Le Vent de la plaine

In the old American West, an apocalyptic horseman startles lovely, dark-haired Audrey Hepburn (as Rachel) with some prophetic proclamations. Later, matriarchal widow Lillian Gish (as Matilda Zachary) takes aim at the old codger, but he leaves without enticing a bullet from Ms. Gish's shotgun. Gish runs her ranch with three very able bodied sons - Burt Lancaster (as Ben), Audie Murphy (as Cash), and young Doug McClure (as Andy). Ms. Hepburn is the fair-haired clan's adopted sister. As it turns out, a local Native American (Kiowa) tribe wants to right an old wrong by taking Hepburn away from her adopted family. Or else, everyone dies!

John Huston's "The Unforgiven" is a flawed, but excellent film. It does seem like some positive thesis regarding race relations - explicitly "Injuns" / implicitly others - was being attempted. But, however well-meaning the project started out, the end result is a negative. All was lost, for me, the moment Mr. Lancaster orders young Mr. McClure to make a pivotal killing. That doesn't mean the movie isn't exciting or aesthetically appealing. Hepburn's authenticity should invite no criticism; remember, she is supposed to be fooling even Mr. Murphy's keen sense of "Injun" smell; yet, she sounds too liltingly "finishing school" sophisticated for the role.

As good as he is, Lancaster doesn't really command the film's attention, either. He and Hepburn are saddled (sorry) with a love story subplot dependent upon the characters being aware they are not really brother and sister, and Hepburn being ready for action. This goes nowhere. There are several other great performers in the cast, but the film belongs to the "Zachary" family members. McClure as Lancaster's wide-eyed younger brother is nicely cast. But, the real energy comes from the characters played by Gish and Murphy; both have a couple of great cinematic moments, though, like others involved here, they had off-screen problems during the filming.

******* The Unforgiven (4/6/60) John Huston ~ Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Lillian Gish, Audie Murphy

A very mature western with big Burt at his best in this picture that takes on some very risky subjects for its time - incest and racism. It is beautifully shot under the direction of Franz Planer who really understands the romantic west. The lead Indian character is played by Carlos Rivas, surly the best looking portrayer of plains Indians ever to grace the screen.

These ingredients are augmented by a wonderful sound track by Demitri Tiomkin, including the theme tune 'The Unforgiven' that is both haunting and romantic. I have to try to pick up a copy of this beautiful tune one of these days.

Well-shot and well-acted, with a solid story about racial prejudice to boot, I'm shocked THE UNFORGIVEN sports such a bad reputation today. It's hardly the best western I have ever seen, but it isn't half-bad either. The biggest problem I have with it is that Audrey Hepburn and Burt Lancaster have no chemistry to speak of, but otherwise, this is a decent movie with some heartbreaking moments.

I wasn't expecting to like The Unforgiven. Don't get me wrong I don't mind westerns and I am a fan of both Audrey Hepburn and John Huston. However, prior to seeing this film I heard a lot of negativity on it. After seeing it for myself, I think it is very underrated. It is flawed, but I do admire this film.

It does begin in a lethargic manner and I personally thought the final scene could have been better thought out. Also, despite my love for her, I was not entirely convinced by Audrey Hepburn. She is graceful, charming and elegant and I applaud her for taking on a completely different role to any other she's played, but she was never quite believable in her role, to me her accent sometimes came and went and she felt somewhat out of place.

However, it looks gorgeous with the cinematography beautiful and the scenery magnificent. The music is very rich and wonderful, the dialogue is thought-provoking and the pace in the middle I had no problem with. I was pleasantly surprised at how ambitious the story was, the subject of racism could have easily been dealt with in a heavy-handed way like in Crash, but it doesn't thanks to the construction of the story which is quite impressive and it also helps that the characters are surprisingly credible. John Huston's direction is also terrific, and the acting ensemble is very good generally. Burt Lancaster is a charismatic presence, while Audie Murphy is a sheer delight in this movie.

In conclusion, it is a good movie despite the miscast(I do say this with a heavy heart) and one or two scenes that could have been better judged. 7/10 Bethany Cox

When the weird Abe Kelsey (Joseph Wiseman) with his saber appears in the Zachary's ranch threatening the matriarch Mattilda Zachary (Lillian Gish) and her stepdaughter Rachel (Audrey Hepburn), she does not tell to her sons Ben (Burt Lancaster), Cash (Audie Murphy) and Andy (Doug McClure). Later, when Rachel comments about him, Ben and Cash unsuccessfully chase him in a sand storm. Meanwhile, Kelsey poisons the relationship of the Zachary's family with their neighbors and the Indians Kiowa disclosing that Rachel would be a Kiowa baby stolen years ago in a raid by Kelsey himself and Mattilda's husband, when her parents were killed. Later, he wanted to trade Rachel per his son, captured by the Kiowa, but the old Zachary did not accept his proposal. The racists' neighbors turn their backs to the Zachary's family, while the Kiowa siege them in their house while trying to bring Rachel back to their tribe.

"The Unforgiven" is a western about the impressive intolerance between Caucasians and Indians in the beginning of the colonization of North America by the whites. The story is very well developed, with the usual outstanding direction of John Huston. Joseph Wiseman has a magnificent performance in the role of a despicable villain, a revengeful man capable of destroying many lives. Burt Lancaster is also great in his leadership, while Lillian Gish is amazing in the role of a protective mother. Audrey Hepburn and John Saxon are convincing as Indians. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Passado Não Perdoa" ("The Past Does Not Forgive")