THEY CAME TO CORDURA


US, 1959, 123 minutes, Colour.
Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin, Tab Hunter, Richard Conte, Michael Callan, Dick York, Robert Keith.
Directed by Robert Rossen.

They Came to Cordura is based on a novel by Glendon Swarthout who wrote the novel Bless the Beasts and Children as well as Where The Boys Are and The Shootist. It was adapted for the screen by Ivan Moffatt who wrote quite a number of screenplays between the mid-50s and the mid-60s including Bhowani Junction, Giant, D- Day the 6th of June, Tender is the Night and The Heroes of Telemark. It was directed by Robert Rossen, a prominent director of the 1940s and 1950s who made a number of striking films in the 40s including Body and Soul and his Oscar-winning film All the King’s Men. Further films included The Brave Bulls, Mambo, Alexander the Great, Island in the Sun. During the 1960s he had two critical successes with The Hustler and with Lilith.

The film was one of the last made by Gary Cooper. Also one of the last made by Rita Hayworth. The film is set in Mexico, after the war against Pancho Villa in 1916. Cooper plays Major Thomas Thorne who is considered to be a weak character and officer. He gets his last chance to accompany some prisoners back to Cordura including Adelaide Geary (Rita Hayworth) who gave shelter to the rebels. They encounter a number of difficulties on the way and Thorne has the opportunity to prove himself.

1. The impact of this film? Western traditions? American traditions? Impact in the fifties, expectations of action and not symbolism? Expectations and impact now? Theme, fable?

2. The use of Cinemascope, colour, desert locations and environment, the atmosphere of a parched desert, isolation and silence? Music? 1916 and American/Mexican relationships, the 20th century, echoes of World War One?

3. The symbolic significance of 1916, Pancho Villa and his status in Mexican revolution, Mexican government? America and its attitude towards the 20th century, towards Mexico? War and confusion? The transition from cavalry to motorised warfare? World War One and America's growing involvement? The presentation of war correspondents, military men, awards, Congress? The 20th century beginning? Major Thorn as a man trying to learn from the past for the future?

4. The atmosphere of World War One, cars, planes? Its place in the American memory? America's victory, America taking its place in world wars? The symbolism of the awards and Americans being ready with morale for the war?

5. The contribution of the action sequences? Especially the charge of the ranch and audience involvement? Watching the action with Thorn? Watching the heroism, the bloodshed and the massacre? Audiences being involved and then having to reflect on the meaning of the action? Battle as a microcosm of human nature of courage and cowardice? The traditions of the Americans in the West and cowardice and courage?

6. How important was the written explanation and introduction concerning cowardice and courage at the beginning? Alerting audience interest to the themes? Audiences watching with Thorn? The theorizing throughout the film about cowardice and courage? The importance of its being illustrated so strongly with the four men in the charge? The examination of their motivations by Thorn? The contrast with his own experience of cowardice? The significance of moments of courage? The repercussions of moments of courage for a man's character and his life, despite his ordinariness, meanness and capacity for evil? Courage as a presentation of human potential despite all evil? How was this continually counterpointed by Thorn's moment of cowardice?

7. The portrayal of the Villa situation? The puzzle of his invasion of America? American punitive expeditions against him? Attitude towards the Mexicans? The irony of this being a preparation for American involvement in World War One?

8. The appropriateness of Gary Cooper portraying Thorn? His style, age, impact? His discussions about cowardice and courage and the gradual revelation of what had happened to his? His interest in Hetherington and his being possessed by God? His not wanting him to be involved in combat so that the heroes would be alive? How important was this for his own self-justification and self-rehabilitation? Was Thorn a credible character? More credible after the explanations? Was the screenplay right in presenting him as a person and then only later revealing the truth?

9. The presence of Thorn and Hetherington at the charge? The preparations for the charge, the importance of Rogers' belief, his calling on God? Thorn watching the success and failure of Rogers' charge? The importance of the aftermath and the confrontation between the two men? Rogers and his pride, age, retirement, ambitions, glories? His memories of Thorn's father, his helping Thorn out of his predicament at Columbus? His anger at Thorn and its justification? Was Thorn right in not recommending him and commenting so adversely on the charge? How important a critique of militarism, the military mentality and ambition and reality?

10. The revelation of Thorn and his cowardice? Was it excusable in any way? The nature of his guilt, his wanting to make amends? Rogers' attitude? The attack by Trubee? His own explanation to Adelaide? The fact of a moment of cowardice for a lifetime?

11. The importance of the mission and going to Cordura? The punitive purpose? Adelaide as the focus? Her own courage, cowardice, Ill-repute? The detailing of the heroes for this kind of expedition, accompaniment, saving them from active duty for their awards?

12. The artificial nature of the mission and its purpose? The symbolism of the journey and its purpose? The journey and survival, accidents, hatred, things going wrong?

13. Adelaide as a focus during the journey? The explanation of her background as regards her father, the ranch and her support of the Mexicans? Marital relationships and her children? Her ultimate sense of guilt? The initial taunting, smoking and drinking, a woman taunting lonely men? Becoming the soldiers' victim? Her wanting to escape, persuade Thorn? The growing awareness of the men and their awards, weakness and courage? Her growing respect for Thorn? Ultimately deciding to help him? Thorn's torment as a catalyst for her own self-awareness? What happened to her during this journey? Ultimate courage and the facing of death?

14. The character of Hetherington, the importance of his religious background, his father as a Jehovah personality? Losing the faith, regaining it? His place on the journey, the typhoid, his illness and the demands that it made on the rest? His recovery and the effect?

15. The importance of the mission for the awards and the four men in action? The details of each of their exploits, Chawk, Trubee, the Lieutenant, Hetherington? The details of their courage? Their reaction to the mission and the journey? Their questions? Thorn's black book and his description of their valour? The gradual revelation of their past, their not wanting the award? Their fears? Thorn's explanation of them as 'crippled children'? Consider each man in himself, his background of evil, ambitions, ordinariness? The reasons for the journey, for their heroism? Their evil and cruelty? The Lieutenant and his career, his revulsion against cowardice and letting the horses go, his ultimate cruelty towards Thorn? Chawk and his continued malevolence, murder, not wanting to be identified, cruelty and fighting, ultimate change? Trubee the ordinary man, expecting to be tricked, hating Thorn and blackmailing him for the woman etc.? His illness and weakness? His transformation? Renziehausen as the ordinary young man. his running away from home, the possibility of supporting Thorn, the episode of his ear?

16. The portrayal of the desert and the wanderings in the desert, purification, identification, suffering?

17. The melodrama of the siege, Thorn’s cowardice, military strategy, Adelaide's suggestion and the surrender of the horses, the effect on them all?

18. The Impact of the walking, carrying Hetherington, the mutual distrust, Thorn's not being able to sleeps, their fights, the water, the brackish water and Illness?

19. The reaching of the train line and the walking of the train line, the finding of the carriage? Hopes and yet no hope? Their finally leaving Thorn to drag the carriage?

20. The ultimate preparation for murder? The malice of the Lieutenant?

21. The arrival, Thorn as a sign of contradiction, the effect of their reading from the book, the Irony of the Lieutenant being the only one not to change? The title and Its significance? Man redeemed by suffering and endurance?

22. How vivid the explanation of the depths of human nature?