|
|
9 internautes sur 9 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
Gregory Peck goes mano e mano with the warrior Salvaje, Nov. 6 2003
I have read only two Western novels in my life. The second was Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove," after seeing the televison mini-series, and the first was Theodore V. Olsen's "The Stalking Moon," after seeing this 1968 film. I have tried to think of whether there is really a common denominator between the two and while they share fine performances by Oscar winning actors and an attention to psychological conflicts, they are still rather different stories.Gregory Peck plays San Varner, a scout for the U.S. cavalry on his last mission, which is to round up some Apaches to take to the reservation. This particular group follows Salvaje (Nathaniel Narcisco), the famed warrior who likes to hunt his enemies alone, using a Sharps buffalo rifle for long distance killing and a knife for up close and personal. Salvaje is not among the group, but they do find Sarah Carver (Eva Marie Saint), a while woman who has been living with the tribe for some time, and her boy (Noland Clay), who happens to be the son of Salvaje. After this final mission Varner is going to retire to his ranch in the mountains of New Mexico, while Sarah and her son are supposed to go East to find relatives. But they both know that the pair will never find acceptance back there and Varner ends up taking them to New Mexico. After they settle Varner gets a visit from his protégé, the half-breed scout Nick Tana (Robert Forster) to report that Salvaje has learned about what happened to his woman and child, and is leaving a trail of corpses across the Southwest making his way to the ranch. The stage is then set for the deadly two-sided game of cat and mouse between these men. Varner and Salvaje seem to be evenly matched, and one of the strengths of the film is that Salvaje is not portrayed as a typical villain: after all, he is coming to fetch his son. Varner has to defned Sarah and the boy, even though it is not clear where their true loyalties lie in this conflict to the death. "The Stalking Moon" is a rather intimate western, with sparse dialogue; I think the longest speech in the film is when Nick shows up to deliver the exposition that sets up the rest of the film and Salvaje never says a word. As the title implies, the action is based on intelligence and skill rather than just bigger and better guns. The pacing is a tad slow, but that is rather appropriate to the story being told. Of course it is hard to reconcile that this Peck and director Robert Mulligan working again after their great success with "To Kill a Mockingbird," which earned Peck his only Oscar and Mulligan his only Academy Award nomination. Peck is once again playing a strong man forced to act alone, but this was never intended to be a literate script. Actually, you might be reminded in Spielberg's strategy for "Jaws," because Salvaje is more suggested than seen for most of the film, just like the great white shark. "The Stalking Moon" is a solid Western rather than a great one, but that makes it pretty good all things considered. Final Note: I was surprised to learn my memory was faulty on this film and that Charles Bronson did not play Nick. You can see why he would have been great in that role, but Bronson was busy that same year making my all time favorite Western, "Once Upon a Time in the West." So a tip of the cowboy hat to Robert Forster for his nice supporting role (when saloon keeper declared they did not serve half-breeds Nick would smile one of those killer smiles and suggest they serve the white half).
Aidez d'autres clients à trouver les commentaires les plus utiles
Ce commentaire vous a-t-il été utile ?
 
|
|
|
|
DVD ~ William Holden
DVD ~ Robert Taylor
DVD ~ Robert Taylor
DVD ~ Gregory Peck
DVD ~ Glenn Ford
