In a way kind of a sequel to The Searchers - James MacArthur plays a kid who was kidnapped by Indians in the 1750s then raised by them happily enough. He's forced to go back to his parents as part of a peace negotiation and doesn't like it.
This is quite a good movie - pretty sensitive to the plight of Indians. Ultimately it is on the side of the whites, like all 1950s liberal Westerns, but it constantly emphasizes how the whites don't keep their promises, and cause a lot of trouble.
It dramatises the story well in human terms - MacArthur has to reconnect with his parents, falls in love with a girl (Carol Lynley) whose parents were killed by Indians, battles an uncle (Wendell Corey) who hates Indians, misses his Indian "father" and best friend.
I feel it missed some opportunities. An opening five minutes or so showing MacAthur's life with the Indians I think would've been useful to establish how much he loved it. Also it was fuzzy whether Lynley's parents were killed by Indians or if it was made up. They may as well have gotten rid of MacArthur's father - the role of an Indian scout played by Fess Parker takes over that part (I presume this was to give Parker a decent role). The romance between Parker and Joanne Dru felt undercooked - they probably should have made her MacArthur's sister or something. The film builds to this big climax fight between Indians and whites but instead ends on a tame brawl between Corey and MacArthur.
The acting is decent. Parker is ideal in Westerns, MacArthur good as a sensitive young man (it helps that he gets to keep his cool mohawk haircut), Jessica Tandy excellent as his mother, Wendell Corey was better as a villain than as a hero, Lynley is sweet. The setting is novel too - 1765 Pennsylvania.
Not first rank Disney stuff but pretty good.
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