Invitation to a Gunfighter

Last updated

Invitation to a Gunfighter
Invitegunpos.jpg
Original film poster
Directed by Richard Wilson
Written byHal Goodman
Larry Klein
Screenplay byRichard Wilson
Elizabeth Wilson [1]
Produced byRichard Wilson
Starring Yul Brynner
Janice Rule
Brad Dexter
Alfred Ryder
Mike Kellin
George Segal
Clifford David
Pat Hingle
Cinematography Joseph MacDonald
Edited byRobert C. Jones
Music by David Raksin
Production
companies
Hermes Productions
Stanley Kramer Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
October 14, 1964 (1964-10-14)
Running time
92 min.
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.8 million [2]
Box office$3.1 million [2]

Invitation to a Gunfighter is a 1964 DeLuxe Color Western film directed by Richard Wilson, starring Yul Brynner and George Segal. It was based on a 1957 teleplay by Larry Klein that appeared on Playhouse 90 . [3] A lone Creole gunfighter, Jules, burdened by his own past of dealing with racism and prejudices, ends up in a town dealing with its own racist and hypocritical ignominies. Jules attempts to learn the truth about the town's real motives for hiring him, while at the same time reconciling with his own past as he attempts to force the town's white folks to accept their own hypocritical shortcomings in living with their Mexican cohabitants.

Contents

Plot

Confederate veteran Matt Weaver (George Segal) returns home to New Mexico after the Civil War and discovers that his farm was sold by an unscrupulous banker named Brewster (Pat Hingle), while his fiancee-to-be, Ruth, (Janice Rule) married another man while he was at war. Weaver's absence allowed Brewster to sway the town's occupants towards his own bigoted prejudices, racism and corrupt methods, all so that he can gain financial and peremptory control of the town. Weaver, already knowing full well what Brewster is like, wrests back control of his farm via an ill-enacted use of force. This results in the death of the husband of the couple residing on the farm, which was sold to them by Brewster, who had himself obtained it through illicit means.

Weaver only receives help from the town's Mexican inhabitants, who have always had good relationships with him. Although on the surface, it appears Ruth's husband and other Union sympathizers in town show hatred to Weaver's allegiance to the Rebels during the war, in reality, this is only a façade for deeper social and personal problems that are afflicting the town's white inhabitants. There is racism and an innate fecklessness to civil duty and social cohesion with each other and the town's non-white cohabitants, namely the Mexicans. This hypocritical irony of the town leads to many festered ill feelings towards Weaver. This is so much so, that the town turns against him and Brewster seeks to hire a gunfighter to get rid of Weaver and what he represents to a guilt ridden and shameless town of pro-Union hypocrites. Through a hapless arrival, a creole of color French gunman named Jules Gaspard d'Estaing (Yul Brynner) decides to stay on in town after his stagecoach arrived for a rest stop and takes notice from afar of the attractive Ruth. Jules, who later teaches the ignorant town how to pronounce his name correctly in French, scares off the paid-for gunfighter sent by Brewster, and decides to take on himself the job of killing Weaver - at least, that's what the town folk believe.

No stranger himself to the abuses of racism (with a black mother and white well-to-do Southern father), Jules was raised with a cultured background, grounded in English and French, taught to play the harpsichord, outwardly appearing erudite and gentlemanly in appearance and manner, but raised to know his Creole place. Jules (the town folk refer to him derisively by calling him Jewel) then undertakes to find out what is really going on with the town, and why they have a lethal grudge against Weaver. Unexpectedly, Jules begins to impress certain townspeople with his gentlemanly ways, acts of civility and personal forms of justice. He even wins over some of them. While falling for the embittered Ruth who felt betrayed by Weaver for leaving her to go to war and ended up marrying a man she did not love, Jules finds that he now does not want to kill Weaver, but just to leave, and with Ruth. Jules tells Ruth about himself, and even though it is clear that Ruth finds much to admire in him, she tells him she will not go with him.

