UNFORGIVEN

US, 1992, 127 minutes, Colour.
Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Frances Fisher, Saul Rubinek.
Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Unforgiven was seen as something of a climax of Clint Eastwood's acting and directing career. By the 90's, he had become an American icon.

Eastwood had given new energy to the Western at various stages of the 60's (with Sergio Leone), in the 70's with Don Siegal (along with his Dirty Harry police stories), and he attempted to give some new energy to it with Pale Rider in the mid 80's. However, he was most successful with Unforgiven, winning an Oscar for Best Director. The film won the Oscar for Best Film of 1992.

The film is a grim look at the West, the decline of the legendary West. In fact, there is a critique of the legends, the killers being drunk and not knowing what they were doing, exaggerating the stories that became the core of Pulp novels and the long mythical tradition. Eastwood plays a retired gunfighter, reformed by his wife, working on a hog farm with his young children. He is offered the chance to be a gunfighter again and to get money for the security of his children. He goes, along with his old partner, played by Morgan Freeman.

The focus of the film is also on a sheriff, a ruthless but smiling sheriff, played with vigour (and winning awards, including Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) by Gene Hackman. Richard Harris has a good cameo role as a British gun fighter with a way with words. Saul Rubinek is the young writer who wants to immortalise the Western action.

The film is well directed, photographed. The screenplay is strong, much more realistic than the romantic Westerns of the past. In some ways it is a pessimistic elegy to the myths of the American West.

1. The title and its meaning, applied to the characters? To Will Munny?

2. Its impact in the early 90's, given new energy to the Western genre? Its awards?

3. Its use of the Western genre, the gunfighters, the farms, the sheriffs and law and order? Killings, brutality? Conscience and law? Reform of the West? The interpretation of the legends - the truth? Clint Eastwood as an American Western icon? Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris and their screen images?

4. The picture of the West, wide screen photography, dark, browns and yellows? The farms, the town, the brothel? The contrast with the beauty of the snow-clad mountains? The valleys? Starkness and beauty? The dark, the rain? The musical score?

5. The stars, the images, status? Contributions to the Western?

6. The prologue and the caption about Munny and his wife? His reputation, his mother-in-law? His wife's death, the grave? The influence of his wife, the reform? The kids and the work? His serious talk, religious talk? His leaving, the return and the disappearance with the children? The story of San Francisco? His mother-in-law coming to the grave?

7. The opening with the brothel, the sexual encounters, the vicious cutting of Delilah, the owner and his gun, calling Capital Little Billy for justice? Billy and his threats, getting the horses for the owner? The threat of the whip? His treatment of the women as animals? The sexist talk? The women and their anger, Alice and her threats, their treating Delilah, the collecting of the money, the hiring of killers to get the cowboys? The return of the cowboys with the horses, the women pelting them with mud and rocks? The young man and his offer of the special horse to Delilah? Her wanting to take it? The women abusive of him?

8. The young gunslinger, his wanting the money, coming to visit William Munny, his uncle's reputation? The talk, the children listening in? Munny and his working on the farm, falling with the hogs? His deciding to go, watching him on the horizon? His motives, the money, the children? His past reputation? Practising shooting, not being able to get on the horse easily? His going to visit Ned, their friendship in the past? Going out together? Sally and her watching - and giving him the evil eye? Following the Capital Kid, his shooting at them, their meeting him, Ned and his talk about the hawk in the sky? The Kid having deficient sight? His anger? Their becoming partners? Munny and his saying that he saw the hawk?

9. The character of William Munny, the past and his reputation, killing women and children? His forgetting the details? His drunkenness? The reform, not drinking, caring for his wife? His sexual fidelity? His work, decision to go, sharing memories with Ned, men getting old, memories of sexual experience, needs? Their camping out at night? The arriving in the town, ignoring the ordinance about arms, his illness, being brutally kicked by Little Bill, his recovery, Delilah bringing the food, his respectful talk with her, her scars? His fidelity in not drinking?

10. Little Billy as tough, but with a smile? His reputation, handling the situation at the brothel, tough, the whip and threats, the discussion about the horses? Building his own house, but the rain coming in? His henchmen and their control of the town? The arrival of English Bob, his challenge, taking the guns, talking about the past, his brutality in kicking him, putting him in prison? The attack on Beauchamp - his fears, going into the bag for his manuscript, wetting himself? In jail, Little Bill telling the truth about Bob's exploits, denying all that was in the book? Calling him the Capital Duck instead of the Duke? The challenge with the gun, for Beauchamp to kill him, for Bob to kill him? Ousting Bob and putting him on the train? His later telling Beauchamp his stories for him to write down and make a book of them? The rain coming into the house?

11. English Bob, his reputation, talk on the train, the Mc Kinley assassination, the contrast with royalty and England, Americans as assassins? On the coach, keeping his weapons? His story, his manner with Bill? The brutality, his being kicked, prison, the gun, not shooting Bill? His leaving, humiliated on the coach and on the train?

12. Beauchamp and his stories, his books, the legends of the West? Eye witnesses? His writing Bob's stories, his being his biographer, fascinated with Little Bill? Writing down his stories? Observing William Munny at the shoot-out, the eye witness, escaping with his life?

13. The killing of the young cowhand, the shooting, Ned unable, Munny killing him? Letting him have the water? Ned leaving, arrested?

14. Ned, the whipping, giving the information, his dying, being exposed in the town?

15. The Kid and the staking out of the cowboy, their playing cards, going to the lavatory, his killing the man in cold blood? Confessing his first killing? His reaction, not wanting to kill, leaving his gun, departing in the rain, with the money for the children? A future gun-fighter, a disillusioned gun-fighter?

16. Munny and his final motivations, as a gunfighter, his skills, doing the job? The theme of justice and - "they had it coming"? His anger at the treatment of Ned? Going to the bar, confronting Little Bill, the shooting? Beauchamp and his story? His drinking - and finally killing Little Bill? Little Bill and his determination, not wanting to die in such humiliating circumstances?

17. The picture of the prostitutes, their place in the town, bought from Boston? The men, the money? Their being treated as animals? Their angers, wanting justice? Their characters, giving them money? With the owner? Delilah cut up and their treating her? Alice and her leadership? With William Munny, Delilah going to help him, the prostitute bringing the money? Seeing them at the end - their future in the dismal town?

18. The themes of the West, the frontier, justice, law, vengeance and brutality? Motivations? The critique of the legends and myths?