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Called "an impressive and important film" by Variety, THEY CAME TO CORDURA was hailed by critics as "the most disturbing war picture since The Bridge on the River Kwai." A Timeless story of courage and cowardice set against the backdrop of the 1916 war against Pancho Villa. The film stars Gary Cooper as Thomas Thorn, a career Army officer given the humiliating task of leading five Medal of Honor candidates to the military base of Cordura, Texas. Branded a coward during the battle, Thorn hopes to learn what these men, each of whom performed heroically under fire, possess which he lacks. But as the grueling journey through the desert progresses, the "heroes" panic, attempting murder, mutiny and rape as the quest for survival reveals their true characters. Rita Hayworth, in a dramatic departure from her glamour-girl roles, co-stars as the seventh member of the group, an American expatriate accused of aiding the Mexicans. At first contemptuous of Thorn, she gradually comes to appreciate his quiet integrity as he leads his mutinous charges through a desperate, action-packed odyssey. Filled with both exciting battle scenes and finely-tuned drama, their treacherous trek to the town of Cordura (which is also the Spanish word for courage) is a rugged and riveting tale of bravery far more enduring than the fleeting heroics of battle.
Original Release
06/01/1959
US Release
06/01/1959
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Cast
Name | Character |
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Gary Cooper | Major Thomas Thorn |
Rita Hayworth | Adelaide Geary |
Van Heflin | Sgt. John Chawk |
Tab Hunter | Lt. William Fowler |
Richard Conte | Cpl. Milo Trubee |
Michael Callan | Pvt. Andrew Hetherington / Pvt. Andrew L. Hetherington |
Dick York | Pvt. Renziehausen / Pvt. Wilbur James Renziehausen |
Robert Keith | Colonel Rogers / Col. Rogers |
Carlos Romero | Arreaga |
Jim Bannon | Capt. Paltz |
Directors
Writers
Robert Rossen, Ivan Moffat, Glendon Swarthout
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Gary Cooper | Major Thomas Thorn |
Rita Hayworth | Adelaide Geary |
Van Heflin | Sgt. John Chawk |
Tab Hunter | Lt. William Fowler |
Richard Conte | Cpl. Milo Trubee |
Michael Callan | Pvt. Andrew Hetherington / Pvt. Andrew L. Hetherington |
Dick York | Pvt. Renziehausen / Pvt. Wilbur James Renziehausen |
Robert Keith | Colonel Rogers / Col. Rogers |
Carlos Romero | Arreaga |
Jim Bannon | Capt. Paltz |
Edward Platt | Colonel DeRose / Col. DeRose |
Maurice Jara | Mexican Federale |
Sam Buffington | 1st Correspondent |
Arthur Hanson | 2nd Correspondent |
Wendell Hoyt | Cavalry Trooper |
Maggie | Parrot |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
William Goetz | Producer |