Unforgiven: The Morals, Words and Ideas of The American Western
by Vivienne Waite
On Tuesday, September 23rd at 7:15pm, while I was seated inside the Apollo Theater with my usual movie theater snack, a small unbuttered popcorn and a medium Doctor Pepper, I was excited to become immersed in a genre that is distinctly American, the Western. The professor that introduced the film as a part of the Oberlin Film Society’s schedule said something that made me feel a specific type of pride and joy I am not used to, (dare I say… patriotism): “It’s one of the great American art forms, The Western. I think it’s as complex, as sophisticated as a renaissance painting, as an Opera… It really is this kind of art that is very unique to this landmass and this country.” I had been going to the Oberlin Film Society’s screenings at the Apollo since they began. I knew nothing about the film going into it, other than the fact it was as Western. To my surprise, when the film concluded, closing on a shot of a sunset as our main character moved on from the life he desired to leave behind, I didn’t want to leave. I sat and listened to the faint and sweet strumming of strings along with the deep orange sky and silhouette of William Munny’s wooden home resting in the plains of Kansas. And I went back on Sunday to watch it all again.
The movie begins with a horrific scene of a large and burly cowboy slicing the face of a prostitute, Delilah, who works at a saloon by the name of Greeley’s. Delilah survives the attack, but is left with deep scars on her face, a permanent reminder of the vicious assault. The aftermath of the incident is when we are first introduced to Gene Hackman’s character, Little Bill, the Sheriff of the town “Big Whisky.” Bill arrives at the saloon, and at first, he suggests that the cowboys should be whipped. Alice, one of the other prostitutes, furious at the meager punishment Bill suggests, pleads with the sheriff and insists that both the cowboy who cut Delilah, and his partner who didn’t intervene, should be hanged. Little Bill makes a deal with the cowboys, saying they must provide the owner of Greeley’s with horses. When the cowboys agree, Little Bill lets them off without a whipping; Alice is furious. This is the main conflict that underpins the film. After the other prostitutes become horrified by this injustice, they all pool their money in order to place a bounty on the cowboys’ heads.
This bounty is how our main character, William Munny, played by director Clint Eastwood, is thrown back into a gunslinger's life of danger after leaving this world behind 11 years prior with his close friend, Ned Logan. In this time, they have both become farmers and family men. Will is approached by the 'Schofield Kid,’ with information about the bounty; after relaying the facts of the case, he then expresses a desire to team up with Will to catch the cowboys and split the winnings. Will eventually agrees after some consideration. However, Will, Ned and the 'Schofield Kid,’ aren't the only ones after this bounty. After the aforementioned scene, we are introduced to English Bob on a train heading to the town of “Big Whiskey.” The film takes place in 1881, shortly after President Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau. The assassination attempt is the main topic of discussion on the train for English Bob, who constantly disrespects the U.S., saying “One isn’t quick to shoot a King or a Queen… why not shoot a President?" When English Bob enters the town of “Big Whisky” he is confronted by Little Bill for carrying his guns in a “gun free” town. Little Bill proceeds to beat English Bob into a bloody pulp, as the American flag waves in the background. As Little Bill walks away from Bob’s mutilated body, he passes a sign in front of the town’s bank that is framed by two American flags.
The image of a “Bank” sign with two American flags at its side is an image that encapsulates the film’s primary thematic concerns. All characters are motivated by money, or at least claim to be. When the prostitutes working at Greeley’s collected a bounty for the two cowboys, only then did word get out about their vicious attack. Money traps sex workers into a system where their bodies are currency, money causes cowboys to run and bounty hunters to gather. If the pursuit of money is the film’s main focus, masculinity is the accessory. When Delilah giggles at her attacker's small package, he cuts her face, as he can only remedy his feelings of emasculation by inflicting immense pain and trauma; he gives her scars that say “I won’t let you forget what you did to me.” In the aftermath of the attack, the man who owns Greeley’s complains that “no one [will] want to hump [Delilah] anymore,” and whines over the money he could've made off of selling her body. The Schofield Kid strives to embody the “Masculine Ideal” by lying about how many men he has killed, and insisting that triumphant acts of violence makes one more of a man. Will and Ned, after living this gruesome reality for many years, cares little for this sentiment.
Throughout this film, we are introduced to W.W. Beauchamp, English Bob’s biographer. Once English Bob is humbled by Little Bill, Beauchamp diverts his attention to Little Bill, now interested in hearing his stories of gunslinging danger. Beauchamp’s character, I believe, is a stand-in for the audience. There is a certain pull to the Western. Beauchamp is intrigued by stories of stakes and bullets, of cowboys wandering the Western plains on horseback. Yet, when he is face to face with a loaded gun, Beauchamp is frozen and filled with fear. Like many that watch Westerns, we are fascinated by the stories of danger our cowboys endure, yet, when faced with the reality of violence, we are unable to stomach it.
When the movie had come to a close, the action and flying bullets fading away to the past, I sat awe-struck. This movie wasn't just a Western with gunshots and smoke from barrels. This film is a Western with self awareness, one that grapples with themes of greed, nationalism, misogyny and the fetishization of violence. The violence that is depicted takes up very little screen time and isn’t for the pleasure of the audience, but is instead quick and necessary to advance the plot, a plot that challenges the morals and ideas typically expressed in these types of films. This movie highlights the ugly aspects of American culture, such as our obsession and infatuation with guns and their wielders, while also highlighting the equally American sunkissed farms and men with a desire to change for the better. This film showcases the beauty of American skies and plains, while also emphasizing our citizens’ drive to try and be better tomorrow.
