Untamed

Some rugged pioneer adventurers, headed by TYRONE POWER, SUSAN HAYWARD, JOHN JUSTIN and RICHARD EGAN, end up in South Africa fighting Zulus after fleeing Ireland because of the potato famine. This is one of those big sprawling Technicolor epics designed to lure patrons away from their TV sets in the mid '50s to watch spectacular action unfold against handsome landscapes.

Susan Hayward is the feisty Irish heroine who marries John Justin but has her eyes set on following her true love--Tyrone Power--to South Africa. When hubby Justin is killed in a Zulu attack, she sets her mind on winning Tyrone's hand in marriage. She has to cope with Richard Egan, who is also lusting after her. There's a very realistically staged fight with a bull whip between Power and Egan--and you know who wins. But the script has her mistreating both men, enough so to make you wonder what makes her tick. It's an oddly defined role.

The story is a sprawling one and Henry King has directed some of it with his usual skill. The supporting cast includes HOPE EMERSON and AGNES MOOREHEAD, so obviously the studio treated this one as a big epic adventure story that would look handsomely rugged on the big screen.

Hayward faces all her hardships in Scarlett O'Hara manner. "Then we'll plough and seed. And then we'll come back," she says at one point to Agnes Moorehead after the latest catastrophe. Tyrone Power spends much of his time off camera but you know he's going to be the hero who returns to help her begin a new life. She becomes a wealthy woman after bartering with a native for a hefty diamond, and meets Power again years later at the Governor's Ball. But she and Power have another stormy disagreement and the story goes on and on.

It's basically an unrewarding mixture of adventure and romance with poor character motivations and a muddled script that lacks a strong focus. Hayward does some extravagant overacting as the ill-tempered heroine, Egan has the strongest male role and Power is totally wasted.

For some unknown reason, Susan Hayward falls in love with Tyrone Power, but he's in love with South Africa. He has the beautiful, incredible Susan Hayward in his arms and he wants to leave for South Africa? In any case, he feels his calling, and he plans to travel there from Ireland. She declares her love and says she'll marry him and go with him. The next day, he leaves without her. How mean and hurtful! How are we supposed to root for him?

Years later, Susan is seen sailing into South Africa, married and with a child. This was her great plan: to marry someone else, bear his child, and then reunite with Tyrone to prove how much she's loved him all these years? How are we supposed to root for her? Neither of the leads are nice people, and their motivations are really tough to get behind. It's clear someone wanted this movie to be a lush, love triangle epic, but the end result hardly succeeded. Try Elephant Walk if you want a similar setting with better characters.

A stirring movie set in South Africa in the turbulent late 19th century , this is an African colossal with top-drawer cast . Stars Susan Hayward that in ¨I Want to live¨ , ¨The Snows of Kilimanjaro¨ and Tyrone Power that in ¨King of the Khyber Rifles¨, ¨Witness for prosecution¨ 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 native rebellion on the veldt . Set in South Africa , half-legend , half-land ...alive and wondrous thanks to spectacular outdoors through the magic of sterophonic sound , big screen , and anamorphic lens . The great African landscapes , thundering path of empire, the fanatic rebels and the hordes of hundreds of Zulus . And the crowning spectacle of the woman who carved a saga of battle and love across the impressive African savannah . In 1847, when the great potato famine hits Ireland , due to this an Irish diaspora takes place , as hundreds emigrate other countries as America and South Africa . That's why among those leaving the Emerald Isle are Katie O'Neill (Susan Hayward) and her husband (Jon Justin) forced to flee and deciding that the promised land is South Africa and make their way there . Once there, they aboard a wagon train with several travellers fighting to establish the Dutch Free State . Along the way , they find out the hardships that are the reality of the homesteader experience on the veldt .Things go wrong and to complicate matters , Katie meets up with the love of her life , her old flame called Paul van Riebeck (Tyrone Power) who results to be the leader of a Dutch commando group .

