In the late 1800's , in the thunderous Argentina , where the boundary between Indians and Europeans was marked by "Fortines" (little forts) manned by conscripted soldiers . There is a pillbox in the middle of the Pampa surrounded by Indian tribes , this fort is commanded by a stiff commander (José Nieto) who along with his captain named Martin (Robert Taylor as the lead) decide to bring women from Buenos Aires , for not deserting soldiers . To help do this , the captain brings in a party of women to keep his soldiers happy . Meanwhile , the army captain tries to tame the open plains of Argentina which are dominated by Indians and bandits . As the movie centers on the forced transportation of a group of women (Isabel Pisano , Rosana Monteros, Laya Raki , among others) , hookers and convicted of crimes and banished to the fortines to alleviate the loneliness of the soldiers . Being attacked by Indians and cutthroats whose gang is made up of army deserters led by Padrón (Ron Randell) . Remake of 1946 Argentinian film ¨Pampa Barbara¨ (1946) with Luisa Vehil directed by Lucas Demare and Fregonese himself. The script is at times a little bit stilted , moody and dramatic , but does a good job of capturing the violent environment , including brutal killings and beheading , as well as breathtaking battles and gorgeous outdoors . It narrates in Spaghetti Western style the gradual rolling back of the native Indians of Argentina from their ancestral lands by the Europeans and their descendants as well as settlers , cattlemen and army soldiers . Savage Pampas is glossy and sleek , but somehow doesn't manage to rise to a superior quality . In spite of efforts towards authenticity , the film fails on some non-sense scenes and other disconcerting events . The veteran Robert Taylor in his last film plays a rugged army captain and his nemesis , a rebel deserter , is well played by Ron Randell . Fine acting all around, especially from the support cast that included some of the best secondaries of the period , usual in co-productions (Spaghetti Western , Peplum) like José Jaspe , Julio Peña, José María Caffarel , Angel Del Pozo , Milo Quesada , George Rigaud , Sancho Gracia , José Nieto , Enrique Avila , Barta Barry . Excellent production design by the Oscarized Gil Parrondo (Gil was an unfailingly good production designer in more than 80 movies over 50 years). Colorful and evocative cinematography in Superpanorama 70 by Manuel Berenguer . Thhrilling and atmospheric musical score by Waldo De Los Rios .The motion picture was professionally directed by Hugo Fregonese , though has numerous flaws and gaps . Direction by Fregonese maintains a steady pace and is partially as good in interiors as in outdoor action scenes . Hugo Fregonese is familiar remember the Argentine director for his Hollywood work , that began with One Way Street in 1950 and included some biggies such as Blowing Wild (1953), his biggest hit . Fregonese started in Argentina, and Pampa Bárbara , first version , is the first first film he directed he is listed as co- director with Lucas Demare . He had done his apprenticeship with Demare as assistant director in two previous films. Hugo was an Argentina director who emigrated to Hollywood, then became technical adviser on latino themes at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, and subsequently under contract at Universal from 1950 to 1952 filming ¨Man in the attic¨ with Jack Palance , ¨Blowing wild¨with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck , ¨Decameron Nights¨with Joan Fontaine , ¨Harry Black and the tiger¨with Stewart Granger . Spent the rest of the decade in Europe directing Euro-westerns as ¨Apache's last battle¨ , this ¨Savage Pampas¨ and potboilers as "The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse" , Terror as "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" before finishing his career back in the country of his birth . Rating : 6 , acceptable and passable . Worthwhile seeing for marvelous landscapes and breathtaking outdoors from Argentina and Spain.

