The Unforgiven (1960)

The Zachary family — Ben (Burt Lancaster), Cash (Audie Murphy), Rachel (Audrey Hepburn), Andy (Doug McClure) and their mom (Lillian Gish) — have been carving out a hard existence on a ranch out West.

But it’s about to pay off. They have a herd of 6,000 head their about to drive to Wichita in a joint venture with neighboring ranchers, including Zeb Rawlins (Charles Bickford) and his family.

Then a strange man in a Confederate uniform and bearing a saber shows up, spreading an ugly rumor — that the Zachary’s adopted daughter Rachel is really an Indian. The Kiowa believe it; they show up at the Zachary ranch to claim Rachel. And after Charlie Rawlins is killed by Indians, some of the whites begin to believe it, too.

So Ben Zachary has the half-mad stranger named Kelsey tracked down and brought in to be hanged. He tells a strange tale of the massacre of an Indian village. There was only one survivor, a Kiowa baby, in a cradle with Indian markings on her hands, feet and stomach.

The news leaves the Zachary family to fend for themselves when the Kiowa come calling a second time. And they no longer has Cash to help them. He rides off when Ben refuses to turn out their “red-skinned n—-r” of a sister.

Burt Lancaster as Ben Zachary, making a promise to a grieving father in The Unforgiven (1960)

Audrey Hepburn as Rachel Zachary, awaiting brother Ben’s return from Wichita in The Unforgiven (1960)

Review:

From the opening scene in which Rachel is shooing a cow off the roof of the Zachary family shoddy, this is a different sort of Western, and it only gets better as the film moves along.

We’re left with plenty of memorable scenes: the Indian attack on the Zachary family piano, Lilian Gish’s character angrily whipping the horse from under Kelsey because he claims Rachel is an Indian, Charles Bickford getting two men to hold him high so he can look the dead man in his face, and Burt Lancaster’s character ordering his brother to kill an Indian who approaches their shoddy under a peace sign so Rachel knows turning herself over to the Indians will be futile.

Lancaster turns in a fine performance as a man confident in his skills as a rancher, but who isn’t quite sure what to do about his desire for Rachel or her desire to marry. Yep, that’s Lillian Gish of silent movie fame as the mother, and Doug McClure, later of “The Virginian” fame, as the youngest son. And Audie Murphy is splendid as the bigoted middle brother, who hates Indians for killing his father and who can’t stand the thought of living with one.

Audie Murphy as Cash Zachary, smelling something suspicious upon his return home in The Unforgiven (1960)

Lillian Gish as Mattilda Zachary, finding an unwelcome visitor at her home in The Unforgiven (1960)

Directed by:
John Huston

Cast:
Burt Lancaster … Ben Zachary
Audrey Hepburn … Rachel Zachary
Audie Murphy … Cash Zachary
Lillian Gish … Mattilda Zachary
Doug McClure … Andy Zachary
John Saxon … Johnny Portugal
Charles Bickford … Zeb Rawlins
Albert Salmi … Charlie Rawlins
June Walker … Hagar Rawlins
Kipp Hamilton … Georgia Rawlins
Arnold Merritt … Jude Rawlins
Carlos Rivas … Lost Bird
Joseph Wiseman … Abe Kelsey

Runtime: 123 min.

Doug McClure as Andy Zachary, following big brother Ben’s orders in The Unforgiven (1960)

Joseph Wiseman as Abe Kelsey, the haggard veteran whose stories of the past haunt the Zachary family in The Unforgiven (1960)

Memorable lines:

Kesley to Rachel: “I am the sword of God. The fire and the vengeance whereby the wrong shall be righted and the truth shall be told.”

Ben Zachary: “What makes you so happy, mamma?”
Mattilda Zachary: “Because you ain’t sick or dead or scalped or something worse.”
Ben: “Nothing could kill me ‘cept lightning out of the sky. And then it would have to hit twice.”

Ben Zachary: “Kelseys don’t die. They have to be killed.”

Ben Zachary: “They (the Kiowa) wanted to buy a woman. You.”
Rachel Zachary: “Well, did you sell me?”
Ben: “I held out for more horses.”

Charles Bickford as Zeb Rawlins, demanding to now the reasons behind a son’s death in The Unforgiven (1960)

June Walker as Hagar Rawlins, confronting Rachel with the rumors regarding her parentage in the Unforgiven (1960)

Mrs. Rawlins to Rachel, after her son has been killed: “Dirty Injun with your Injun ways. Ain’t you done enough. Wound yourself around my son Charlie to get yourself a litter of half-breeds to run around my Charlie’s cabin. Squaw. Kiowa squaw. Red n—-rs ever was. You killed him. You killed him.”

Zeb Rawlins, trying to find out whether Rachel has Indian-toned skin or not: “Let the women take her in the house and undress her.”
Ben Zachary: “Anyone touches her, I’ll put a bullet through their God-fearing gut.”

Ben Zachary to brother Cash, who suggests they move because of the rumors about Rachel: “Man sets down roots, Cash, don’t like them cut off. By Kiowa or anyone else.”

Ben Zachary to Rachel as the Kiowa prepare to attack: “When they get close enough that you want to scream, don’t scream. Just shoot.”

A warning from the Kiowa for the Zachary brothers (from left), Andy (Doug McClure), Cash (Audie Murphy) and Ben (Burt Lancaster) in The Unforgiven (1960)

Albert Salmi as Charlie Rawlins, trying to get up the nerve to proposed to Rachel (Audrey Hepburn) in The Unforgiven (1960)

Kipp Hamilton as Georgia Rawlins, sprucing up to impress Cash Zachary in The Unforgiven (1960)

Carlos Rivas as Lost Bird, arriving at the Zachary home with a trade offer in The Unforgiven (1960)

John Saxon as Johnny Portugal, the man who helps ride down Abe Kelsey in The Unforgiven (1960)

Lillian Gish as Mattilda Zachary, trying to keep a secret from the past hidden in The Unforgiven (1960)

Audrey Hepburn as Rachel Zachary and brother Cash (Audie Murphy) watching Ben confront a ranch hand in The Unforgiven (1960)

Audrey Hepburn as Rachel Zachary gets a ride back home from brother Ben in The Unforgiven (1960)

Kipp Hamilton as Georgia Rawlins comforts her mourning mother (June Walker) in The Unforgiven (1960)

Audrey Hepburn as Rachel Zachary, confronting the rumors about her heritage in The Unforgiven (1960)

Burt Lancaster as Ben Zachary, preparing for a confrontation with Rachel (Audrey Hepburn) and Andy (Doug McClure) by his side in The Unforgiven (1960)