L'homme du Kentucky

Burt Lancaster starred in, and directed, this story of a well meaning traveller ("Big Eli") and his young son "Little Eli" (Donald MacDonald) heading to Texas hoping to make a decent living for him and his son. Along the way he encounters (and buys) an indentured slave "Susie" (Diana Lynn) who only complicates their already interesting journey as he fights his own demons with women, booze and a particularly nasty Walter Matthau ("Bodine"). It's a beautifully shot piece of cinema, this, and the mischievous charm of the star is writ large. It's too long, though - frequently sagging as the romantic elements go quickly from humorously hostile to schmaltzy just a bit too quickly. Matthau and his whip are the stuff of cinema legend though, and the young MacDomald plays his part well. Fans of Burt will love this, but I found I was bored by the half way mark as what pace it does have it doesn't really sustain.

That was the boastful phrase uttered by Walter Matthau to everyone else at the gathering; he stood before them snapping his bullwhip in air, its wicked cracking part of an old cultural ritual where a man stands before the tribe boasting of his might.

This movie is totally underrated--not only does Matthau give one of his best performances in a smaller role, but there is tons of folklore and history in this gem.

Burt Lancaster remains one of my all-time favorite American actors, but I do not think his decision to direct THE KENTUCKIAN was his wisest.

Clearly, Burt was concerned with his image from the start, his hair always neatly coiffured despite tackling dense forest in the Kentuckyan wilds, and he wastes no time highlighting his own athleticism, good looks, healthy teeth, and blue eyes.

As Elias Wakefield, he also plays the part of a caring father to a poor Little Eli who suffers abuse at school, but is such a pure, natural child that you overlook how different Little Eli's facial features are from his progenitor's. Elias Sr. also allows himself to beaten up to a pulp before he subdues nasty Bodine (played by Matthau), and at the end he runs out the evil Fromes in great style.

John McIntire plays a solid supporting role as Elias Sr.'s older brother, who seems to care for him as much as he wants him to stay in place and do all the hard work, thereby making poor Elias Sr. the target of brotherly exploitation.

The cherry on this self-enhancing effort is Burt's capacity to have two women swooning over him. First, he is interested in Diane Foster (who is even willing to work to pay his move to Texas) but stops short of giving her the unequivocal nod, which obviously frustrates her; then, without much ado, he kisses and plans to marry Diana Lynn, and to stay in Kentucky; but, at movie's end, he listens to Little Eli and his desire to move to Texas and his preference for Diane Foster (I suppose Elias Sr. was well ahead of his time, listening to his son and acting like a late 20th Century father).

There are some brief and eye-catching sideshows like the river boat, and a band of black musicians who play a delightful tune, and - again - seem to belong more in the 1950s than in the 19th Century.

At the river boat, Elias Sr. achieves another feather for his cap, as a card greenhorn who actually cleans out the house. Attaboy, Burt!

In the end, THE KENTUCKIAN is a kind-hearted movie but I felt that I was never to lose sight of the fact that Burt was pulling all the strings... which, from my standpoint, lowers the film's quality, and gives the wrong impression about the thoughtful, humane, and intelligent human being that Burt Lancaster actually was. 6/10

Released in 1955, "The Kentuckian" is one of only a couple films directed by Burt Lancaster.

THE STORY takes place during the presidency of James Monroe circa 1820. Lancaster plays Eli Wakefield, a Kentuckian who desires more room to breath in Texas. Still in Kentucky, they blow their "Texas money" on freeing a beautiful indentured servant, Hannah (Dianne Foster). They don't get past the next frontier town where Eli takes up with his brother in the tobacco business and Hannah gets a job as a bar matron. Eli's dreams of Texas are sidetracked when he meets up with a schoolmarm (Diana Lynn) who encourages him to settle down and make a family with her. The problem is that Eli's son prefers Hannah and doesn't want to give up their Texas dream. Meanwhile feuders are hot on Eli's trail, not to mention malevolent local businessman with a whip (Walter Matthau).

Some highlights include:

• Lush Eastern locations. The film was shot in Levi Jackson State Park, Kentucky (near London), as well as Owensboro, Kentucky, which is on the Ohio River, and Rockport, which is just across the river in Indiana. The river depicted in the film is supposed to be the Tennessee River (I think), but it was shot on the Ohio. In any event, although "The Kentuckian" is classified as a Western, it's actually an Eastern.

• The film offers a good glimpse of what the Eastern USA was like back when it was still a frontier -- the cabin-styled houses, sleeping in the woods, etc. No internet, cable, video games, DVDs or microwaves. People actually sat down with other people and communed.

• The story is realistic, albeit with some lame dialogue. Regardless,you don't have to worry about any goofiness or unbelievable bits that plague some 50's Westerns, except for the too-wooden-they're-funny feudalists.

• Back then a huge riverboat coming to town was an exciting attraction. Americans today, by contrast, get all excited over the shenanigans of some celebrity.

• Dianne Foster (Hannah) is a beautiful redhead. One wonders how a woman like this would stay single very long on the frontier.

• The whip fight with Matthau is great. Lancaster is almost whipped to shreds (!).

• Loyalty is a sub-theme here. Eli's son is loyal to Hannah and never warms up to the schoolmarm, although there's it's clear that there's nothing wrong with the latter. And Hannah is loyal to the man who delivered her from bondage (Eli), despite his infatuation with the marm.

• I liked the bit on Eli being a laughing stock because of a worthless freshwater pearl, but he gets the last laugh with a letter from the President (or is it?) and additional help.

• Lastly, Lancaster is a likable protagonist with his charismatic joy-of-living persona; he's humble and respectful, the antithesis of Eastwood's amoral and lifeless 'man with no name' a decade later.

The film runs an hour and 44 minutes.

BOTTOM LINE: "The Kentuckian" is breath of fresh air and I enjoyed it from beginning to end for all the above reasons; it's sort of like "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992) of its era, albeit no where as good. It's innocuous and easy-going, but sometimes surprisingly brutal (the dog fight and whip fight). If you can acclimate to the style of filmmaking of the mid-50s it's worth checking out.

GRADE: B

Lancaster's only directing role. A decent western with a twist or two, especially at the ending showdown, which features 10 dramatic seconds of feat that only Lancaster could make suspenseful.

How does a man defeat an armed enemy while standing opposite a 40 yard wide stream, and with no gun? The daring Lancaster meets this challenge with a surprising, brash dash. Check it out.