“The inventiveness of the scene is found in its pragmatic observation. The treatment of space conforms with the logic of the hunt. The appearance of the Indians, high up on the crest of the hill, against the background of the sky, is now a classic. This ideal observation post, high up on an overhang, enables them to track down their human or animal prey and descend upon them, cutting across the depth of field with their horses. The action scenes are followed by moments of emotion. When Rose Wilson falls to the ground, hit by a bullet, and when Elk Head gently carries Amanda away from her mother, a panoramic view accompanies her pain and contrasts the resistance of the girl who disappears into the background, with her arms tied to her body, multiplying the painful separation. A warrior puts an end to this excessive sentimentality with a brutal kick to the body. The courage of Elk Head, in front of the pirates of Bulletin Pathé will not be recompensed. The pioneers, ready to accuse the Indian of treachery, hurry to put an end to him. And soon, on each side, diffidence takes over…”

(Claudine Kaufmann, Le silence sied à l’Indien, Cinémathèque, no. 12, 1997)