An overwhelming period adventure with a cast of thousands and breathtaking battles . It is a rousing , moving , romantic tale , but rough-edged fare in ¨soap opera¨ treatment . Dealing with interesting issues , such as emigration to the troubled South Africa , imperialism , colonialism , racism and a loving triangle among an intimate trio : Tyrone Power/SusanHayward/Richard Egan . In a way , the flick is similar in vein to a Western , but transplanted in a South Africa setting . Susan Hayward outstands in an overacting , as usual ; 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 veldt . Co-starts Tyrone Power as her love interest , being one of Tyrone's later movies , a bit later on , he would die while shooting in Spain : ¨Salomon and Queen Sabah¨ directed by King Vidor , being replaced by Yul Brynner , but still within his tradition of making adventure movies which spanned around the world . Power plays with some sensitivity and bravura the tough captain who commands a group of rebel Dutch . Tyrone Power gives a nice acting , as always .Tyrone seems to be more serious than the Swashbucklers or pirate movies he played when his good looks and swordmanship were both at their peak and much competition with Errol Flynn in the adventure stakes , such as : ¨Black Swan , The Zorro , Prince of Foxes , Captain from Castile and The Black Rose¨ . These enjoyable films were all well played by Power who was nearly at his most agile and deft style , as he starred various ¨Sword and Swagger¨ films and was superstar of Hollywood swashbucklers . Main starring are well accompanied by a frankly good support cast giving strong but brief performances from : Richard Egan , John Justin , Agnes Moorehead , Rita Moreno , Hope Emerson, Brad Dexter, Henry O'Neill , Robert Adler , Kevin Corcoran , among others .

It packs a colorful photography in Technicolor , in color de Luxe. Lavishly produced by Twentieth Century Fox Film Company , being enhanced by brilliant and glimmer cinematography by Leo Tover . Thrilling as well as sensitive musical score by maestro Franz Waxman . The motion picture was well directed by Henry King who was for many years associated with 20th Century Fox . He was an expert on adventure genre , a really versatile and reliable filmmaker of general entertainment movies . As Henry made ¨Stanley and Livingstone¨ , assisted uncredited in ¨Son of Fury¨ , directed the masterpiece : ¨The black swan¨ , and ¨Prince of Foxes¨ , the Biblical : ¨David and Bathseba¨ , ¨The snows of Kilimanjaro¨ and ¨Untamed¨ . As well as ¨Lloyd's of London¨ and ¨In old Chicago¨ .Rating : Decent adventure 6,5/10 . The flick will appeal to Susan Hayward and Tyrone Power fans .

20Th Century Fox produced and released some epic motion pictures in Delux Color and CinemaScope in the 1950's such as The Robe, The Egyptian.Untamed was one such movie with would be advertised as monumental and sweeping in it's scope.. The story of a young women named Katie O'Neill Kildare born of the Irish landed gentry who loses everything in the Irish Potato Famine of 1847. She and husband Sean migrate to South Africa and join Boar pioneers to become part of the Great Trek and help settle the Orange Free State.

Susan Hayward was queen of the 20TH Century Lot at that time and got first pick of any of the roles that the studio had available. She hoped Untamed would be her Gone With the Wind and any resemblance between Katie and Scarlett O'Hara is purely intentional.Fox matinée idol Tyrone Power is Boar military commander Paul Van Riebeck who is sort the Ashley Wilkes of this tale and Katie pursues him as Scarlett pursues Ashley.Richard Egan portrays Kurt Hout a Boar settler who is in lust with Katie and is always more then willing to play the chump for her. Agnes Moorehead and Hope Emerson were two of my favorite Hollywood...er.. ah...actresses and their involvement in any film always upgraded it's quality.

Veteran director Henry King was 20TH Century Foxes top drawer helmsman and a personal friend of Powers. He ha also directed Hayward in several of her best films.King kept the story very visual.

Untamed starts out with a bang.Paul Van Riebeck comes to the O'Neill Estates in Ireland to purchases horses from Squire O'Neill , Katie's father.Paul and Katie dislike each other at first so you know that they will soon passionately in love with each other. Paul can't let his feelings for Katie interfere with his duty to his cause so he returns to South Africa to resume his mission, leaving Katie heartbroken. Like Scarlet, Katie just isn't used to being dumped by a man.So it's not surprising that when the opportunity presents itself shes off to South Africa with her husband and child in tow to... start anew.

For me the best part of Untamed is the trek and the Zulu attack. This segment is dramatic, exciting and beautify filmed. After the Commando's rescue of the wagon train,however, the story slides into soap opera and becomes fairly predicable. A good film for Hayward and Henry King fans with one of Egan;'s better performances and of course Agnes Moorehead and Hope Emerson.

Everyone works hard to make this grand-scaled hokum as enjoyable as possible. As a redheaded Irish spitfire, Susan Hayward finally gets her chance to play Scarlett O'Hara, but packs all her chiffons and crinolines [with matching shoes and stockings] in a covered wagon and sets off to cross the veldt with wise Agnes Moorehead and a cast of thousands [well, hundreds]. She's chasing Tyrone Power across South Africa, although he's something of a stiff, but she also loves hearty Richard Egan. The script stuffs in everything from a fancy dress ball to an emergency amputation. Henry King directs it all with some intensity, especially a harrowing and spectacular Zulu attack, and uses the wide screen well to capture the spaciousness of the land. Should be seen on the big screen [or at least in letterbox].