Ben Zachary (Burt Lancaster) with brothers Cash (Audie Murphy), Andy (Doug McClure), and adopted sister Rachel (Audrey Hepburn) live with their mother (Lillian Gish) on a dusty ranch. When an old crazy loner arrive spreading rumor that Rachel is actually a red Indian who was taken as a baby, everybody around her starts acting differently. Then the local Kiowa tribe wants her returned believing her to be a long lost sister.
John Huston expertly film the vast dusty territory. However it's not the big landscape that's noteworthy but the morally complexity that's most important. This movie is full of ever shifting moral land mines. How can we truly root for the Zacharys? But does all the past sins permit the natives to exact revenge? The racism towards Rachel from the white community is well put forward. But the rest is full of moral contradictions.
I still can't accept Audrey Hepburn playing native American. Granted it's the old Hollywood. I can't expect much better. The problem is the audience knows she's as white as the driven snow. Playing so far against her persona really makes it problematic.
There are some great shocking scenes like Ma Rawlins shouting Red N1gger and the hanging scene. But the tone at the start is too light hearted. It needed to start dark and stay that way. With all the moral confusion, it's still very compelling. But it's a hard watch to see all those Indians get killed. It's very old Hollywood. And the incestuous undertones between Ben and Rachel really throws me off.
John Huston expertly film the vast dusty territory. However it's not the big landscape that's noteworthy but the morally complexity that's most important. This movie is full of ever shifting moral land mines. How can we truly root for the Zacharys? But does all the past sins permit the natives to exact revenge? The racism towards Rachel from the white community is well put forward. But the rest is full of moral contradictions.
I still can't accept Audrey Hepburn playing native American. Granted it's the old Hollywood. I can't expect much better. The problem is the audience knows she's as white as the driven snow. Playing so far against her persona really makes it problematic.
There are some great shocking scenes like Ma Rawlins shouting Red N1gger and the hanging scene. But the tone at the start is too light hearted. It needed to start dark and stay that way. With all the moral confusion, it's still very compelling. But it's a hard watch to see all those Indians get killed. It's very old Hollywood. And the incestuous undertones between Ben and Rachel really throws me off.