Fort Apache, The Bronx

Fort Apache: The Bronx

Movie poster for Fort Apache, The Bronx
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Produced by Producers:
Thomas Fiorello
Martin Richards
Executive Producer:
David Susskind
Written by Heywood Gould
Starring Paul Newman
Ed Asner
Ken Wahl
Danny Aiello
Rachel Ticotin
Kathleen Beller
Pam Grier
Clifford David
Miguel Piñero
Music by Jonathan Tunick
Cinematography John Alcott
Edited by Rita Roland
Production
company
Producers Circle
Time-Life Films
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
HBO Video (DVD)
Release dates
 February 6, 1981
Running time
 125 minutes
Language English
Budget $4,000,000
Box office Total US Gross: $29,200,000 (US)
International Gross: $36,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $65,200,000[1]
The real "Fort Apache" in the summer of 2007—1086 Simpson Street in the Bronx, formerly the New York Police Department's 41st Precinct Station. 40°49′32.07″N 73°53′33.72″W / 40.8255750°N 73.8927000°W

Fort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 crime drama film made by Producers Circle and Time-Life Films, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Filmed on locations in the Bronx, New York City, New York, the movie was directed by Daniel Petrie and produced by Martin Richards, Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer. It stars Paul Newman, Ken Wahl, Danny Aiello, Edward Asner, Rachel Ticotin, Kathleen Beller, Pam Grier, Clifford David and Miguel Piñero.

Author Tom Walker sued Time-Life Television Films, alleging that the movie infringed on his book Fort Apache, but lost after a lengthy court battle.

Plot

Police officers face many challenges in the decayed South Bronx region of New York City. Among them are NYPD officers Murphy (Newman) and Corelli (Wahl), who work out of the 41st precinct, nicknamed "Fort Apache" because to those who work there, it feels like an army outpost in foreign territory (an allusion to Fort Apache out of the Old West).

The precinct itself is one of the worst and most dilapidated in the entire department, approaching demolition and staffed mostly by officers who are unwanted by and have been transferred out of other precincts. Additionally, the precinct is of little use to the large Puerto Rican community, as only 4% of the officers are Hispanic in the largest non-English speaking section of the Bronx, according to retiring precinct captain Dugan.

Corelli and Murphy attempt to maintain law and order but have conflicts with corrupt fellow officers, as well as with a newly appointed police captain, Connolly (Asner). There is rioting due to alleged police brutality, as well as issues related to the deaths of two rookie cops at the movie's beginning.

Illustrating the hopeless futility of the work done at the precinct, the killer is later found as an anonymous body, dumped in the roadside trash. With nothing to link her to the deaths of the rookie officers, the police remain ignorant of the fact that she was the killer and will never be caught, while a purse snatcher who dresses in pull over army surplus clothes as his disguise and was targeting elderly welfare recipients on their check cashing days is chased by Murphy and Corelli into the ambiguous ending that never says if he was successfully captured or not.

Cast

Reception

The film was successful, grossing over $65 million worldwide at its time of release in 1981. Paul Newman was largely praised for his performance, but the movie itself received more negative reviews.

Legal issues

After the release of the film, an author, Tom Walker, filed a lawsuit against one of the production companies, Time-Life Television Films (legal owner of the script), claiming that the producers infringed on his book Fort Apache (New York: Crowell, 1976. ISBN 0-690-01047-8). Among other things, Walker, the plaintiff, argued that: "both the book and the film begin with the murder of a black and a white policeman with a handgun at close range; both depict cockfights, drunks, stripped cars, prostitutes and rats; both feature as central characters third- or fourth-generation Irish policemen who live in Queens and frequently drink; both show disgruntled, demoralized police officers and unsuccessful foot chases of fleeing criminals". But the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that these are stereo-typical ideas, so called "scènes à faire" (French for "scenes that must be done"), and that the United States copyright law does not protect concepts or ideas. The court ruling stated: "the book Fort Apache and the film Fort Apache: The Bronx were not substantially similar beyond [the] level of generalized or otherwise nonprotectible ideas, and thus [the] latter did not infringe copyright of [the] former".[8][9]


See also

References

  1. ↑ Fort Apache, The Bronx. – The Numbers
  2. ↑ "Conscience in a Rough Precinct". – TIME. – February 16, 1981. – Retrieved: 2008-06-10
  3. ↑ Ebert, Roger. – "Fort Apache, The Bronx". – Chicago Sun Times. – January 1, 1981 – Retrieved: 2008-06-10
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Film: "Fort Apache, The Bronx". – Variety. – January 1, 1981. – Retrieved: 2008-06-10
  5. ↑ Sambides, Nick, Jr. – Review: Fort Apache, the Bronx". – Allmovie. – Retrieved: 2008-06-10
  6. ↑ DiGiaomo, Frank (December 2004). "The Gossip Behind the Gossip". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  7. ↑ Cultural Desk: "'Apache' Film's Debut Protested". – New York Times. – February 7, 1981
  8. ↑ Margolick, David. – Legal Notes: "Writer Told 'Ft. Apache' isn't Just His". – New York Times. – August 25, 1985
  9. ↑ Beeber, Jessie, and Maura Wogan. – "Is Scènes à Faire Really 'Necessary'?". – Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal. – Spring 2004. – Vol. 15, No. 1

External links