Typical of the increasing sophistication of western productions under Thomas Ince, as outlined in my Ince biography, was THE INVADERS (1913), which Ince and Francis Ford had directed from C. Gardner Sullivan's screenplay. The familiar plot conventions were in place, with sympathy for the Indians, along with their tragic fate. However, the three-reel length allowed exploring the theme with a number of subplots. The colonel (Francis Ford) signs an agreement promising the Sioux that no more of their land will be taken. He is dismayed when surveyors are sent out from Washington; the Sioux recognize this as a breach of the agreement and protest to no avail.
Meanwhile, Skystar (Anna Little), an Indian maiden, having rebuffed the aggressive advances of an Indian brave, is susceptible to the gentler flirtation of one of the surveyors. A parallel romance occurs at the fort; the lieutenant (Ray Myers) secures the colonel's permission to marry his daughter (Ethel Grandin). When the Cheyenne join the Sioux uprising, Skystar is wounded trying to warn the surveyors of the coming massacre. The relief column sent from the fort is ambushed in turn, and the Indians then turn to the fort.
Inside, the dying Skystar is cared for by the colonel's daughter, whose father has reserved his last bullet for her. The lieutenant volunteers to ride to the next fort for assistance, and their forces arrive just in time. While extensive outdoor locations are used, by now they are looking steadily more like the Santa Monica mountains rather than the West, and formula and location is clearly exerting a calcifying effect on the Ince western.
Meanwhile, Skystar (Anna Little), an Indian maiden, having rebuffed the aggressive advances of an Indian brave, is susceptible to the gentler flirtation of one of the surveyors. A parallel romance occurs at the fort; the lieutenant (Ray Myers) secures the colonel's permission to marry his daughter (Ethel Grandin). When the Cheyenne join the Sioux uprising, Skystar is wounded trying to warn the surveyors of the coming massacre. The relief column sent from the fort is ambushed in turn, and the Indians then turn to the fort.
Inside, the dying Skystar is cared for by the colonel's daughter, whose father has reserved his last bullet for her. The lieutenant volunteers to ride to the next fort for assistance, and their forces arrive just in time. While extensive outdoor locations are used, by now they are looking steadily more like the Santa Monica mountains rather than the West, and formula and location is clearly exerting a calcifying effect on the Ince western.