thurjday, September 2, 1976
'pcj 12
daily ncbraskan
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By Wul Huffman
Dedicated John Wayne fans may be dis
appointed with the depth of his perfor
mance in his latest film, Tlie Shootist.
Director Don Siegel opens the film,
which recalls the last week in a famous
gun-fighter's life, with a montage of clps
showing gunfight scenes from famous
John Wayne movies-? River (1948),
Rio Bravo (1959) and El Dorado (1967)
all directed by Howard Hawks. The clips
explain the career and code of John Ber
nard Books, the character Wayne plays,
and how he became one of the most fam
ous gunfighters of the Old West.
The aging gunfighter rides into Carson
City, Nev. (circa 1901) and immediately
visits a doctor (James Stewart) who saved
his life some years before. The doctor con
firms Wayne's fear-he is dying of cancer
and has only a few weeks left. The doctor
tells Wayne his death will be slow and un
bearably painful and ends by saying, "If 1
had your kind of courage, I wouldn't die
like that"
The dying man resolves to spend his re
maining days peacefully and anonocnously,
and checks into the boarding house run by
Mrs. Rogers (Lauren Bacall), a widow with
a rebellious teenage son (Ron Howard).
Soon the whole town learns that the most
famous gunfighter in the world is in their
midst and about to die.
Harry Morgan plays the town marshall
who is overjoyed to hear of Books immin
ent demise and John Carradine portrays a
greedy undertaker who offers Wayne his
services for free so he can charge the pub
lic admission to the funeral.
An old flame' out of the gunfighter's
past (Sheree North) arrives to comfort
the dying man, but only so she may marry
freeze
frames
him and obtain the rights on a book to be
published after his death.
Other residents of the town see the
presence of the dying gunfighter in a dif
ferent light. A gambler (Hugh O'Brien) and
a local troublemaker (BUI McKinhey) see a
chance to enhance their own reputations .
as gunfighters by killing the famous J. B.
Books, and Richard Boone shows up as a
revengful brother of one of Wayne's
previous victims.
v.- . CarssaCity VetrGl
The Carson City of !vi has been
meticulously recreated for the film. The
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The Legendsry Qyisfae Perfect A&ittfCtzzZZsz rcxTcst,
SASD-7522.
Christine Perfect, now Christine l!cVfe cf Ffcctwood
Mac, began her muskd carter with an Er-Lh blues band,
Chicken Shack. Chmtine stayed with CS for two years
and played an integral role in its success. After feavis the
group, she recorded this album irt 1969 ia cclicration
with producer Mie Veraca.
. In Europe, the tSsuza was a mcsuaeatal success al
though it was not released ia the United States uatil re
cently. This is a fine ccIIsstiGa cf Ihies lMs tsd it
seems preposterous thrt the United Ststts to wait
cearry seven years to erpy this ssa cf Cfcrctcss's wcik.
QaLegEzbry she captsres the spkit of the Uses trith
a remsrksh!a sensitivity, but mnss to scfta the cut
wzrd bittersKS with a parajsfcal sttitads. Alihoh .
she has beta hurt, ia the end evtrythsg xrZl wesk out.
This can be seen ia the stlectica E'dr crd Szs. The
piece opens with a pimo tsd bass ctmbinitica bached by
the ca!iniz!2 percussssa work cf Chm Hardisg.
Other scs cf this a!h-ra aba capture this siit, tut .
the atra cf the t!hura is her interprtttloa cf aa Etta
Jiines hit, I'd Rz&r Ga L- J. which hzs a sound very
much D:e the eirly b!-es of Fltctwcod Eventuiy
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atmosphere of the town captures the feci
of the ending of an era in the American
West. There are now telephones, horse
drawn trolleys ("soon to be electrified,
as the marshall proudly states) and indoor
plumbing; the first horseless carriages are
beginning to fume around town. Counter
to the conventions of the Western genre,
there is little emphasis on the landscapes
and wide open spaces of the West. Most of
the film takes place .indoors, where the
cluttered, middle-class interiors reflect the
changing times. Unfortunately, the authentic-looking
sets often are over-emphasized
at the expense of character deve
lopment. At the center of the film is the relation
ship between Wayne, the Widow Rogers
(Bacall) and her son (Howard). Mrs. Rogers
is shown to be an extremely religious wo
man who is appalled when she first dis
covers the identity of her new boarder.
However, as she opens up to the dying
man, she comes to realize he has been
forced to live his ,;fe a certain way by the
events and codes of an earlier era. Her son
sees the gunfighter as a hero figure to be
worshipped, much to his mother's con
sternation. Unfortunately, the lack of development
in the relationship of these three main
characters doesn't allow the film to achieve
the psychological intensity it needs. Al
though the performances of Wayne, Bacall
and Howard all are excellent, the lack of
definition in the script prevents a more
penetrating look into the last days of the
dying man.
Character lacks introspection
We see Wayne from the outside, as
others see him, but the character isn't
allowed enough introspection to achieve a
deeper psychological level.
The film has more success in recreating
the end of the era of the Wild West. It is
highlighted as the marshall tells Wayne,
"You've outlived your time."
