Pursued

Last updated

Pursued
Pursued.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Screenplay by Niven Busch
Produced by Milton Sperling
Starring Teresa Wright
Robert Mitchum
Judith Anderson
Dean Jagger
Alan Hale Sr.
Cinematography James Wong Howe
Edited by Christian Nyby
Music by Max Steiner
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • March 5, 1947 (1947-03-05)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget£610,000 [1] or $1,678,000 [2]
Box office$2.9 million (US rentals) [3] or $3,711,000 [2]

Pursued is a 1947 American Western film noir directed by Raoul Walsh with cinematography by James Wong Howe, written by Niven Busch, and starring Teresa Wright and Robert Mitchum. The supporting cast features Judith Anderson, Dean Jagger, Alan Hale Sr., and Harry Carey Jr. The music is by Max Steiner and the picture was shot on location in Gallup, New Mexico. [4]

Contents

Plot

Set in New Mexico around the turn of the 20th century and told in flashback, the film tells the story of Jeb Rand, whose entire family was slaughtered when he was a child. In the aftermath of the massacre Jeb is found by Mrs Callum, a widow, who raises him in her family. Traumatized by the killings, Jeb does not recall anything of that night, except for vague images that he sees in a frequent nightmare. Mrs Callum raises him as her own son, together with her daughter Thorley [5] "Thor" and her son Adam. Years later Jeb is shot at while riding a colt, but the shooter misses him. Although Mrs Callum blames the incident on deer hunters, she knows that it was an attempted murder by her brother-in-law, Grant. She confronts Grant and it is revealed that there has been a long-standing feud between the Rands and the Callums. Jeb's father - with whom Mrs Callum was having an affair - took the life of her husband, and in an act of revenge, Grant killed Jeb's family. The night of the massacre Grant's arm was so severely injured he eventually lost it. Mrs Callum pleads with her brother-in-law to leave Jeb alone, reasoning that he is not a threat to anyone. Grant agrees to let Jeb live in order to prove to Mrs Callum that one day Jeb will turn on her.

Years later, Jeb, Adam and Thor are adults, and one day in 1898, law officials arrive to recruit volunteers to join the US Army. Jeb and Adam are told that one of them must join. After agreeing on a coin toss, Jeb loses the toss and signs up. He is injured in battle during the Spanish-American War, and while recuperating in hospital he again experiences the flashbacks to the night of his family's murder. Due to his injuries he is honorably discharged from the army and awarded the Medal of Honor.

Jeb and Thor have long been in love. After his homecoming celebration, Jeb tries to persuade Thor to run away with him and get married as soon as possible. He suspects that someone, or something, is following him. Thor refuses, saying that she wishes to get married on her own terms and not out of fear. Jeb goes for a long horse ride in order to clear his head and stumbles upon an abandoned ranch which he suspects he has seen before. When he returns home, his mother confirms that the ranch he came across is where he lived with his real parents as child, and where the murders occurred. As Jeb prepares to leave to gamble at the casino in town, Adam shows him the money that had been set aside for him while he was in the army. He also shows Jeb the profits he is entitled to according to their mother's wish that everything be split among the three. However, Adam calls Jeb's share the 'Rand share' and expresses resentment that there should be any money given to Jeb at all. The two come to the conclusion that the ranch is not big enough for both of them, and agree to a coin toss to determine who will leave. Jeb loses; Adam relishes throwing him out and they end up in a fistfight. Jeb declares he will return the next day for Thor and promises that, if Adam tries to stop him, he will kill him.

Jeb has a big win at the casino and the owner, Jake Dingle, offers him a partnership. Meanwhile Adam ambushes Jeb on his way back from the casino, but is killed by Jeb in self-defense. Jeb is acquitted of the murder in court but is shunned by Thor and Mrs Callum, who states that Jeb is dead to them. With no family, job, or home of his own, Jeb accepts Jake Dingle's offer and becomes part-owner of the casino.