In 1966 the western genre was pretty tired – only the Italians, with their stylistic spaghetti westerns, were finding new angles to keep the genre fresh. American westerns were becoming thinner on the ground, and those that did still get made were often entirely routine. It would be the sprightly caperish-ness of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and the slow-motion violence of The Wild Bunch a few years later which would briefly reinvigorate the Hollywood horse opera. An unusual film from this era is Savage Pampas, which is more of a semi-western than a fully-fledged western. Co-written and directed by Hugo Fregonese, it is an American-Spanish-Argentinian co-production set on the pampas of 19th century Argentina. Maybe the best label for it would be a "southern"?At an army outpost in Argentina commanded by the ball-busting Captain Martin (Robert Taylor), the soldiers consist of a number of ex-cons, fugitives and desperadoes. For several years they have been locked in conflict with bandits and hostile Indians. All the while, the army soldiers have been kept away from women. Morale is low among the sex-starved soldiers, and many are deserting to the side of the bandits where they are promised women and pleasures of the flesh. Martin realises that urgent changes are needed and arranges for a number of women – whores and ne'er-do-wells – to be brought into the camp to satisfy his remaining men. The women have to be transported across miles of perilous terrain, personally accompanied by Martin and some of his best soldiers. The journey is fraught with danger, and the men and women undertaking find themselves unexpectedly developing mutual respect – love, even – as they go.Savage Pampas is intriguing for its very unusual plot threads – an examination of the effect celibacy on fighting men; temptations of the flesh; the fragility of morale; primitive attitudes towards women, etc. The film is handsomely shot, with some very good-looking panoramic sequences. There is action and violence in spurts, some of it is surprisingly hard-edged for 1966, though at other times the film is relatively sombre and slow-moving. Taylor holds it together well enough, playing a John Wayne-like authority role (he even drawls his lines like the Duke!) Waldo de los Rios provides a flavoursome score which adds to the rich South-'o'-the-Border atmosphere. Overall Savage Pampas is a smooth and watchable flick – it does not deserve to have fallen into relative obscurity.

Tittilating and exciting describe this movie, which has a opiate effect of luring the viewer in and addicting the viewer. Its a South of the border Western with Robert Taylor portraying an anti hero in charge of a group soldiers who are drafted from the prisons and gallows. He has his hands full just trying to keep them all from deserting. Ty Hardin plays an anarchist who slowly wins over Taylor's confidence and possibly respect. They are among a handful of men who transport beautiful women to the fort to help keep the number of deserters down. Meanwhile, former deserters unite with local natives and try to steal the women. Taylor plays the sort of anti hero who is much more believable and identifiable than the clownish ones of later spaghetti Westerns. Taylor, like Eastwood, wasn't as gifted an actor as his fellow cast members in most cases, so his stoic look serves as that of observer-cynic. However, the writing of "Savage Pampas" is far superior to that of the spaghetti Westerns. The characters are well defined and written well enough that you don't need an Eli Wallach or Lee Van Cleef to pull them off. Still, Hardin was never a slouch in the acting department. His anti hero has more heart than Taylor's, but Taylor's character is still convincing. Like true anti heroes, they're not superhuman murderous machines, but much more in line with the old West. The ending is totally unpredictable, and as far as I know, an unusual fate for Robert Taylor, and Ty Hardin. The music has a fascination to it, and it helps lure you in. One of the great Westerns.

This south-of-the-border western, (and we're talking way way south), has a lot of promising elements. There's the novel quality of its unusual setting, (the Argentine pampas in the late 1800s), attractively photographed to emphasize its sweeping openness. There's the lively situation of some lusty soldiers escorting a group of attractive hookers on a cross-country journey. There's plenty of action -- Indian attacks, knife fights, the siege inside a burning church, etc. And the cast offers an intriguing mix of macho types: Robert Taylor, Ty Hardin, and Ron Randell. Still, the movie never succeeds in mixing these ingredients into a suitable dish because there's no recipe here, no strong plot-line to connect these elements. Too often it's simply a string of related episodes which keep you mildly interested while you're waiting for the main story to arrive and take hold.Acting honors go to Ron Randell who makes his bandit character more interesting than the script might indicate. Robert Taylor, in his fading days and looking quite saturnine, lends a bit of dignity to the proceedings, even when he's staked out on the ground in spreadeagle style. Ty Hardin gets to display some of that twinkle-in-the-eye charm which, sadly, was often missing when he wound up in glum, humorless parts. Curiously, he's never given a chance to show off his bare chest. Casting Ty Hardin in a movie and then making him keep his shirt on is like hiring Fred Astaire and then telling him not to dance!