THE LAST HUNT
US, 1955, 103 minutes, Colour.
Stewart Granger, Robert Taylor, Debra Paget, Lloyd Nolan, Russ Tamblyn, Constance Ford.
Directed by Richard Brooks.
The Last Hunt is a serious and sombre western, filmed in the beautiful plains and hills of South Dakota, concerning the culling out of the buffalo herds in the United States during the 19th century. A prologue indicates that there were more than 60,000,000 buffalo in the middle of the 19th century and these had been culled drastically by the end of the century. (The filming itself was done during a government-controlled culling of the herd in the mid-'50s.)
The film was written and directed by Richard Brooks. Brooks, a screenwriter and novelist (Crossfire) had begun directing films like Crisis, The Light Touch, and was moving into bigger budget films. He was soon to make The Brothers Karamazov, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and many other significant films into the '80s. His other westerns include The Professionals and Bite the Bullet.
The film was an early M.G.M. Cinemascope film. Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger-are paired as the hero and villain. (They had reversed such roles in the seafaring adventure, All The Brothers Were Valiant.) They give good performances. There is an excellent performance by Lloyd Nolan as a grizzled old hide-dealer.
The film is tough, shows prejudice against the Indians, has a conservation perspective and a disgust at the brutality of hunting. It also has a famous ending with Robert Taylor freezing in the snow while waiting to attack Stewart Granger.
1. Enjoyable and interesting western? Serious? Conservation and the herds? Racism and the Indians? A picture of the old West?
2. Colour photography, South Dakota locations, the buffalo herds, the hunt, the seasons, the town? Musical score? The work of Richard Brooks?
3. The title, the prologue explanations, the portrait of Mc Kenzie and Gilson as the last hunters?
4. The hunting of the buffalo, McKenzie's disgust, his partnership with Gilson, Gilson and his bloodlust, the Indians depending on the buffalo for food, the sacred white buffalo and Indian traditions, the killing of the white buffalo? The end of an era?
5. Stewart Granger as Sandy Mc Kenzie, watching the buffalo herds and the losing of his herds? His being a champion yet wanting to finish? The encounter with Charlie, being persuaded to make a partnership? In the town, going to get Woodfoot? His standing by Jimmy and people despising him as an Indian? Out on the range, the shooting of the buffalo? His growing disgust and stopping shooting? The contrast with Charlie and his bloodlust? The skinning of the buffalo and Woodfoot's presence in the camp? The encounter with the Indians, the Indian woman and the child? Charlie and his despising Indians yet taking over the woman? Sandy and his love for the woman? Care for Jimmy? The stopping of the hunt? The clash with Charlie? Charlie and his anger, Sandy taking the woman and child and the horses? Going into the Indian camp, the question of starvation, the army presence? In the town, support of Jimmy? Going out to the hills, Charlie's pursuit? The confrontation, the warmth in the cave, discovering Charlie's body?
6. Charlie and his background, his skill in the wax, the killer? The partnership with Sandy? Despising Jimmy? Tough attitudes? The thrill of the killing of the buffalo? Killing the white buffalo? Taking the Indian woman? His clash with Woodfoot? His finally shooting him? The irony that Woodfoot had no bullets in the gun? His pursuit of Sandy, wanting vengeance? The confrontation, waiting, shooting the buffalo,
getting its hide for warmth, sitting in vigil, frozen?
7. Woodfoot and his dealing with hides, the grizzled old man and his stories, admiration for Sandy, wisdom in the camp enjoying the work, friendship with Jimmy? His siding with Andy, taking the horses, the confrontation with Charlie, pulling the gun, his death?
8. Jimmy as the half-breed Indian, taking off his Indian hair, passing for white, the clashes in the town with Charlie, going with Sandy, helping with the work, admiration for both, Charlie trying to depend on him at the end?
9. The Indian woman and the child, out in the hills, being taken by Charlie, treated courteously by Sandy? The child? Charlie's leaving, their going with Sandy, witnessing the finale?
10. The background of the frontier town, the saloons, the traders? The army?
11. A picture of the American West in the late 19th century? The myth and the reality? The American heritage?
