The Unforgiven

[stuart.uk]

I purchased this film the other day, I haven't seen it in yrs. My main reason for getting it was Lillian Gish. I wanted to compare it to her other talking western Duel In The Sun. One difference was that in DITS I felt Lillian at 51 still looked good enough to play romantic leads, whereas here, she looks if anything even older than her 65-yrs in The Unforgiven. That said she's outstanding in both films

I did notice two things in common with both films, Lillian's memorable death's. In DITS, she crawled out of her deathbed inorder to die in the arms of her disabled husband and in TU, while heroically helping her family fight of an Indian attack, she appears to have a minor arm wound and makes light of her injury. It's only when the family check on her later and find she's died of a more serious side wound.

Unlike with The Sons' Of Katie Elder where the sums don't had up regarding the age of John Wayne to his younger screen brothers, in UF Lillian is the right age to play mother to the 47-yr-old Burt Lancaster, the 36-yr-old Audie Murphy and 25-yr-old Doug Mclure.

Spoiler Alert

Gish has a big secret. Her adoptive daughter Audrey Hepburn is an Indian. When the Indians find out, they, particulary her blood brother, want her back. The townsfolk turn against her (shades of Elvis Presley in Flaming Star) and also her adoptive brother Murphy, who leaves home. However, when under an Indian attack and in a hopeless situation, Murphy returns and heroically rescues his family.

[moira finnie]

I really like The Unforgiven (1960-John Huston), in part because it has a rough feel and look to it, like the frontier it depicts, filled with sudden gusts of violence, racism, longing, lust, and revenge. I'm also partial to Audrey Hepburn and the actors in smaller roles who keep threatening to overtake the film, constantly seesawing the story toward themselves--Joseph Wiseman as the lunatic Avenging Angel who knows a secret, Charles Bickford as the flinty father who may or may not be trustworthy and most surprisingly good--Audie Murphy, who's very effective as the rather unstable brother!

Though I don't think it comes together, the film has some vivid visual moments that stand out in memory: Lillian Gish at the piano, Joseph Wiseman in the brush by the river, the long, encircling embrace by Burt Lancaster of his brother Doug McClure and Audrey Hepburn just before the descent of the Indians.

I sort of see what you mean about Lillian Gish seeming so much older in The Unforgiven, though I never quite believe Lillian as anyone's wife and mother. She was born to be a singleton, no? Or so Mr. Griffith would have us believe.

[knitwit45]

one of the reasons I think Audie Murphy was so good is because he had a real melt down when he was filming the "melt down" scene, didn't he?
Audrey Hepburn is so good in this movie, and there seems to be real chemistry between her and B. Lancaster. Ms. Gish, in my opinion, portrays a very realistic mother, who loves all her children, and will always protect them to the best of her ability.
One of my favorites!