THESE THOUSAND HILLS


US, 1959, 96 minutes, Colour.
Don Murray, Richard Egan, Lee Remick, Patricia Owen, Stuart Whitman, Albert Dekker, Harold J. Stone.
Directed by Richard Fleischer.

These Thousand Hills is a standard western with young stars Don Murray and Richard Egan supported by Lee Remick who was at the beginning of her career after A Face in the Crowd and Anatomy of a Murder, released in 1959 also. Stuart Whitman was also about to become a leading man.

There are familiar western ingredients in beautifully photographed locations. Themes of justice, violent clashes, relationships in the west are all to the fore.

The film was directed by Richard Fleischer who in a forty-year career showed that he was skilled at all kinds of genres. He emerged with Armoured Car Robbery and The Narrow Margin in the early 50s, moved on to more spectacular films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Violent Saturday as well as The Vikings. At this time he made the crime thrillers Compulsion and Crack in the Mirror. Later he was to make Barabbas, Doctor Doolittle, The Boston Strangler and Fantastic Voyage. He continued to make films during the 1970s including Mr Majestyk with Charles Bronson and Mandingo, as well as The Incredible Sarah with Glenda Jackson.

1. The significance of the title, the Scripture reference, the song, the symbol of success?

2. The film as a western, use of conventions? Audience expectations from these situations and characters? Expectations for film conventions? The western as a cattle western, the life, the town, hunting, success in breeding, human and political crises?

3. The use of colour, Cinemascope, the scenery of the town and country?

4. Lat as the focus of the film, his growth into being a success and failure? his home life and the explanation of his going out to work? His father's biblical and religious background, his reaction against this, the strong motivation for money and success? His joining the cattle men, his interest in pay, doing double work? The nature and reality of his dreams, fantasy? Cattle men encouraging him, growing friendship with Tom, sharing his views? The success of the cattle trek? The drama of the race and the Indians cheating and yet Lat winning the money, his extracting the promise from Tom to go hunting? the encounter with Kelly and his ambitions because of the memories of his father about sexuality? The growth of warm communication with Kelly? This suffering involved with the wolf hunting, Tom’s leaving him, the Indians raiding and wounding him? The fact that he was rescued both by Kelly and Tom?

5. The unreality of his ambitions and the growing pride? Money, trying to borrow the money, the lending of the money by Kelly? His infatuation with Joyce? His clash with John in the aftermath of the race and his building up cattle? His vision about the success with cattle? and his looking forward to the future?

6, His ambitions to become respectable, weariness of his relationship with Kelly, growing infatuation with Joyce and her position? His attitude towards Tom and his wedding? His being promoted to the education board? The religious background of the town? The possibility of his becoming a Senator? His marriage in the light of this?

7. The pursuit of the horse thieves as the focus of the crisis for Lat? His being involved in the hunting, the lynching and the discovering of Tom? The actual lynching of Tom and its affect on him? The crisis about himself and his standards? The crisis with Joyce, especially when he was called by Kelly? The crisis of friendship with the death of Tom? The importance of going to Kelly and the fight with Jehu? His willingness to face the crisis and the truth? The importance of this as a basis for the future? The moral of this history of Lat as a typical man of the west?

8.. The characterisation of Kelly, her background, prostitute, her friendship with Lat, lending him the money, depending on him? Her being hurt by being abandoned by him, the domination of Jehu? Her finally being battered by Jehu? The irony of her shooting him? Lat as supporting her in her trial?

9. The characterisation of Tom: an ordinary cattle man, not a leader, sharing Lat's vision, but wary about money and hard work? Rescuing him from the Indians? Helping him, being rejected by him because of his marriage? The pathos of hie final words to Lat before his lynching?

10. The importance of Jehu as the arrogant villain? The race, domination by Kelly, cattle and selling them to Lat, forcing Lat into the lynching party, the importance of the final fight? The pathos of his being killed by Kelly?

11. Joyce as the conventional kind of heroine, external morality yet jealous and calculating? Her dependence on Lat and his place in society

12. The portrayal of the cattle men on the trek, their ordinary humanity at work? The people in the town? The people who supported Lat in his politics?

13. How valuable a western was this? Its themes of the American heritage of the 19th century? The exploration of human values and conflicts?