The Unforgiven (1960 film)
| The Unforgiven | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Huston |
| Produced by | James Hill |
| Written by |
Ben Maddow Alan Le May (novel) |
| Starring |
Burt Lancaster Audrey Hepburn |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography | Franz Planer |
| Edited by | Russell Lloyd |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $3,200,000 (rentals) |
The Unforgiven is a 1960 American western film filmed in Durango, Mexico. It was directed by John Huston and stars Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audie Murphy, Charles Bickford and Lillian Gish. The story is based upon a novel by Alan Le May.
The film, uncommonly for its time, spotlights the issue of racism against Native Americans and people believed to have Native American blood in the Old West. The movie is also known for problems behind the scenes. Huston often said this was his least satisfying movie.
The Zacharys are a thriving and respected family on the Texas frontier. Father Will Zachary was killed by Kiowa Indians, leaving his oldest son Ben (Burt Lancaster) as the head of the family. Both Ben and his mother Mattilda (Lillian Gish) are very protective of the Zacharys' adopted daughter, Rachel (Audrey Hepburn), while her other brothers, Cash (Audie Murphy) and Andy (Doug McClure), treat her as they would any sister. The family is supported by their closest neighbor, Zeb Rawlins (Charles Bickford), the patriarch of a racist family, whose shy son Charlie (Albert Salmi) wants to marry Rachel. Ben, long aware that she is not actually his sister, loves Rachel and is reluctant.
Ranchers from all around gather to prepare for a cattle drive to Wichita, Kansas. An old man believed to be crazy, Abe Kelsey (Joseph Wiseman), hides in the brush nearby after claiming that Rachel Zachary is an Indian. Ben and Cash, believing the story to be a vengeful lie, try to kill Kelsey. They manage to unhorse him but he soon steals a horse from them. A small group of Kiowa appears one night, led by Lost Bird, offering to trade horses to Ben in return for Rachel, claiming that he has been told by an old white man that she is actually his sister. Soon after, the Kiowa kill Charlie while he is returning to his ranch from courting Rachel, and in her grief Charlie's mother accuses Rachel of being a "dirty Injun." Ben leads the ranchers in tracking down Kelsey and bringing him back to the Rawlins ranch to be hanged as a horse thief.
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Wikipedia