Everyone in this three-reeler is an invader. The picture begins with a treaty signing where the Sioux make territorial arrangements with the successful invaders, the USA, represented by the cavalrymen. The transcontinental railroad then invades the already confined lands of the Sioux—breaking the treaty in the process. In the end, however, the inevitable cinematic irony is that the Native-Americans become the final antagonistic invaders. Who the heroes and villains are is just a matter of taking sides.
This particular film has the virtue, which becomes more commendable for its age, of Native-Americans playing Native-Americans, with the exception of the Pocahontas-type played by Ann Little, who, however, is said to have had Sioux ancestry. This motion picture surely avoids some clichéd characterizations and the more insulting racism of other such westerns as a result. D.W. Griffith's "The Battle at Elderbush Gulch", of the following year, is a pertinent contemporary example of the folly of Caucasians playing Native-Americans, although most such Hollywood productions would also do for comparison.
"The Invaders" also fares well for its pacing and battle scenes when compared to contemporary productions. Of early longer films (three reels was feature length for 1912), many were little more than filmed plays or were otherwise very static. The parallelisms and crosscutting in "The Invaders" is certainly noteworthy when placed in its era. The entire film moves back and forth between scenes of the cavalry and Native-Americans, as well as a couple scenes of the surveyors for the railroad. Consequently, clear parallels are made between the cavalry colonel and the Sioux chief, as well as the romantic lives of their daughters. This pacing is heightened for the lengthy battle. Smoke is used effectively, too. Griffith expanded on battle scenes with varied angles of isolated battles and closer views of various actions intercut with long shots, bird's eye perspectives and irises in "The Battle at Elderbush Gulch" and fully established the grammar in "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). For preceding those films, however, "The Invaders" has one of the best-filmed battles for its time. I'll have to seek two other available Thomas Ince-Francis Ford multi-reel Indian Westerns from the same year for comparison: "The Indian Massacre" and "Custer's Last Fight".
Some criticisms, though: The camera placements in "The Invaders" are often dated. Additionally, the Cherokee-Sioux alliance scene stands out as being lazily produced, as the same location and props appear to be used for both the Cherokee and Sioux settlements. In another scene, Ann Little uses a canoe to cross a stream, despite there being a land passage visible in the frame—the direction would also imply that Little rowed her canoe from the land (commentary included with the DVD inform that this location had no stream, but one was manufactured—poorly I add—for this production). The film, as well, does contain the hackneyed, borderline-offensive Pocahontas-type character whose self-sacrifice aids the supposedly better cause of the whites, in addition to other generic Western conventions. I reiterate, however, that "The Invaders" is worth a look if you want to see the effectiveness of Native-Americans portraying Native-Americans or to see how well battle scenes were made in 1912.
This particular film has the virtue, which becomes more commendable for its age, of Native-Americans playing Native-Americans, with the exception of the Pocahontas-type played by Ann Little, who, however, is said to have had Sioux ancestry. This motion picture surely avoids some clichéd characterizations and the more insulting racism of other such westerns as a result. D.W. Griffith's "The Battle at Elderbush Gulch", of the following year, is a pertinent contemporary example of the folly of Caucasians playing Native-Americans, although most such Hollywood productions would also do for comparison.
"The Invaders" also fares well for its pacing and battle scenes when compared to contemporary productions. Of early longer films (three reels was feature length for 1912), many were little more than filmed plays or were otherwise very static. The parallelisms and crosscutting in "The Invaders" is certainly noteworthy when placed in its era. The entire film moves back and forth between scenes of the cavalry and Native-Americans, as well as a couple scenes of the surveyors for the railroad. Consequently, clear parallels are made between the cavalry colonel and the Sioux chief, as well as the romantic lives of their daughters. This pacing is heightened for the lengthy battle. Smoke is used effectively, too. Griffith expanded on battle scenes with varied angles of isolated battles and closer views of various actions intercut with long shots, bird's eye perspectives and irises in "The Battle at Elderbush Gulch" and fully established the grammar in "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). For preceding those films, however, "The Invaders" has one of the best-filmed battles for its time. I'll have to seek two other available Thomas Ince-Francis Ford multi-reel Indian Westerns from the same year for comparison: "The Indian Massacre" and "Custer's Last Fight".
Some criticisms, though: The camera placements in "The Invaders" are often dated. Additionally, the Cherokee-Sioux alliance scene stands out as being lazily produced, as the same location and props appear to be used for both the Cherokee and Sioux settlements. In another scene, Ann Little uses a canoe to cross a stream, despite there being a land passage visible in the frame—the direction would also imply that Little rowed her canoe from the land (commentary included with the DVD inform that this location had no stream, but one was manufactured—poorly I add—for this production). The film, as well, does contain the hackneyed, borderline-offensive Pocahontas-type character whose self-sacrifice aids the supposedly better cause of the whites, in addition to other generic Western conventions. I reiterate, however, that "The Invaders" is worth a look if you want to see the effectiveness of Native-Americans portraying Native-Americans or to see how well battle scenes were made in 1912.