The Unforgiven (1960)

The most unusual and conspicuous audio track to ever come out of Hollywood. A synthesis of Folkways nature recordings and 1950s Soviet animation soundtrack music is a poetic way of putting it. Seriously though. I don't think the vibe of the disembodied music was repeated for another twenty years until Mad Max. Visually, the vibe is similar to other low-budget westerns of the era with the fake, dimmed night scenes, but the audio is absolutely unique and surreal from beginning to end. On the surface the audio can be distracting and, no doubt, signify a B-Movie aesthetic. Hey, you youngsters with time and ambition to pursue a PHD in film, thesisify this movies soundtrack. There seem to be no thoughtful examinations of it in the literature.

Mostly forgotten western filmed in 1960 is a good story. Based on the book of the same title by Alan LeMay, The Unforgiven pulls no punches in its depiction of life in post Civil War Texas.The Zacharys run cattle from the soddy working and praying for the big cattle drive which will spell success. There are three brothers, a mother, and Rachel, the only girl. Rachel is not the Zachary's natural daughter. She is suspected of being an Indian. In those times there was no politically correct view of "Native Americans." The white settlers hated and feared them. Post Civil War Texas was largely unregulated and ignored by the federal government which had its hands full with other matters.When the Kiowa demand Rachel back, all hell breaks loose. The Zachary's are fiercely protective of her. Their neighbors turn against them.I thoroughly enjoyed "The Unforgiven," with one exception. The music soundtrack is sometimes intrusive and too loud.Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn do a great job in this iconic Western.

Ben Zachary (Burt Lancaster) with brothers Cash (Audie Murphy), Andy (Doug McClure), and adopted sister Rachel (Audrey Hepburn) live with their mother (Lillian Gish) on a dusty ranch. When an old crazy loner arrive spreading rumor that Rachel is actually a red Indian who was taken as a baby, everybody around her starts acting differently. Then the local Kiowa tribe wants her returned believing her to be a long lost sister.John Huston expertly film the vast dusty territory. However it's not the big landscape that's noteworthy but the morally complexity that's most important. This movie is full of ever shifting moral land mines. How can we truly root for the Zacharys? But does all the past sins permit the natives to exact revenge? The racism towards Rachel from the white community is well put forward. But the rest is full of moral contradictions.I still can't accept Audrey Hepburn playing native American. Granted it's the old Hollywood. I can't expect much better. The problem is the audience knows she's as white as the driven snow. Playing so far against her persona really makes it problematic.There are some great shocking scenes like Ma Rawlins shouting Red N1gger and the hanging scene. But the tone at the start is too light hearted. It needed to start dark and stay that way. With all the moral confusion, it's still very compelling. But it's a hard watch to see all those Indians get killed. It's very old Hollywood. And the incestuous undertones between Ben and Rachel really throws me off.

Rachel Zachary is the adopted brother of Ben, Cash and Andy; their late father rescued her after the local Kiowa Indians killed her parents; at least that is what they all believe. Things change after a strange old man, armed with a sabre turns up; soon afterwards a small group of Kiowa turn up at the house and demand that the family give Rachel to then; claiming that she was kidnapped from their tribe. They are shocked to hear such a suggestion and deny it but others who live nearby start treating the family differently. In order to find out what the old man's part in it was they ride out and capture him; he claims that what the Kiowa said was true; he'd been part of a raid on an Indian village where the Zachary's father took the baby. Shunned by everybody they return home and the mother admits the truth of the story; Cash can't take the idea of having an Indian sister so leaves. Not long afterwards the Kiowa return and a battle ensues; ultimately Rachel must decide whether to return to the tribe with her real brother or stay with the adoptive brothers she has known all her life.This was an interesting western; I thought it was well acted although I couldn't buy for one minute that Audrey Hepburn could be a Native American... which was a bit of a problem given that she was meant to be a full-blooded Kiowa! Burt Lancaster did a fine job as her older brother and Audie Murphy was good as Cash... although personally I found him more entertaining in various B-Westerns I've seen. The action was well directed and exciting; especially the prolonged confrontation at the end. Taken as a piece of entertainment it was good enough but I must say I found the racial politics highly suspect; I felt we were meant to sympathise with the white family as they fought to keep their adopted sister rather that to side with the tribe she was kidnapped from... even after the family start the conflict by murdering a Kiowa when they came in peace to talk! Overall I'd say it is worth watching if you are a fan of the genre although rather sit down and watch a cheap B-western personally!