This formidable Western from acclaimed director John Huston compares in tension to High Noon or Shane.

The claustrophobic atmosphere of a tiny ranch under siege by Kiowa Indians is splendidly conveyed by director and cameraman.

And there are excellent performances from Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audie Murphy and veteran screen queen Lillian Gish.

Huston and Lancaster took Gish into the desert before filming, to teach her how to shoot.

Gish didn't let on that she'd learned on one of her silent films from former outlaw-turned-actor Al Jennings - and outshot both Huston and Lancaster on the spot.

Alas, the film was a box-office flop and signalled the end of its star's once-prosperous Hecht-Hill-Lancaster production company.