The Invaders (1912) User Reviews

Early Battles

[Cineanalyst · 6/10 · 30 August 2009]

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.

An Example of the Ince Movie Factory System

[springfieldrental · 7/10 · 19 April 2021]

To get a good look at the "studio factory" system Thomas Ince set up near Los Angeles, November 1912's "The Invaders" is a great example of the type of Westerns and other movies the innovative "Father of the Western" was producing. Francis Ford (John's bother) directed this stirring adventure, using real Native Americans to play the disgruntle Indians who rebel against the white man for abrogating their treaties.

John Ford, the director with the most Oscars, had an older brother, Francis, who appears as the Colonel in "The Invaders." Francis, who served in the Army during the Spanish-American War, gravitated towards film soon after and worked under Ince out West as a director/actor. He was involved in close to 400 films. Today's viewers may know him as the old man dying on his deathbed in John Ford's "The Quiet Man," only to wake up, get out of bed and run towards the epic fist fight occurring outdoors between John Wayne and Victor McLaglen.

Ford was part of a massive enterprise run by Thomas Ince, a former actor-turned-director who took the reigns of New York Picture Company's western operations, Bison Studios. Once Ince arrived in Los Angeles, he got his employers to agree to lease 18,000 acres between Santa Monica and Malibu where he could realize his dream of reinventing the way movies could be made. He immediately had numerous simple sets built, creating every imaginary backdrop to serve all types of film categories. He hired literally an entire army of wild west show actors with its livestock from Oklahoma as well as an entire Sioux tribe numbering 200.

With such overhead expenses, Ince realized Bison would have to pump out a number of films each month using an entirely new production system than what the movie industry had been operating since its inception. No more would the director have deliberate sole control of constructing an entire film. Ince placed a producer in charge to oversee one entire movie, from its beginning to completion. Unique was how a movie originated. A detailed script would be submitted by company writers for approval by the studio executives (mostly Ince). The script, a first in cinema, would describe each movement of its actors, what the title cards would state, and the types of sets required. The producer, with the director's advice, would cast the actors and oversee the process throughout its production. Finally, an editor specializing in slicing a film together would take over the duties that a director would normally do. Hence, this assembly-line method of constructing a movie would allow Ince's studio to release as many as three films a week, over 150 in 1913 alone.

This system would be adopted by major movie studios in the future, assuring an insatiable movie-going public a constant stream of new films for their local theaters.

Interesting, Believable Melodrama

[Snow Leopard · 5 May 2005]

This interesting and believable melodrama benefits from its even-handed portrayal of its characters and from its realistic settings. It tells a sad, thoughtful story about a typical conflict on the western frontier, and it tells the story well. It depicts the Native American characters in a sensitive yet non-romanticized fashion, dealing honestly both with the offenses committed against them and with their own weaknesses.

The main story starts with a Native American tribe that puts its confidence in a treaty with the US government, only to find out very shortly that they have been deceived. The further developments from this setup are intertwined with some romantic sub-plots involving characters from both groups. These romances are used mostly to drive the action, but at times they are also used to illustrate some worthwhile ideas.

"The Invaders" is very good for its time in telling a fairly involved story with good technique, and in using good, detailed settings that work well. Except for the sometimes plain-vanilla characters, it is well above the average quality of movies made in 1912. It is also worth seeing for the action and the interesting story.

The Invaders review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 23 June 2020]

Francis Ford's 40-minute epic sees the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes uniting against the white man after the US government reneges on an agreement not to trespass on their land. The storyline is fairly thin, to be honest, with a romantic sub-plot concerning the daughter of the Sioux Chief and a young surveyor going nowhere, and serving only to give her the sketchiest of reasons for warning a cavalry unit at the nearby fort of her father's plans to wipe them out. The scenes of the attack on the fort capture the mayhem of battle, but are also rather confusing.

Not my subject

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 27 August 2016]

"The Invaders" is an American silent film from 1912 and as this one is already way over 100 years old, it is of course also a black-and-white movie. The lead actor and director is Francis Foord and writer probably as well. This is a fairly early historical film from the United States dealing with the conflict between Indians and the U.S. Army. So everybody, who has an interest in this specific topic can check out this 40-minute film we have here. Sadly, I myself don't, which is why I did not end up enjoying this one. But like I said this is really just my personal bias and the subject just isn't for me I guess. Costumes are solid for its time as is the cinematography. But I prefer black-and-white silent films that maybe leave a bit of an emotional impact, like some of the films by D.W. Griffith. This one here feels like a documentary almost. I give it a thumbs-down.

A cinematic milestone: the first great Western epic

[wmorrow59 · 8/10 · 10 August 2006]

For those of us who grew up watching Hollywood Westerns on TV, that is, slickly produced, Technicolor extravaganzas with elaborate action sequences, stunt falls, and lots of expensive costumes, this early Western drama will come as a revelation. The people in this film, whether Indians or U.S. Cavalry soldiers, look like regular people rather than actors, while the settings look weather-beaten and dusty, like actuality footage from a documentary rather than a fiction film. And although the climactic battle sequence is action-packed and suspenseful, it's also kind of ragged compared to the polished cowboy and Indian sagas we're accustomed to, the ones directed by, say, John Ford or Raoul Walsh. The Invaders is very well made for its day, but it isn't slick. It was produced before "Hollywood" as such existed, and certainly long before the tropes of studio system storytelling had become clichéd from over-use. Most strikingly, the film's Indians were portrayed by actual Oglala Sioux performers, non-professionals who embody their roles with no apparent self-consciousness and with understated dignity. When this movie was made in 1912 the conflict depicted here (set shortly after the Civil War) was still within living memory, and although this story is fictional the details are drawn from occurrences at the time of the Indian Wars. The Sioux performers appear too young to have taken part in person, but they probably heard stories of the era from parents and grandparents. Consequently, this is one of those silent films with a 19th century setting which offers us a time travel experience of sorts, an opportunity to re-experience history as re-enacted by persons close to the events. It certainly feels considerably more authentic than movies of the 1940s and '50s featuring Western towns that resemble theme parks, bogus musical numbers, and Indians played by everyone from Boris Karloff to Natalie Wood. The people who made The Invaders appear to know what they're talking about, and the Sioux Indians who play themselves look like they know all too well how it feels to sign a treaty with white men only to see it ignored.

