Donner in der Sonne

I had heard from friends that this was a film about Basques. Since the film had been gone off the circuit, I was eager to see it when it reappeared on TV. Being an anthropologist and ethnic Basque, I was most interested in how Hollywood would treat this subject. Well, after my initial disappointment and shock at not only a limp-witted story and a mediocre performance by Susan Hayward, my real dismay was at the presence of the French Basque, Jacques Bergerac for going along with a misinformed and misinforming depicition my (i.e., our) people. The Basque traditions depicted in the film were totally fictious and laughable. How Bergerac picked up his paycheck with no feeling of shame is a mystery to me. Hayward was always beautiful and exciting. But seeing her dance a Flamenco (not ever a Basque tradition) and hearing her make a bad attempt at a French accent, was disheartening. Chandler emoted as usual, no surprise...but the only thunder in Thunder in the Sun, were my groans of complaint and disgust at this bad parody of the culture of my ancestors.

Susan Hayward was a great star and always a great treat to watch the dynamic redhead from Brooklyn in any film. This film co stars Susan Hayward and her friend of many years Jeff Chandler. Together Hayward and Chandler make a great team and a very enjoyable film to watch. Susan Hayward was always a tough lady never afraid of anything and in fact was insistent that her dialogue not portray weakness. To see a Hayward movie like this is to be aware of the back story of any Hayward film: Susan Hayward carefully controlled her successful image. I believe this film was shot right after her classic I Want To Live and was given a quick release, and faded from view, and is not highly regarded as a Susan Hayward film. I disagree, any film with the Tough Lady from Brooklyn is good to watch. And Susan Hayward by all regards not at all sentimental in real life was both fond of Chandler and mourned Jeff Chandler. Postscript: Susan Hayward like many top female stars preferred certain cameramen, and in this film Ms. Hayward's favorite Stanley Cortez is cinematographer.

As we all know Susan Hayward died far too young of brain cancer during her dying days, Katharine Hepburn paid a visit to the dying star. The Great Garbo also paid a visit to the dying Hayward such as the respect Ms. Hayward was regarded by her peers. Barbara Stanwyck also a friend sent flowers. Roz Russell appeared on a radio show the day after Ms. Hawyard died and mourned her friend Ms. Hayward.

This meaty Western contains interesting plot , intrigue , thrills , shootouts and results to be quite entertaining . A stirring movie set in the turbulent 19th century , this is a colossal western with top-drawer cast . Stars the early deceased Jeff Chandler and Susan Hayward that starred such important films as ¨I Want to live¨ , ¨Untamed¨, ¨The Snows of Kilimanjaro¨; both of whom caused sensation , here in their most exciting roles . The story of a love that was greater than honor and race and a courage that stood alone against the fury of the savage native Indians . While happening some clashes between traditional Basque habits and the necessity of survival . A 1850 adventure story of the Basque immigrants on their trek to California , their struggle with the Indians, and the development of a twisted love triangle . Set in 1847, a group of fifty-two French Basques, including women and children, sets-out from Independence, Missouri to the far California. These settlers left Europe behind to escape the starvation , unrest and aftermaths of the Napoleonic Wars. They have wagons , horses , mules and supplies throughout the risked way . They also hire a local trail master for a fee . As the tough guidance is called Lon Bennett (Jeff Chandler) , he leads a wagon train of pioneers through perilous landscapes , Indian attacks , storms , deserts , swollen rivers , down cliffs and so on while and falling in love with Gabrielle . He is skilled but he loves women as well as booze too much, and eventually falls in love for an indomit pioneer . As Bennett becomes obsessed with Gabrielle Dauphin (Susan Hayward) , the beautiful lover of the Basque leader (Carl Esmond). He repeatedly forces his attentions on her but she rejects him every time . Due to an unfortunate accident Gabrielle stands alone , but two suitors emerge , the valiant journey guidance (Jeff Chandler) and the jealous Basque/French Pepe Dauphin (Jacques Bergerac) . The Sun Never Blazed On A More Savage Saga!. The sun never blazed on a more savage saga !

