PURSUED

US, 1947, 101 minutes, Black and white.
Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Judith Anderson, Dean Jagger, Alan Hale, Harry Carey Jr.
Directed by Raoul Walsh.

Pursued is a powerful western written by Niven Busch. It is directed by veteran Raoul Walsh. It is considered by many to the one of the first of the psychological westerns.

The film boasts an excellent cast with Robert Mitchum at his best. Teresa Wright is a persuasive heroine and Judith Anderson and Dean Jagger are the older generation. The film is fairly grim, focuses on themes of vengeance. It also has a score by Max Steiner.

1. An interesting western? Impact as western? Psychological western of the '40s?

2. The quality of the black and white photography? Light and shadow? Locations? The atmosphere of the West? The Max Steiner score?

3. The structure of the film? The importance of the flashbacks? The situation? Jeb and Thor? Memories, puzzle? Life story? The audience knowing Grant? The satisfactory resolution?

4. The focus on Jeb and the version of his life, puzzle? Hatred? Memories? Trauma?

The importance of psychological trauma in the western? Imagining Grant? Dreams? Superimpositions? The war etc? His recalling and resolving the trauma?

6. The focus on Mrs Callum: floor, help, home? The children growing? The members of the family? Colt shot? Grant? Not telling? The war and return? Adam, death, inquest, hatred? The dance and Thor? Prentice? Confronting Thor? Leaving? The truth and the shooting?

7. Jeb: playing, colt and fight? His own name? Not loving? Growing? The three? Thor, the town and Grant? The coin? War and the dream? Hero, visiting home? Relationship with Ma? The clash with Adam, the coin? Jake and the money? Shooting Adam? Hatred? Work and Jake? The dance? Shooting? Courting and marrying? The wedding? Home and the guns, the attack, the finale?

8. Thor, pleasant, playing, the coin, the war? Death and hatred? The dance, courting? With Ma? Hatred and the wedding, the gun and the ending?

9. Grant, the shooting of the colt, Ma, recruiting? Adam and poison? Prentice, vendetta? The shoot-out and death?

10. Adam, the brothers, the fight. war, money, Grant, death?

11. Prentice: shop, devotion, dances? Grant and the shooting?

12. Jake and the gambling?

13. The Coroner and the moral stances and perspective?

14. An American western town, family, vendetta and the law? War and Americana? Human nature and psychological themes?