The Unforgiven [DVD]

Firstly I would like to make it clear that I tend to agree with the comments made by "Little Raven", not just because he is a native American, although this adds considerable weight to his comments, but because he often hits the nail on the head. To give a balanced review often means being honest, and that can upset some peoples sensitivities. Well so be it! That is a risk I am willing to run to tell it truthfully as I see it. But hopefully I will try to justify my comments and also highlights the films positives.In the film Audrey Hepburn plays a full blood Kiowa Indian, who was taken in by a white mother as a baby following a massacre, unbeknown to her three white brothers and all her neighbours. But there is one who does know the truth, who returns to upset the apple cart. Old hostilities are rekindled and racism raises its ugly face. Violence ensues in which family loyalties are tested and old friends are lost. Meanwhile the Kiowa come back to reclaim one of their own. We head to an action filled finale.The film was directed by the legendary John Huston who described it as perhaps his least satisfying film. The film was beset with problems. Production was halted for seven months when Hepburn fell off her horse and sustained a serious back injury. Huston also fought an ongoing battle with Rick Height and his company who were financing the film. They wanted a more commercial, less controversial film, whilst Huston wanted to make a strong statement about racism in the USA. The result was something that fell uncomfortably in between. Hepburn is indeed the most Anglo Saxon looking full blood native American I have ever seen in a film. John Saxon, no pun intended, who specialised in such roles together with Mexican's at least made the effort, as did Elvis Presley as a half blood Kiowa in "Flaming Star". Some make up may have alleviated this piece of miscasting. Hepburn was also uncomfortable in her role, which was certainly one of her more forgettable ones. It was like she was going through the motions after her fall! I also found the ending over melodramatic and the Indians seemed to have some sort of death wish. Dimitri Tiomkin's lauded score was also not I felt in harmony with the sombre mood of the film. His previous score for "The Alamo"(60) was much better.On the positives the film does contain some strong scenes and good location filming. There is a particularly powerful hanging scene and an excellent chase scene as Little Raven pointed out. I was pleased to hear that old west saying "There's never a horse not bin rode, nor a man not been throwed". It was also nice to see those old screen legends Charles Bickford and Lillian Gish providing strong support. Burt Lancaster is good in his role as the elder brother, and Audie Murphy never better as his racist brother Cash. He was in the slightly contrived situation of the racist bigot who had unknowingly had a full blood Indian as a sister. Huston had used Murphy before in his debut film "The Red Badge of Courage", and remembered him when his career was going through the doldrums. A youthful looking Doug McLure is also good as the younger brother. Remember him as Trampas from the TV series "The Virginian"! The film bears strong similarities to that great film "The Searchers"(56), which is no surprise as it was based on a book by the same fine author Alan LeMay. In that film white men pursue Indians who have captured a white girl, and in this film, in a complete reversal, the Indians pursue an Indian girl taken by whites.Unfortunately, the film despite having many good things going for it, has to ultimately be considered a failure. It simply has too many fault lines. It is a pity that Huston was unable to fulfil his vision for the film. It could have been a really powerful film that had something truly profound to say about racism in the USA at the time. At the end of the day it has to be considered one of Huston's lesser films, although as is often the case, matters were somewhat out of his hands.

If you ignore the limitations inherent in such an old film, this is a really good western

Superbly photographed in Panavision and Technicolor by Franz Planer, with atmospheric music by Dimitri Tiomkin, The Unforgiven is one of the best films of its genre. A gripping storyline underscored by Huston's sensitive and precise direction, a screenplay with multiple themes ranging from racism to family values and loyalties plays out in an atmosphere of gathering menace. Superb performances from all concerned especially the veteran Lilian Gish, Joseph Wiseman (as a ghostly nemesis for Audrey Hepburn's intense and enigmatic Rachel), Burt Lancaster, John Saxon and, scene-stealingly, Audie Murphy with a keen sense of comedy. The film does seem to be in two halves, though, with a carefully-engineered social set-up in this backwater of Texas ever-threatened by Kiowa invasion, giving way to just that and an almost operatic clash of cultures at all levels of the human. Memorable set pieces abound such as Lilian Gish playing classical music on a piano in defiance of Kiowa war drums. Huston shows a sympathetic stance toward what becomes an almost insoluble human dilemma. Metaphors of the 'west' versus the 'other' abound and are subtly and dramatically accomplished. I could not but admire the film's ambition and courage.

not the best movie fo either of these stars but intriguing non the less-turns out Audrey is not who her family thought she was, this leads to grief, murder and war with an Indian tribe. quite dramatic stuff and decently acted with a good supporting cast but it wasn't a great success/ Hepburn too far removed from her normal genre and never looks entirely comfortable-she also fell from her horse during production, breaking bones but returned later to finish the shoot-worth a viewing especially if you a fan of Burt or M/s Hepburn

Unusual Western made at a time when Westerns were starting to fail at the US box office, and the Scott,Murphy band of western heroes were on their way out -the dozens of westerns on ABC,NBC,CBS et al did the cinema efforts no favours .Unpredictable ( no spoilers from me ! )Burt Lancaster seems rather over-earnest - with films like The Swimmer and Go tell the Spartans his best roles were in the future and Audie Murphy is out of his depth.A brave role for Audrey Hepburn to take onSlow start and too many similarities to the Searchers,but a sound addition to the genre

It's hard not to like Unforgiven. It has an interesting plot and the movie should be ranked higher by critics. In spite of the fact that the director John Huston himself has stated that the movie did not fulfill his expectations you cannot deny that the cast is excellent: Audrey Hepburn in her only western, but also Burt Lancaster and especially Joseph Wiseman as Abe Kelsey "the ghost rider". The film is also very beautifully shot in glorious technicolor in Durango, Mexico. The story is also very interesting and becomes more and more interesting the longer you watch the film. I will not reveal the story here but the film is highly recommended. Don't miss the chance to see a most underrated western.

Well, my review is based on sound and transfer quality. However, on my Region Free Oppo player there was a frame rate problem. Frames skipped, probably due to a PAL discrepancy. First time I have had the issue on a European Blu Ray. Usually I see this as a minor distraction on DVDs. For US consumers I recommend waiting for the KINO pressing. For you folks in Europe it is AOK. Great movie, just beware if you are a US consumer. I returned the disc for a full refund. I am completely satisfied.

Burt Lancaster Gives An Impressive Performance As A Homesteader Ably Supported By Audrey Hepburn; While Fighting Native Americans And Falling In Love With His Female Co Star He Tends To Family DutiesStrong Story Line Well Scripted..