gdfinky-1 I am very happy to see this film be released on DVD, because for years all a person could get was a VHS which had several scenes cut from the movie. (There must be a special place in Hell for those who edit great pictures!) Consequently, I threw my tape away, and only watched my homemade copy, which I had fortunately recorded off of TV before it was even released on VHS. This DVD contains the complete film. Hooray!The plot, the scripting, the casting, the scenery, and the acting were all superb,and the haunting music lends an unforgettable finishing touch. Robert Mulligan lives up to the high standard we have come to expect from him. All in all, a masterful western and a pretty authentic representation of the southwestern frontier.

jpdoherty THE STALKING MOON is one of the great "later" Hollywood westerns! Produced in 1968 it came at a time when westerns were losing something of their appeal. The picture had mixed reviews when it was first released but since then it has gained a sort of cult status and is now generally well praised by fans of the genre. I personally think more of it than that! I find it to be one of the finest westerns ever made and rate it among my top ten. So for me this release of the movie on DVD is more than welcome.From a splendid screenplay by Alvin Sargent and tight direction by Robert Mulligan "The Stalking Moon" is a highly charged suspense drama set in the west. Gregory Peck arguably gives his best performance in a western as the Arizona cavalry scout of 20 years who is now retiring to his newly acquired ranch in New Mexico. To keep house for him at the ranch he reluctantly takes on a woman (Eve Maria Saint) who has just been rescued from the Apaches along with her son - an Indian boy. The Indians had abducted her and was their prisoner for ten years. Peck feels for her plight and offers to hire her unaware that the boy's father, an infamous and murderous Apache by the name of Salvaje, wants his son back and leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake has tracked them to the ranch. Edge of the seat tension and excitement then ensues as the Apache makes effort after effort to retrieve the boy with Peck just about deterring him at every turn but not before the deaths of any help he had mobilized. A game of cat and mouse develops between the two antagonists and excitement reaches fever pitch when finally alone Peck takes on his slippery foe in a fierce and climactic hand to hand fight to the death.It is all extremely well done especially never seeing what the fearsome Apache really looks like throughout the picture. Phantom-like he is only seen in fleeting glimpses now and then. Nathaniel Narcisco gives a superb performance of authenticity as the tireless Apache as does Noland Clay as the boy. The entire picture has a marvellous authentic thrust to it from its wonderful locations to the great characterisations of the cast. Excellent is Eve Maria Saint who's role is that of a browbeaten, tortured and sorrowful figure. Her performance is heartfelt and sincere! Also playing a good part is Robert Forster (never better) as the ill-fated half-breed friend of Peck who joins forces with him against the Apache and Russell Thorson as the caretaker of the ranch.This is a nail-biting thrill packed western thanks to a great cast, Mulligan's taut direction, Charles Lang's stylish Panavision/Color cinematography and an excellent atmospheric score by the underrated Fred Karlin who also provides a traditional and haunting whistled theme tune. A winner alright!

MartinHafer Gregory Peck, though not known for his Westerns, has done some of the best films in this genre. THE BIG COUNTRY stands as my favorite Western of all, though THE GUNFIGHTER, YELLOW SKY and THE BRAVADOS are all classics--thanks in no small part to Peck's wonderful performances. Well, unfortunately, this is no classic, though THE STALKING MOON is still a pretty good film.Part of the reason the film can't be placed in the same league as these other films is because of Peck's character. In these other films, he was a very strong and impressive character--with a lot to say. However, in THE STALKING MOON Peck's character is much more vague and much more like an action hero. There just isn't much in the way of character development or glimpses of who he was exactly supposed to be. Instead, for much of the film he just reacted to situations imposed upon him--in this case, being tracked down by a vengeful Indian who wants his wife and son back after they were rescued. The wife (Eva Marie Saint) was abducted by Indians many years before and the film opens with her being found by the cavalry. Peck comes into the picture because he's escorting the lady and boy to a new life when out of the blue the angry Indian begins attacking White settlers in an attempt to find the two.While the lack of depth to Peck's character is a bit of a problem, the only serious one is the clichéd way one of the minor characters, Ned, acted in the film--and why does there so often seem to be this suicidal character in movies? At this point in the film, the angry vengeful Indian is lurking outside. Ned's dog is killed and so Ned runs out in the middle of the night with no gun, no knife--nothing to defend himself against an Indian who has already killed about a dozen folks since the film began. No one is THAT stupid--and having him run out "dead meat" style is silly.Overall, it's a decent enough film that has a very tense and interesting ending--but not much more to it than that.

thinker1691 "The Stalking Moon" is perhaps one of the finest roles which Gregory Peck made in his career. Few western films evoke the kind of suspense and drama this film presents. Sam Varner is a U.S. Army scout hunting Apaches in the 1880's. His expertise is so keen, the army tries to insist his Indian knowledge is indispensable and unequaled by any white man. This includes the half breed Indian boy, Nick Tana (Robert Forster) whom Varner hopes will replace him as chief scout for the army. The day he retires from the army, Varner is made aware of the discovery of a white captive Sarah Carver, (Eva Marie Saint) found among the Apaches captured in a round-up. Having been taken hostage ten years prior, all she wants now is to escape to a place where her Indian husband cannot find her. Her insistence becomes apparent when Varner learns her boy, is the son of the most notorious and certainly the most dangerous Apache renegade since Geronimo. The deadly duel begins with the most experienced army scout trying to defend the White mother and her child, against an Apache warrior who's name "Salvaje" (Nathaniel Narcisco) is synonymous with " The Moon's Ghost," with a reputation so ruthless a company of soldiers died in a single night trying to fight him. (Noland Clay) plays the Indian Breed and is torn between his Indian Father and White Mother. The movie is enhanced and made more poignant with the tense dramatic action, skilled acting and haunting melody. One is thoroughly captivated with the film and when it reaches it's climax, it's sure to earn the coveted status of Classic. ****