Disappointed with Ruth's rejection, Jules runs amok in the town, but not with wanton abandon. He targets the businesses that all represent what is wrong and plainly sick about the town. Connivingly, Brewster uses the leadership of the town to make peace with Weaver, by owning up to his dishonest taking of Weaver's farm. He gives back Weaver the deed to the farm and offers peace, but only on the proviso that Weaver deal with the gunfighter, who is presently ripping up the town. Weaver is hesitant, but Brewster unscrupulously uses Ruth, by saying that Jules, who has now shot her husband, is presently all alone with her. Weaver, who still loves Ruth, is enraged and agrees to make peace with the town, and go after Jules. As Weaver arrives in town, Jules is preparing to ride off. Jules is warned by the now befriended Mexicans that there is trouble coming.

At this point Weaver arrives and there is a tense stand-off between the two of them. It soon becomes apparent to Weaver what Jules' intentions are, and Brewster takes wind of this: he sneaks up to the two of them and attempts to shoot Jules. A flurry of gunshots is heard, with Weaver, Brewster and Jules in the middle of them, but only Jules is seriously shot. He is weakened but still in control of the situation, and forces Brewster to his knees and to apologize and admit all his crimes. It now becomes clear to everyone what Jules was really all about; he was the hand of retribution and atonement. Jules dies before Brewster is able to complete his attestation, but Weaver forces him to continue; Brewster goes for a gun and Weaver shoots him dead. The entire town, whites and Mexicans, surround Jules and together they all take his body away to be buried, while Ruth and Weaver clasp hands and follow together.

Cast

Reception

The film recorded a loss of $900,000. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Magnificent Seven</i> 1960 film directed by John Sturges

The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay, credited to William Roberts, is a remake – in an Old West-style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai. The ensemble cast includes Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, and Horst Buchholz as a group of seven gunfighters and Eli Wallach as their main antagonist. The seven title characters are hired to protect a small village in Mexico from a group of marauding bandits led by Wallach.

<i>The King and I</i> Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, premiered in 1951

The King and I is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical's plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher who is hired as part of the King's drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit. The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at Broadway's St. James Theatre. It ran for nearly three years, making it the fourth-longest-running Broadway musical in history at the time, and has had many tours and revivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yul Brynner</span> Russian-born actor (1920–1985)

Yuliy Borisovich Briner, known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical The King and I, for which he won two Tony Awards, and later an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film adaptation. He played the role 4,625 times on stage and became known for his shaved head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for The King and I. Considered one of the first Russian-American film stars, he was honored with a ceremony to put his handprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 1956, and also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Segal</span> American actor (1934–2021)

George Segal Jr. was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as Ship of Fools (1965) and King Rat (1965), he co-starred in the classic drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

<i>Catlow</i> 1971 film

Catlow is a 1971 American Western film, based on a 1963 novel of the same name by Louis L'Amour. It stars Yul Brynner as a renegade outlaw determined to pull off a Confederate gold heist. It co-stars Richard Crenna and Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy mentioned this film in both of his autobiographies because it gave him a chance to break away from his role as Spock on Star Trek. He mentioned that the time he made the film was one of the happiest of his life, even though his part was rather brief. The film contains a lot of tongue-in-cheek and sardonic humor, especially between Brynner and Crenna's characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Dexter</span> American actor (1917–2002)

Brad Dexter was an American actor and film producer. He is known for tough-guy and western roles, including the 1960 film The Magnificent Seven (1960), and producing several films for Sidney J. Furie such as Lady Sings the Blues. He is also known for a short marriage to Peggy Lee, a friendship with Marilyn Monroe and for saving Frank Sinatra from drowning. Dexter's tough-guy roles contrasted with his easygoing and friendly real-life personality.

<i>Port of New York</i> (film) 1949 film by László Benedek

Port of New York is a 1949 American film noir/crime film directed by László Benedek with cinematography by George E. Diskant and shot in semidocumentary style. The film is notable for being Yul Brynner's first film appearance. The film, which is very similar to T-Men (1947), was shot on location in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Miller (outlaw)</span> American Old West outlaw (1861-1909)

James Brown Miller, also known as "Killin' Jim", "Killer Miller" and "Deacon Jim", was an American outlaw and title-holder gunfighter of the American Old West, said to have killed 12 people during gunfights. Miller was referred to by some by the alias "Deacon Jim" because he regularly attended the Methodist Church, and he did not smoke or drink. He was lynched in Ada, Oklahoma, in 1909 along with three other men, by a mob of residents angry that he had assassinated a former deputy U.S. marshal.

