Another to Conquer

"Another to Conquer" is a 1941 educational documentary directed by Edgar Ulmer, crafted with the support of the Navajo Service and the United States Office of Indian Affairs to address tuberculosis among Native Americans, specifically the Navajo. The film features striking location shooting on a Navajo reservation, immersing viewers in the stark beauty of the landscape. It follows siblings Nema and Don, orphaned by tuberculosis, who remain under the guidance of their grandfather, Slow-Talker, a revered community leader wary of scientific approaches. Their friend Robert, however, departs for a Western school, rejecting tradition in favor of modern knowledge. There, he discovers he has TB but is cured through rest and medical treatment. The story unfolds as a struggle between traditional Navajo beliefs and contemporary medicine, culminating in medicine’s triumph. Slow-Talker, once a skeptic, becomes an advocate for medical intervention, symbolizing a shift towards acceptance of science to combat the disease ravaging his people.