... because although it shows the great chemistry between Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland, real life husband and wife acting team until she was taken from us too soon by cancer, this Western love story is based upon Charles Bronson's character (Graham)being an attempted rapist, and being an actual rapist had his intended victim (Jill Ireland as widow Amanda) not been so (initially) clever.
Graham stays behind at Amanda's ranch after his horse gives out, having had premonitions that his gang will be caught during the bank robbery that was planned. You see, the whole idea of stopping at Amanda's was to find him a fresh horse, and when he finds one after she lies about having one, he just confirms the lie. So the gang rides out to rob the bank and pick Graham up later, and Graham proceeds to chase Amanda through the house attempting to rape her. She counters by saying that she knows he'll win in the end and rather than suffer her clothes being ripped apart and her being physically assaulted beyond the rape she just lays down passively like a corpse.
This is very unappealing to Graham, so he devises a tale of impotence to get Amanda's sympathy, it works, and they have a three hour love affair. But word comes back that Graham's premonitions were right. His gang was caught and will be hanged that afternoon. Amanda, considering Graham to be a gallant character - gosh she has a short memory - encourages him to ride into town and save them. Graham finally gives in and rides out, intending to only nap for awhile and then come back saying he failed.
But the posse finds him and gives chase anyways, and Graham forces a traveling dentist to change clothes and horses with him, causing the dentist to be shot and killed by the posse in Graham's place. Graham is not home free though, because he changed clothes with the wrong dentist - a quack dentist who is wanted by the law himself.
Amanda looks upon the dead man's clothes and faints, believing Graham dead and is at first ostracized for consorting with Graham, but then she first verbally speaks of their great love and is forgiven, then writes what turns out to be a best selling book about their three hour love affair, greatly embellishing Graham's character and appearance. The story even spawns a hit play, and the royalties from all of this make Amanda a rich woman.
Will Graham ever get back to Amanda again and how? And if he does will she even recognize him, since Amanda isn't actually lying because she has come to believe all of this legend herself? Watch and find out.
This is a western just full of clever ironies. It's rather a product of its time - the 1970s - when people would rather believe a pleasant lie than know the unvarnished truth, because they are pretty sure that unvarnished truth is going to be unpleasant.
Graham stays behind at Amanda's ranch after his horse gives out, having had premonitions that his gang will be caught during the bank robbery that was planned. You see, the whole idea of stopping at Amanda's was to find him a fresh horse, and when he finds one after she lies about having one, he just confirms the lie. So the gang rides out to rob the bank and pick Graham up later, and Graham proceeds to chase Amanda through the house attempting to rape her. She counters by saying that she knows he'll win in the end and rather than suffer her clothes being ripped apart and her being physically assaulted beyond the rape she just lays down passively like a corpse.
This is very unappealing to Graham, so he devises a tale of impotence to get Amanda's sympathy, it works, and they have a three hour love affair. But word comes back that Graham's premonitions were right. His gang was caught and will be hanged that afternoon. Amanda, considering Graham to be a gallant character - gosh she has a short memory - encourages him to ride into town and save them. Graham finally gives in and rides out, intending to only nap for awhile and then come back saying he failed.
But the posse finds him and gives chase anyways, and Graham forces a traveling dentist to change clothes and horses with him, causing the dentist to be shot and killed by the posse in Graham's place. Graham is not home free though, because he changed clothes with the wrong dentist - a quack dentist who is wanted by the law himself.
Amanda looks upon the dead man's clothes and faints, believing Graham dead and is at first ostracized for consorting with Graham, but then she first verbally speaks of their great love and is forgiven, then writes what turns out to be a best selling book about their three hour love affair, greatly embellishing Graham's character and appearance. The story even spawns a hit play, and the royalties from all of this make Amanda a rich woman.
Will Graham ever get back to Amanda again and how? And if he does will she even recognize him, since Amanda isn't actually lying because she has come to believe all of this legend herself? Watch and find out.
This is a western just full of clever ironies. It's rather a product of its time - the 1970s - when people would rather believe a pleasant lie than know the unvarnished truth, because they are pretty sure that unvarnished truth is going to be unpleasant.