Unforgiven
Overview
This is an overview of what I will display to the reader.
I will begin with a summary of the time period in which the film was produced. I will give a background of the social and political feelings at that time as well. Then, I will ask the reader a question. Think about the question and keep it ingrained in your mind. Do not jump to a conclusion until the end of the essay.
After that, the essay turns to an overview of the movie. I will describe some important events throughout the movie and develop the main characters. I will then correlate the actions of these characters and the entire theme of the movie with the time frame in which it was made.
Then I will relate the two with my views and opinions. I will correlate the movie with the time period, and give my personal insight into why and how the correlation was made.
Unforgiven
“That’s right. I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed just about everything that walks or crawled at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned.” It’s hard to believe this line came from the man that you would root for in the end.
In Unforgiven, unlike most Western movies, there is no clear cut good guy and bad guy. Instead, there is a large grey area throughout the movie. Who is right, the overly-strict, sometimes ruthless lawman, or the cold blooded killer and assassin? This question can be directly correlated with the time period in which Unforgiven was produced.
Unforgiven was made in 1992. The nation was barely removed from the Cold War, and the U.S. was in a confused state. The Soviet Union had just been toppled. Communism defeated. But was the U.S. all good and the Soviets all bad? Was America the defenders of liberty and freedom, or was it a greedy capitalistic nuclear bomb wielding bully? There was a sense of grayness that fell over everyone, including Americans. Although many were convinced that the U.S.A. was on the side of unwavering good, many were stuck pondering if either side were really the “good” side. Many saw neither side as the “right” side. Both countries had motives. Both had something to gain with the other out of the picture. With the U.S.A. gone, socialism would prevail, and the worker would finally be taken care of and his voice heard. With the Soviet Union gone, America could finally institute the freedom of capitalism around the world, and people would be free to do and say what they wish. The U.S.A. also saw the fall of communism as a pro economically. With the Soviets gone, there was more money to be made.
This is where the message of Unforgiven is derived. It makes the viewer question their own values and ideals. No direct correlation of characters to country is supposed to be derived from this movie, but rather a sense of what is truly “good.” Is good the violent lawman who keeps order with a bloody, hard-handed fist? Or is it the assassin, defending the honor of the fallen, defenseless woman and his vision of what is right? For that matter, what is right? Is killing someone for money right? But what if you are killing in defense of another? These are all questions that were being asked by the American people following the Cold War, and this is where the movie gets is message.
In the opening scene of the movie, the viewer is introduced to Little Bill Dagget, played by Gene Hackman. He is a strict lawman in a small rural town. An incident with two cowboys and a prostitute leaves the young woman badly cut and slashed on her face. When the two men are brought before Bill, he is lenient towards them. He could have hanged them, or at least whipped them, but he doesn’t. Instead, he shows mercy and forces them to bring seven ponies to the owner of the saloon by next spring.
Why is Bill merciful toward two men that viciously harmed a woman? Western movies usually depict the woman as defenseless, and one who needs to be protected by men. Why doesn’t Bill take more drastic action to defend the woman?
Bill’s leniency sets the stage for you think will be a clear cut, good guy/bad guy story line. However, as the movie progresses, the perception of Bill, as well as many other characters, is greatly changed.
After Bill, the viewer is introduced to Will Munny, played by Clint Eastwood. Munny is a former killer and assassin for hire, who gave up the life to settle down with his wife. However, his wife succumbs to smallpox and dies. When a young lad comes to Munny and asks him to be his partner in the killing of the two cowboys for money, Munny reluctantly agrees.
This is the point in the movie where a general assumption is made of Munny. But do not be too quick to judge. It would appear that Munny is going to become the defender of the woman’s honor; the “good” guy. But how can this term be given to a man who has killed innocent men, women and children? He is not good by societal standards of murder.
As the movie progresses, so does the perception of Little Bill. He is ruthless to English Bob for carrying a gun, and beats Munny nearly to death for the same charge. He is evil…or is he? Bill is just upholding the law, a law that is clearly stated at the right outside of town. He is technically doing a good thing because he is keeping the inhabitants of his town safe. However, the occupants are scared of him. And living in fear of one’s government is key to this movie.
During this post-Cold War period, many people were still living in fear of their own government. Americans were afraid if they said anything bad about their country, they would be labeled as unpatriotic and would be arrested for treason. The McCarthy era was a powerful reminder to American citizens. People in the Soviet Union would be killed if they spoke out against their own government. Unforgiven reflects on the sentiment of people being afraid of their own government.
After Munny and his partner kill the two cowboys, Munny turns his attention to Little Bill. Bill had captured Munny’s former partner and assassin Ned Logan. Bill tortured Ned, and then killed him. It is here when the viewer’s attitude is completely changed. There was no reason for Bill to kill Ned, but he did anyway. He tortured Ned to get information out of him. This can very loosely be related to tactics used on spies and enemy soldiers at the time of the Cold War. Munny rides into town, confronts Bill, and shoots him without giving Bill a chance to defend himself.
This can be viewed many ways. One, it symbolizes the feeling of both the U.S. and the Soviet Union at the time; shoot first or die. Each nation tried countless times to intimidate the other and gain an edge, but when neither side prevailed, the notion of shooting first to live became an all to real option. People in each nation lived in fear of this occurring. Two, the movie plays to the feeling of redemption and revenge. The idea of defending yourself and country ran high during this time period.
Munny kills five other men in the saloon, including Little Bill. When Munny has his gun to Bill’s head, Bill’s hard-ass attitude leaves him, and he says, “I don’t deserve this…to die like this. I was building a house.” Munny replies, “Deserves got nothing to do with it.”
Look at this quote. What does it say to you? To this reviewer it shows how during this time, it didn’t matter if the other side had done anything wrong, they needed to be destroyed. The U.S.A. took down the Soviet Union because the Soviet’s was different than America’s viewpoint. It’s not that the Soviet Union deserved to be torn down for wrong-doings, but rather for the differences in ideals. Bill believed to keep order, harsh and ruthless tactics must be used. Both the U.S. and Soviet had this same motto. Munny believed to stop Bill, he must be killed. Munny also kills out of revenge, but the movie portrays the murder of Bill as a positive, as if the community can finally stop living in fear, and the harsh mistreatment of citizens will be stopped.
That statement has never shown truer than during and after the Cold War. By stepping up, one society and country can finally be free.
A final point of comparison can be made by looking at the money accepted by Will Munny. There is an economic gain to kill those two cowboys. If there wasn’t, would Munny have done it? This reviewer thinks not. The same can be said about the Cold War. There was a massive economic gain to be made by either country if the other fell. While this may be a subtle correlation, it is a correlation nonetheless.
Think about the information given above. Now think about the American sentiment following the Cold War. An in-depth look at Unforgiven and the post-Cold War era shows drastic similarities and correlations between the two. Both were periods of grey, where no one quite knew who were the good guys and bad guys, or even if there was one. The nation was in a confused state, not really sure who to trust and who to believe in. Should the people believe in a strong but brutal government (Bill), or should it look to the heartless assassin who is also the defender of freedom and honor (Munny)? The direct relationship of Unforgiven and the post-Cold War era are visible throughout the movie.
“That’s right. I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed just about everything that walks or crawled at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned.” Kind of has a new feel to it, doesn’t it?
Written by Griffin Shaffer
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