattox. Hudson and his boys appear to learn that it is one thing to fight for your home and hearth against invaders, but war on foreign soil for ephemeral benefits is Hell indeed. There are echoes of modern times with the observation of the Wayne character that "It seems we've gotten ourselves involved in someone else's war." Note the year the film was released.

Recommended for fans of Westerns or the stars. Not a top Wayne film, but an interesting plot with fine performances by an eclectic cast.