Distant Drums
Encyclopedia
Distant Drums is a 1951
film (more specifically, a "Florida Western
") directed by Raoul Walsh
and starring Gary Cooper
. It is set during the Second Seminole War
in the 1840s, with Cooper playing an Army captain who destroys a fort held by the Seminole Indians then retreats into the Everglades
while under chase.
The actual location of the fort in the film was the historic Castillo de San Marcos
.
The enduring legacy of this movie is the earliest known use of the Wilhelm scream
sound effect, originally used to vocalize a character being torn to pieces by an alligator
.
The title of Pedro Almodóvar
's film Tacones lejanos
(literally "Distant Heels" but released as High Heels) is a reference to the Spanish title of this film (Tambores lejanos).
sends out Lieutenant Tufts and scout Monk to a remote Florida island home where the reclusive Captain Quincy Watts lives with a 5-year-old son.
The soldiers' mission is to rescue men and women taken prisoner by Seminole
warriors. One of them, Judy Beckett, develops a romantic attraction to Capt. Watts as they flee the Indians into the Everglades
.
Most of the other Army troops are massacred after Watts and Tufts separate from them to construct canoes. Back at his home, Watts is distraught to find that his son is gone. He has an underwater fight to the death with Seminole chief Ocala, then is relieved to learn that his boy is safe.
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
film (more specifically, a "Florida Western
Florida Western
Although not an official phrase, a Florida Western can be used to describe a small number of fictional films set in the mid 19th century, particularly around the time of the Second Seminole War...
") directed by Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
and starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
. It is set during the Second Seminole War
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans collectively known as Seminoles and the United States, part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars...
in the 1840s, with Cooper playing an Army captain who destroys a fort held by the Seminole Indians then retreats into the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
while under chase.
The actual location of the fort in the film was the historic Castillo de San Marcos
Castillo de San Marcos
The Castillo de San Marcos site is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. It is located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. Construction was begun in 1672 by the Spanish when Florida was a Spanish territory. During the twenty year period of British possession from 1763 until 1784, the...
.
The enduring legacy of this movie is the earliest known use of the Wilhelm scream
Wilhelm scream
The Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The effect gained new popularity after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games...
sound effect, originally used to vocalize a character being torn to pieces by an alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
.
The title of Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
's film Tacones lejanos
Tacones lejanos
High Heels is a 1991 melodrama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Marisa Paredes, Victoria Abril and Miguel Bosé. The plot follows the fractured relationship between a self-involved mother who is a famous torch song singer and the grown daughter she had abandoned as a child...
(literally "Distant Heels" but released as High Heels) is a reference to the Spanish title of this film (Tambores lejanos).
Plot
In 1840, U.S. Army General Zachary TaylorZachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
sends out Lieutenant Tufts and scout Monk to a remote Florida island home where the reclusive Captain Quincy Watts lives with a 5-year-old son.
The soldiers' mission is to rescue men and women taken prisoner by Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
warriors. One of them, Judy Beckett, develops a romantic attraction to Capt. Watts as they flee the Indians into the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
.
Most of the other Army troops are massacred after Watts and Tufts separate from them to construct canoes. Back at his home, Watts is distraught to find that his son is gone. He has an underwater fight to the death with Seminole chief Ocala, then is relieved to learn that his boy is safe.