The Undefeated (1969)

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Stanley Hough (story)

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 | Bandit | Horse

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)

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:

Despite his numerous anti-gay remarks in interviews over the years, John Wayne co-starred with Rock Hudson in The Undefeated (1969), even though he knew of the actor's homosexuality. In this Civil War epic, the champion of right-wing political conservatism worked well with and even became good friends with Hudson, Hollywood's gayest (although it wasn't publicly known at the time) leading man.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Mrs. Langdon wants to break up the brawl that broke out in the Fourth of July celebration, she grabs a rifle and fires three shots into the air in quick succession. The rifle she used was a single-shot carbine, which requires that the shooter manually eject the shell and reload between each shot. It would have been impossible to fire three shots as quickly as she did without ejecting and reloading.

Quotes:

D.J. Giles: Hold on! Wait a minute! I didn't do *anything*!
John Henry Thomas: I know, but you should have!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

Good enough to be likeable, likeable enough to be good

The Undefeated is a pretty good Western flick. It's light-hearted (for the most part), solid entertainment. John Wayne plays a Yankee soldier who forms an unlikely friendship with a Confederate, played by Rock Hudson, very shortly after the end of the Civil War. The two are both leading men south of the border for various reasons, and as the film progresses, the two help each other, rescue each other, and share a few drinks a number of times.

That's why it's light-hearted, there's a lot of smiles from both lead actors, all the supporting cast and, I dare say, the majority of the audience. There are very few unlikeable parts to this movie. That's not to say it's outrageously good; some of the supporting cast look amateurish at times, and the music occasionally stifles the action on screen, but aside from that, it's fine. John Wayne and Rock Hudson were two of those rare actor types who can't put in a bad performance if they try, but I don't think I need to tell you that.

It's a good package. Perfect for evening viewing, I'd recommend, as I just spent a very profitable evening in front of it. Some short but sweet action scenes, some just plain sweet romance subplots and a good and happy ending makes for one satisfied viewer. Far from perfect but great all the same. *** / *****