This film was produced at the famous Thomas Ince ranch, one of Hollywood's first great studios, then still in its first year of operation. It was directed either by Ince himself or by Francis Ford, John's older brother, who plays the prominent role of the cavalry commandant Colonel Bryson. Bryson's daughter is courted by a handsome young soldier, and this subplot is presented in direct correlation with the courtship of the Sioux Chief's daughter by a young brave: a parallel that humanizes the Indians for contemporary audiences who may have been accustomed to seeing them typically portrayed as blood-thirsty savages played by white actors in "red-face." This, plus the film's emphasis on treaties signed and then broken by the whites, shows a sympathy for the Indians' cause that may come as a surprise to latter-day viewers, although sympathy for the Indians and indignation over the injustices they suffered seems to have been more common in the silent days than it would be later on. Significantly, the "invaders" of the title are white surveyors sent by the railroad onto Indian land, in violation of a recently signed treaty. Early on, one of the surveyors spots the Chief's daughter and engages in a flirtation with her. It's a sweet scene for a moment or two, but we quickly feel a sense of dread, a premonition that this courtship can only lead to trouble, and soon enough that premonition is fulfilled.

The Invaders has recently been made available as part of an excellent box set of DVDs called "More Treasures from American Film Archives." It's offered with a commentary track by a history professor named Rennard Strickland, and while his remarks were interesting I question his conclusion that the ending is a happy one. He was referring to the finale in which some of the cavalry fort's defenders are rescued, so it's certainly a happy ending for them, but in a broader sense the conflict between the Native Americans of the plains states and the U. S. Government did not end happily for all parties, and anyone with any feeling for the fate of the Oglala Sioux will be saddened by the time this movie is over. Still, we can be grateful The Invaders survives: it stands as the cinema's first great Western epic as well as a fascinating historical time capsule that captures a way of life in its final stages.

Amazing for 1912!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 3 January 2010]

This is a rather amazing early western, as the Indians in the film appear to be actual American-Indians—wearing costumes that appear much more authentic than many later Hollywood films. It shows a way of life and dress that were soon becoming extinct, so at least for historical purposes, it's an important film. Also, for 1912, it's an amazingly long movie—at approximately 40 minutes (depending on the speed at which it's shown).

As far as the plot goes, it's a very simple movie. A treaty is created between the Indians and the Army. However, a year later (in an interesting re-interpretation of history), the Indians attack. The White soldiers are warned by an Indian lady (a HIGHLY unlikely occurrence) and the film concludes with an exciting attack scene that is exceptionally well done for such an early film. In fact, compared to the usual movies of the day, this one has a good narrative, structure and production values. While the politically correct out there might blanch at a film that portrays the Indians so negatively, there is no denying the quality of the production relative to other films of the day.

Perhaps the Apotheosis of the Ince Western

[briantaves · 15 October 2011]

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.

Astonishingly high quality film for 1912

[morrisonhimself · 10/10 · 16 April 2017]

In a rather miserable version at YouTube, the person posting the film makes several errors, including wrongly claiming it was "directed by Thomas Ince."

In fact, Ince produced and Francis Ford directed and starred, although IMDb says Ince co-directed.

For 1912, "The Invaders" is fascinating and incredibly well done. The acting is occasionally a bit over-wrought, though not for 1912.

In that version at YouTube, there are very few intertitles, which seems strange since the great C. Gardner Sullivan is the writer. Sometimes, because of the paucity of intertitles, a viewer might not know entirely just what is going on.

However, the story, because of the acting and directing, is mostly very clear to viewers.

Again, remember: It's 1912. As the prologue says, viewers in 1912 were not very far removed from the scene and action of actual frontier battles. Custer recklessly led his command to destruction in 1876, not even 40 years before the production and presentation of this movie.

The Battle of Little Bighorn was more closely contemporary to the 1912 audience than, for example, the Battle of the Bulge is to a 2017 audience.

I am very impressed by "The Invaders," for its treatment of the "Indians," for its production values, and for its story-telling virtues.

I hope you will brave the poor quality of the print at YouTube and give a look at "The Invaders."

It tells a long, fascinating story of an army post

[deickemeyer · 18 March 2017]

This three-reel picture of Indian warfare is one of the first of its kind. It tells a long, fascinating story of an army post in frontier times. The massacre of a surveying corps is graphic, though the after scene was a little too realistic. Do not such scenes shock average observers beyond the point of enjoyment? There is a tremendous sweep of mountain vista and fine reproduction of battle scenes. The burning of the telegraph poles, the attack on the depleted fort, and the young lieutenant's dash for assistance were admirably handled. The principals, including the Indian girl, gave creditable performances. A big story of the kind. - The Moving Picture World, December 7, 1912