When three strange Indians show up while their parents are away, Charlotte Sutter (Jewel Blanch) and younger brother Sam (Stewart Peterson) flee for their lives.
But Charlotte is injured in a fall from their horse. Sam rides for help. But by the time he returns, Charlotte has been carried off by the Indians.
Feeling guilty for allowing his sister to be kidnapped, Sam sneaks off from his home in pursuit.
All he finds is a rugged old frontiersman known as Russian (Richard Boone), who promptly drags him back home.
When Sam’s dad John also fails in his attempts to locate Charlotte, Sam decides to try again.
This time, he’ll seek Russian’s help. After all, one of those Indians was wearing a headband made of gold.
And wherever Charlotte is, there might be a fortune in gold waiting to be discovered.
That’s enough to entice Russian to accompany the lad on his journey.
Stewart Peterson as Sam Sutter, contemplating a challenge that might save his sister’s life in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Richard Boone as Russian with a Cheyenne chief in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Review:
This film isn’t likely to ever threaten John Ford’s “The Searchers (1956)” as a Western classic.
The only thing more annoying than Richard Boone’s over-the-top performance, with his constant threats to head home, is the atrocious theme song, sung by the actress who plays Charlotte.
And once he and Sam locate Charlotte, they’re able to figure out what’s going on because she’s taught one of the Indian women to speak English.
Which is quite convenient, but also quite illogical since this is a mysterious tribe of Indians hidden in the “Crooked Sky” area. Why would a member of such a tribe bother with English?
Oh, well, you’ll find worst Westerns. And Boone would live to ride more memorable trails.
Jewel Blanch as Charlotte Sutter, the kidnapped white girl in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Brenda Venus as Ashkea, the Indian woman who has learned to speak English in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Directed by:
Earl Bellamy
Cast:
Richard Boone … Russian
Stewart Peterson … Sam Sutter
Henry Wilcoxon … Cut Tongue
Clint Ritchie … John Sutter
Shannon Farnon … Molly Sutter
Jewel Blanch … Charlotte Sutter
Brenda Venus … Ashkea
Geoffrey Land … Temkai
Gordon Hanson … Chief Shumeki
Runtime: 89 min.
Song: “Against a Crooked Sky” sung by Jewel Blanch
Geoffrey Land as Temkai, the Indian who kidnaps Charlotte in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Stewart Peterson as Sam Sutter and Russian meet Cut Tongue (Henry Wilcoxon), the Indian who will guide them to Charlotte in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Memorable lines:
Charlotte Sutter, explaining why their mother would put herself at risk by caring for someone with cholera: “If a person’s everything he should be, he wouldn’t think of himself first. Even if it meant dying.”
Sam Sutter: “Where’d you get that idea?”
Charlotte reaches into the cupboard where Sam is standing: “Right under your nose. In the Holy Scriptures.”
Russian, trying to scare Sam: “You know, I had a son like you once. ‘Cept he was ugly as dirt. Took after his mom. Ended up having to slit his throat.”
Russian, once he and Sam are captured by the mysterious tribe: “Just a matter of time til we’re poisoned for sure. Just a matter of time.”
Shannon Farnon as Molly Sutter, mom of Charlotte and Sam in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Clint Ritchie as John Sutter, father of Charlotte and Sam in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Gordon Hanson as Chief Shumeki and Brenda Venus as Ashkea in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
Stewart Peterson as Sam Sutter and Richard Boone as Russian spot the crooked sky in Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
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This film was my favorite movie from childhood. I saw it when it came out in the movie theatre. This description of the film does not give the film the justice it deserves. Though it’s a low budget film the cinematic scenes were beautiful. The film does get slow in certain places. Stewart Petersen was always a good child actor in the handful of movies he acted in during the 1970s. The storyline is deeply inspiring especially the almost shocking ending. The love that is displayed in this frontier family story is also very deep. The end scene of the reunion (I won’t give it away) is probably the most moving scene of its kind I have seen in film. It is unforgettable.
Lex De Azevedo did a great work with orchestration and I completely disagree about the theme song that Jewell Blanch sang. That song is beautiful and her voice is beautiful. The meaning behind that theme song was beautiful as it not only describes the meaning behind Crooked Sky but was a foreshadow of what was to come.
Had that movie been filmed with a higher budget and some much improved writing it could have been one of those films that had a far greater impact. The underlying story and the character of Ashkea could have been much further developed showing how Charlotte taught Ashkea English and then shared stories (likely read to her) from the Bible by Charlotte and especially John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” That depiction of the story could have been developed without revealing the ending prematurely in the story. Overall the depth of that movie is beautiful overall.