The Unforgiven (1960)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Ben Maddow, based on the novel by Alan LeMay
Directed by John Huston
Starring Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audie Murphy, Lillian Gish, and John Saxon

Features:

• Trailer
  

Released by: MGM
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Rent it if you're a fan of Hepburn or Lancaster.

The Zachary clan is a wholesome, pillar-of-the-community family in post-Civil War Texas. The brothers have just returned from an extended trip to be with mother Matilda (Gish) and sister Rachel (Hepburn). Soon, however, their peace is shattered when someone starts circulating rumors that Rachel is secretly a kidnapped Kiawa baby that the Zachary family has been passing off as white. Tensions with their neighbors mount, brother Cash (Murphy) leaves in disgust rather than defend his "redskin" sister, and the local Kiawa get twitchy to reclaim their lost child.

The Unforgiven is a frank examination of race relations and family politics, dealing with the issues of its day through the distancing technique of making a "historical" picture rather than confront the racial issues in the present. For all the potential that provides, the film doesn't quite deliver. Outside of the leads, the characters don't really see a great deal of development, and the somewhat one-sided view of the tale leaves a bit to be desired, particularly if you tend towards sympathy for the Native Americans.

The performances are solid enough, if a bit two-dimensional. Lancaster and Hepburn are standouts, though this is far from the finest performance either of them turned in during their careers. Hollywood legend Gish certainly holds her own as the Zachary family matriarch. The film's chief problem lies in the fact that one must really stretch the boundaries of suspension of disbelief to put any credence in the idea that Hepburn is secretly a full-blooded Native American. Not quite on the order of John Wayne as Genghis Khan, mind you, but still a big enough stretch that it's hard to swallow for audiences today.

Huston's direction is, unsurprisingly, first-rate as well. Matched with Franz Planer's significant cinematography skills, the movie is absolutely breathtaking to see. Beautiful camera work, shot composition, and technical merit is obvious in nearly every frame. As it would be one of Planer's last films, it's worth watching just to see a master craftsman (with something like 120 films under his belt) at work behind the lens.

If you like old Westerns, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's short on action and long on family melodrama, but that makes for a refreshing change of pace in the genre. There are some plausbility issues that one has to be willing to gloss over, but if you can get past them, Hepburn and Lancaster make it worth your while.