<i>Cast a Giant Shadow</i> 1966 film by Melville Shavelson

Cast a Giant Shadow is a 1966 American action film based on the life of Colonel Mickey Marcus, and stars Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger, Yul Brynner, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson. Melville Shavelson adapted, produced and directed. The film is a fictionalized account of the experiences of a real-life Jewish-American military officer, Colonel David "Mickey" Marcus, who commanded units of the fledgling Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Burton Raphael Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever."

<i>The King and I</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Walter Lang

The King and I is a 1956 American musical film made by 20th Century-Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is based on the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, which is itself based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. That novel in turn was based on memoirs written by Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Leonowens' stories were autobiographical, although various elements of them have been called into question. The film stars Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner.

<i>Guns of the Magnificent Seven</i> 1969 film by Paul Wendkos

Guns of the Magnificent Seven is a 1969 Western, styled in the genre of a Zapata Western, the second sequel to the classic 1960 Western action film The Magnificent Seven, itself based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954). The film was directed by Paul Wendkos and produced by Vincent M. Fennelly. It stars George Kennedy as Chris Adams, the character Yul Brynner portrayed in the first two films.

<i>The Magnificent Seven</i> (TV series) Television series

The Magnificent Seven is an American western television series based on the 1960 film, which was itself a remake of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai. The series was developed by Pen Densham and John Watson and premiered on CBS on January 3, 1998, running for two seasons through July 3, 2000. The cast of The Magnificent Seven included Michael Biehn, Eric Close, and Ron Perlman. Robert Vaughn, who played one of the seven gunmen in the 1960 film, had a recurring role in the series as a crusading judge.

<i>Kings of the Sun</i> 1963 film by J. Lee Thompson

Kings of the Sun is a 1963 DeLuxe Color film directed by J. Lee Thompson for Mirisch Productions set in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel. Location scenes were filmed in Mazatlán and Chichen Itza. The film marks the second project Thompson completed with Yul Brynner within a year — the other being Taras Bulba.

<i>Going to Meet the Man</i> 1965 short story collection

Going to Meet the Man, published in 1965, is a collection of eight short stories by American writer James Baldwin. The book, dedicated "for Beauford Delaney", covers many topics related to anti-Black racism in American society, as well as African-American–Jewish relations, childhood, the creative process, criminal justice, drug addiction, family relationships, jazz, lynching, sexuality, and white supremacy.

Osamu Kobayashi was a Japanese actor, voice actor and the former executive director of Dōjinsha Production until its closure. He was a baritone.

<i>Villa Rides</i> 1968 film starring Yul Brynner, directed by Buzz Kulik

Villa Rides is a 1968 American Technicolor Western war film in Panavision directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Yul Brynner as Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and Robert Mitchum as an American adventurer and pilot of fortune. The screenplay is based on the biography by William Douglas Lansford. The supporting cast includes Charles Bronson as Fierro, Herbert Lom as Huerta and Alexander Knox as Madero.

<i>The Double Man</i> (1967 film) 1967 British spy film by Franklin Schaffner

The Double Man is a 1967 British spy film directed by Franklin Schaffner. Its plot is very loosely based on the critically acclaimed 1958 novel Legacy of a Spy by Henry S. Maxfield. As in the novel, much of the action takes place in the Austrian Alps. The film stars Yul Brynner as a CIA agent investigating his son's fatal "accident": although he learns a few things from others, he slowly is convinced something else is happening and discovers a fiendish Russian plan.

<i>The Journey</i> (1959 film) 1959 American drama film by Anatole Litvak

The Journey is a 1959 American drama film directed by Anatole Litvak. A group of Westerners try to flee Hungary after the Soviet Union moves to crush the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It stars Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Jason Robards and Robert Morley. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner were paired again since they starred in The King and I in 1956, where he had an Oscar-winning performance. The Journey was shot in Metrocolor.

<i>The Sound and the Fury</i> (1959 film) 1959 film by Martin Ritt

The Sound and the Fury is a 1959 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt. It is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same title by William Faulkner.

References

  1. "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. October 29, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 146
  3. "Invitation to a Gunfighter". IMDb . March 7, 1957.