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The Unforgiven (1960)
American confabulism, exemplified
It's hard to know where to begin. My first encounter with the great John Huston was when I first saw "Chinatown," and it was some time before I ever became familiar with his notable contributions to cinema as a director.
So, anyway: What on earth made Huston look at this story and decide to make such a significant investment of time and talent in telling it? I don't know; I'm unwilling to trouble myself to research the production of a disturbing film so fatally grounded in the mythology of American exceptionalism it represents an object lesson in demonstrating a need to rectify historical pedagogy.
That surmise frames the sole reason prospective viewers should have for sitting through it. Be warned: One is likely to hear previously unknown racial slurs for Native Americans pronounced so un-selfconsciously as to demand rooting out the elaborate distortions of American history being taught during the era the movie was made. The film unintentionally solidifies regrettable truths about this country.
And, by the way, the great Audrey Hepburn is laughably miscast, but is nonetheless a joy to watch -- and I'll let that account for my second star.
Reign of Terror (1949)
Hitchcockian suspense!
Perhaps I underanticipated the level of craft and ingenuity that might be reached by a film I'd not heard of, thus explaining how bowled over I was by its sheer effectiveness! The acting, the nimbly tortuous script, the bold and uncommon cinematography, and, not least of all, the virtuosic depictions of imminent peril add up to one gem of a film that was ultimately blessed by the economy with which it was forced to be made. Anthony Mann deserved every good thing that came to him as a result of this breakthrough effort, and I'll be on the lookout for many of the principle actors whenever I hunt up old films to watch. This is a real winner!
Maverick: The Quick and the Dead (1957)
This is Film Noir
This is a repurposed Noir screenplay. Given that so many episodes of the show involve use of the genre's elements, we shouldn't be surprised to find one that seems to satisfy them all. You could change a few particulars regarding the period, the crimes, and the setting, but this could have been rewritten as a gangster movie. Fantastic!
That's all I have to say.