The Charge at Feather River

The Charge at Feather River

Promotional poster advertising the release of the film in 3-D
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Produced by David Weisbart
Written by James R. Webb
Starring Guy Madison
Frank Lovejoy
Helen Westcott
Vera Miles
Dick Wesson
Onslow Stevens
Steve Brodie
James Brown
Music by Max Steiner
Cinematography J. Peverell Marley
Edited by Folmar Blangsted
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
  • 1953
Running time
 95 min
Country United States
Language English
Box office $3.65 million (US)[1]

The Charge at Feather River is a 1953 Western film directed by Gordon Douglas, was originally released in 3D with lots of arrows, lances, and other weapons flying directly at the audience in several scenes.[2]

The movie is most notable for originating the name of the "Wilhelm scream", a sound effect used in the Star Wars film series, as well as countless other movies including Indiana Jones (franchise), Disney cartoons and The Lord of the Rings (film series). Sound designer Ben Burtt named the sound after "Pvt. Wilhelm", a minor character in the film who emits the famous scream after being shot by an arrow (although the recording actually originated in the film Distant Drums in 1951). When the film screened at the Second World 3-D Expo at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre in 2006, much of the film-savvy audience broke into applause when Pvt. Wilhelm screamed.

The climax of the film has many similarities to the 1868 Battle of Beecher Island, though instead of Army Frontier Scouts, Madison's character recruits "the Guardhouse Brigade" from Army prisoners and arms them with repeating rifles. Some have also noticed that the plot bears a number of similarities to the later Major Dundee, directed by Sam Peckinpah in 1965, notably the journey leading up to the climactic stand-off.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
  2. ↑ http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/the-charge-at-feather-river-v86969

External links