The gunfighter looks and feels out of
place in the urbanized atmosphere of the
growing town. Times and people are
changing. Everyone is out to make a dol
lar, even if it means selling tickets to a
funeral.
The old code and way of life are dead.
The shootist realizes his way of life is
dying with him so he chooses to finish
with a climatic gunfight with O'Brien,
McKinney and Boone, the other repre
sentatives of the old way of life. The final
shootout provides an ending that reinforces
the theme of the death of the old honor
code of the West.
The Shootist certainly is the most in
teresting John Wayne vehicle to come
along in some time. However, many of
Wayne's usual fans may be disappointed
by the film's slow pace and lack of action.
There were rumors within the movie
industry that The Shootist would be John
Wayne's last film, but the rumors were
scotched by Wayne, himself. There are
obvious parallels between Wayne and J. B.
Books. Wayne won his own bout with
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cancer, and his right-wing politics often
seem to mirror the kind of nigged code
the shootist lives by.
The film contains fine performances by
everyone in an expert veteran cast. Don
Siege! is best known for fast paced action
thriller, like Madizem, Doty Harry and
Cliarley Varrick. His departure to a psy
chological Western is not entirely success
ful, but the flaws of the film lie in its own
ambitions. We are constantly reminded
that the era of the Wild West is ending
as Wayne and Richard Boone arrive for
the final gunfight in a trolley and horseless
carriage. What prevents the film from
being entirely successful is the lack of
insight into the gunfighter's character.
Wayne is excellent in his role, but then he
should be because he's played it so many
times before. The real depth of the film
is supplied by the atmosphere and vivid
supporting performances.
The Shootist is an extremely ambitious
Western, and any fan of the genre should
not miss it. A skilful Hollywood craftsman
like Don Siegel can make good entertain
ing movies, even though they don't always
entirely fulfill their aspirations.
Unfortunately, The Shootist never
achieves the classic status it aspires to. Still
it is interesting to wonder how the film
would have emerged if it had been directed
by Howard Hawks or John Ford, both old
masters of the Western genre. Possibly they
too, like the dying shootist, would have
been unable to cope with the death of the
old codes.
Wayne is 'dcrninnnt father-figure'
John Wayne's long and fruitful colla
boration with Ford and hawks has a great
deal to do with the evolution of Wayne
into one of the dominant father figures in '
modern American mythology. In his series
of films for Ford and Hawks, this figure '
was explored and expanded through a
number of complex roles such as the
megalomaniac cattle' baron in Red River,
the haunted and melancholy hunter in The
Searchers and the aging gunfighter in El
Dorado and Rio hobo, his last films for
Hawks. These films helped create the myth
and image of the quinessential John Wayne
hero and exemplified the principle of
American individualism by which the
shootist lives. This code of honor includes
respect for family and rugged self-reliance.
However, Wayne has played the myth
ical father-figure role for so long that it has
become impossible for him to achieve the
kind of quiet introspection the role in The
Shootist needs. By now, the typical John
Wayne character is so steeped in tradition
that it becomes difficult for Wayne to ach
ieve any new depths or facets in the
character. ,
The Shootist is a valiant effort, but in
the end shows only John Wayne playing
the John Wayne legend. As the ads for the
ima say, ne s goi 10 live up torus Kgena
just one more time. 77a? Shootist might
have been the true classic it w2 seant to
be if Wayne had been able to live down his
legend just once.
'ton
these braes were absorbed by the optimism that softened
them.
Even on this album, Christine hints at the love songs
back tracks
i! )
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V, J
The songs on the album are the best Fleetwood Mac
has written and among the best performed ia the field of
soft progressive rock.
An interaction of talent makes this album's success in
evitable. The members featured on their album, Christine
RacVfe, Bob Welch, Ukk Fleetwood, John McVie and Bob
Weston, worked as a unit, and the end result is a unified
abundantly talented band rather thaa a frzp.tl
-v- Mi4M4.iai5 who spccsaijse in stase-stealisg.
ia her future. Crszy Text You JDsby is aa upbeat,
cheerful song that opens side one.
Ifs net cftea thai aa album contains quality music
thickest bcth sides. This iscnecf those rare aibuzas
ssvsa years kte.
Mystery mMifghstrnzd tlx fZsz&s 12S215S
The reason Fleetwood UzfsKystery to Ms was chosen
as the album to provide historical perspective ca the
group is based ca persons! bias.
I believe the music ca this album is far superior to any
cf the group's other t5ums But through further aaUysu,
it became apparent the alhuni was the best for more Ieriti-
rnate reasons.
As was the case darirs thx Ffestiafnra!
. oSiCh and Christine HcVie are the creative leaders. A3
but cne cf the tracks were written by either Welch or
UzY'e. There is etea ccilabcratsaa by McVk, Wekh and
Yestea.
Eay the best knowa song oa the album is a Welch
son, Bypzotktd. That son, a rock clastic by any stand
ard, opens with a mechanical, almost stumbikg drum beat
set down by Hick Fleetwood. Abruptly, Welch entersv
with a mysterious and cmir.ous guitar melody. Later he
enters aiia, this time voca2y. The style is rassttk as
Wekh delivers his message.
Continued ca p. 13
