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The Unforgiven

The Unforgiven

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Unbelievable
Review: This had to be the worst film I had ever seen. I am living in Japan where Audrey Hepburn is God. It was Audrey Hepburn week on TV, all week, and I got to see "Funny Face" and "Sabrina" -- both sweet pieces of fluff which show Audrey at her fashionable, pixiesh best. In fact, when you see these films, it is hard not to fall in love with Audrey. And so, it is simply beyond my comprehension what made her decide to do this god-awful film where she, along with every other bozo in this hateful, racist, outdated, hideous piece of garbage, is encouraged to pick up a gun by her "brother" (Burt Lancaster -- and I won't spoil the "surprise") and start pickin' off "Injuns." It is simply incomprehensible the amount of bloodshed that takes place in this film and it clearly shows that when you have trailer trash material that even two Oscar winners (Lancaster and Hepburn) cannot save this piece of flotsam/jetsam.

Audrey starts off talking in a sort of unschooled English, and yet, after years of trying so hard to get her English right, all she sounds like is a parrot repeating phrases from a hillbilly record. Also, there is a scene where Lillian Gish (who looks like she's trying out for "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" or "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte") is kinda/sorta braiding Audrey's fake hair. For one moment, she has this beautiful twist and you're looking at her and thinking -- gee, Audrey is so beautiful -- why in the name of God is she in this film?

Please do not make the mistake of wasting two hours of your life watching a racist insult. If you are an Audrey Hepburn fan, you'll only come away from this film immediately wanting to put Sabrina back in the DVD player and wiping out any remote memory of it. All in all, a sad, pathetic ghastly excuse for a "film." Trust me, you'll be able to quote every lead-balloon leaden cliche line within moments of turning it off. Hideous.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Incredibly powerful movie.
Review: This is an excellent movie that explores prejudices, family ties, and our preconceived notions about ourselves. It is set in the Old West, but the issues it explores are still relevant today. Director John Huston has done a masterful job with this film.

Audrey Hepburn is elegant and beautiful in the role of a sister who may have a "questionable" birth. Audie Murphy is her somewhat simple-mindedly prejudiced brother, Burt Lancaster is her older brother, whom she quietly adores. (And we soon see, the feeling is mutual.) Lillian Gish is just fantastic as the matriarch of the family, and Joseph Wiseman is excellent, as always, as an enigmatic stranger. Also, look for John Saxon in a small role as a Native American ranch hand.

A must-see. Incredibly well done, with wonderful performances by Hepburn, Lancaster and Gish, especially.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Unforgiven (1960)
Review: This is the best western I have ever seen. I knew it would be a classic at age 10 when I first saw it in a movie theater in Tacoma, Washington. And time has not changed that. I would give it 6 stars, if possible. The cast and their performances are brilliant, especially Charles Bickford as the clan patriarch, Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, and all the others. The music is grand and the plot is ever so interesting. No western that I have ever seen has even come close to undertaking the complexities of race relations (a term scarcely known in 1850) in the Wild West. One of the most intense scenes I have ever seen on film is when they are about to hang the old Hunter, Abe Kelsey. This is simply a John Huston masterpiece. Every camera shot is outstanding and the dialog is superb. You can never forget Kelsey's warning, "You ALL turn to devils! Devils!" Incidentally, altho I have forgotten his real name (John Wiseman?) I believe he also had a bit part in "Masada" as another type of prophet-patriarch. Forget about the fluff & huff of modern, politically correct "westerns" of today's producers, with their blow-dried hair doos. If you want an authentic western at its best, this is a must see. And you're entire family can watch it. No -F- words, of course. That in itself is testimony to another era of golden film making -- all acting, no cheapness. "The Unforgiven" goes into my book as one of the top 10, all time great movies.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Aweful
Review: This was an utterly terrible movie. A complete failure. The begining was boring, and the end had a slaughterfest of pointless killings. I walked away from this thinking what a bad movie. Do yourself a favor and watch The Godfather instead.


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