Apache Gold

A railway is being built across America. The company's men decide to shorten the line by running it through Apache land; there is no agreement and no intention of one. To provoke the fighting that will follow, a murder is arranged. Old Shatterhand, a newly arrived engineer, sees it. He meets Winnetou, the son of the Apache chief; first as an enemy and then as a blood brother. Harald Reinl directs. Pierre Brice plays Winnetou and Lex Barker plays Old Shatterhand. The source is Karl May's novels. Karl May remains among the most read authors in Germany and wrote these books without ever going to America; they shaped the imagination of several generations. The film was an extraordinary commercial success in Germany and was followed by a series that ran more than a decade; this is the first of them. It was shot in Yugoslavia, where the mountains and canyons stood in for the American west, and these productions provided work in the region for years. Its position is unusual for its time: the native people are not built as villains and the conflict is started by white businessmen. Against that, the representation is troubling by present measure; Winnetou is played by a French actor and the character is an idealised figure. Who it is for: anyone curious about classic European westerns and Karl May adaptations. Who it is not for: the script is simple, the acting is formulaic, and the representation of native people is contested.