An overwhelming period adventure set in 19th century with a decent cast , thrilling scenes and breathtaking battles . It is a rousing , moving , romantic tale , including a complicated love story , but rough-edged fare in Western treatment . There are spectacular outdoors scenes , packing a colorful photography in Technicolor , in color de Luxe , nevertheless the lead actors were filmed in the studio with projected backgrounds . Dealing with interesting issues , such as emigration to the dangerous California , colonialism , racism and a loving triangle among an intimate trio : Jeff Chandler/SusanHayward/Jacques Bergerac . There's a detail studio about old customs , superstitions and Basque morality and their crashes with the violent Wild West in which safety is more essential than ancient traditions . In a way , the flick is similar in vein to a frontier Western in the wake of The Big Trail (1930) , The Oregon Trail (1957) and The Way West (1969) . Susan Hayward stands out , as usual, as the brave Basque leader ; she excelled herself in all kinds of melodrama , here is outrageously superb as what one critic wrote : a kind of Scarlett O'Hara on the Far West . Her partenaire results to be Jeff Chandler who's pretty well as the two-fisted wagon master . He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Cochise in Broken arrow (1950) . He followed this by playing the role of Cochise in two sequel s: Battle of Apache Pass (1952) and Taza (1954). While his premature gray hair and tanned features served him well in his westerns and action pictures, the studio also put him into soap-operas and costume movies. In his films, his leading ladies included Maureen O'Hara, Rhonda Fleming, Jane Russell, Joan Crawford, June Allyson and Susan Hayward . Shortly after his last film Merrill's Marauders (1962), Jeff died, at 42, from blood poisoning after an operation for a slipped disc. Being assisted by a good secondary cast , such as : Jacques Bergerac , Blanche Yurka , Carl Esmond and the Spanish Fortunio Bonanova.

Lavishly produced by Seven Arts Productions , enhanced by brilliant and glimmering cinematography , superbly caught by cameraman by Stanley Cortez , though a perfect remastering being necessary because of the film-copy is washed-out. Thrilling as well as sensitive musical score by maestro composer Cryl Mockridge . This is another acceptable and powerful Western being compellingly directed by Russell Rouse , though contains some flaws and shortfalls . He was an expert screenwriter as the classic ¨D. O. A¨. Filmmaking occasionally for cinema all kind of genres as Caper films such as ¨The Caper of the Golden Bulls¨, Dramas as ¨The Oscar¨, Noir cinema such as ¨Wicked Woman¨, ¨New York Confidential¨ , ¨The Well¨ , ¨The thief¨ and another Western titled ¨Thunder in the sun¨. Well worth watching and it will appeal to Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler fans .

The filming of Thunder In The Sun probably had its start years before they were movie stars with two grade school kids named Edythe Marrenner and Ira Grossel who both went to Hollywood and became Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler. These two were really good friends going back to their childhoods in Brooklyn. So when Susan Hayward reached the top of her career with her Oscar for I Want To Live, I'm sure she wanted to make a film with Chandler. It's a pity these two couldn't have found a better one.

It's an unusual subject for a western, a wagon train of Basque immigrants from the French Pyrennees who are going to California to start their own wineries. Their most precious cargo is the vines carrying the grape seeds that have to be watered. Of course on the desert, man and animals also have to be watered. That leads to the usual situations in westerns like these.

Chandler is not your usual western hero either. He takes his pleasures where he finds them be it women or drink. Hayward has been wed to Carl Esmond the leader of the group and when he's killed by an overanxious sentry, the younger brother Jacques Bergerac is ready to take his place. And Hayward is also guarded by her formidable mother-in-law, Blanche Yurka.

Though the folks have unusual clothing for wagon train travelers, the story does have the usual wagon train situations found in westerns, climaxed by a nicely staged fight with Indians. As Bergerac says, the Indians have never faced Basques before and these people are born mountain fighters.

In two years Jeff Chandler would be gone and he never did to make another film with his good childhood friend Susan Hayward. That's a pity.

....or how History repeats itself.At the end of the 8th century,the Basques beat Charlemagne in Roncevaux in the Pyrénées mountains !When Bergerac evokes his ancestors' feat,he was historically accurate;later the chanson de geste "la chanson de Roland " (which enhanced Charlemagne's so-called nephew count Roland) forgot the Basques and turned them into Sarrazins. ....so the end of the movie is a second "Roncevaux" ,the Indians replacing good old Carolus Magnus and his fair knights.For the rest of the movie,as I do not know anything about the basques traditions,I will not argue with the precedent users who complain about the lack of knowledge of basque culture of the writers.The director used a lot of French actors -Heyward and Chandler are like Martians in such a company- ,all virtually unknown in their native country,even the lead Bergerac.This is a rather short film,mainly if we consider that the beginning consists of singing and dancing (Heyward 's flamenco,more Spanish than Basque,being one of the highlights of a fairly tepid story).

Sometimes the Basques speak French,most of the time English,even between them,which makes the story unconvincing.Susan Heyward,as gorgeous as ever,contents herself with a few words .