Months later Jeb discovers that Thor is engaged to a man named Prentice and learns that Thor and Prentice will be attending a town dance. Jeb attends the dance and forces Thor to dance with him. Grant Callum goads Prentice to defend Thor's honor and persuades him to make an attempt on Jeb's life. Jake Dingle warns Jeb that Prentice is coming for him. Jeb steps out the back door into the alley in an attempt to avoid the situation, but Prentice is coming down the street. The two engage in a gun battle and Jeb is once again forced to kill in self-defense.

Some time later Thor and Mrs Callum hatch a plan to gain revenge on Jeb for the pain he has caused them. Thor pretends to forgive Jeb and agrees to marry him, planning to murder him on their wedding night. When the moment arrives, Jeb reveals to her that he knows her plan; she cannot bring herself to carry out the murder and reconciles with him.

Grant Callum rounds up a gang of other Callums and they chase Jeb across the desert, intending to finish the job of killing all the Rands that Callum had begun all those years ago. Jeb finally recalls the night that his father and siblings were murdered, realizing that it was Grant who killed them and that Mrs Callum was there too. Thor learns that her mother had an affair with Jeb's father, and that when Mrs Callum's husband discovered it, he attempted to murder Rand, but was killed himself, resulting in Grant slaughtering Jeb's entire family to avenge his brother's death. On learning that Jeb survived the slaughter, Mrs Callum adopted him, out of guilt. Thor pleads with her mother not to allow Jeb to be hanged, stating there is still time to make up for her actions. As Grant is about to hang Jeb, Mrs Callum shoots him dead. She asks for and receives forgiveness from Jeb and Thor, and advises them to look to the future and enjoy their lives together.

Cast

Production

The film's writer Niven Busch and leading lady Theresa Wright were married for a decade beginning in 1942. Wright and Robert Mitchum were cast together again seven years after Pursued in Track of the Cat (1954) directed by William A. Wellman, with Mitchum receiving top billing in their second pairing.

Busch later said "I had absolute control over that. And I was very, very happy with the result. I had a marvelous cast, a terrific crew, and the best cameraman in the world [James Wong Howe]. I was very proud of the story; it has kind of Greek overtones—incest feeling, and all that—which the West was like. Greece in the ancient days must have been very much like the West. Passions were powerful and arms were at hand." [6]

Busch based the script on a newspaper story he had read in El Paso Texas about a boy who was the only survivor of a family wiped out in a feud being raised by the family that killed his family. Busch produced the film and secured the services of his wife. [7]

A number of male actors were discussed for the lead including Robert Yaylor, Joel McCrea (who Busch felt was too old), Montgomery Clift (who Wright knew), and Kirk Douglas before Kirk Douglas was cast. [8]

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Bosley Crowther wrote a mixed review, "... the strange and angry actions which occur through the tortuous wanderings of this drama seem decidedly bewildering and absurd. What's so significant about a fellow—even though he may be a foster-child—finding life slightly oppressive on a primitive New Mexican ranch? ... As we say, without the revelation which comes rather patly at the end, the urgency of these weighty questions is hard to grasp as the picture drones along. And it is likewise hard to work up any sympathy for the hero, who seems bored by all his woes. That may be because Robert Mitchum, who plays the latter, is a very rigid gent and gives off no more animation than a Frigidaire turned to 'Defrost.'" [9]

Variety magazine, on the other hand, praised the film. The Variety staff wrote, "Pursued is potent frontier days Western film fare. Standout in picture is suspense generated by the original script and Raoul Walsh's direction. It builds the western gunman's death walk to high moments of thrill and action. Strong casting also is a decided factor in selling the action wares. Production makes use of natural outdoor backgrounds supplied by New Mexico scenery, lending air of authenticity that is fully captured by the camera." [10]

Box office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $2,536,000 domestically and $1,175,000 foreign. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Niven</span> British actor, memoirist and novelist (1910–1983)

James David Graham Niven was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. He received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<i>The Bishops Wife</i> 1947 film directed by Henry Koster

The Bishop's Wife is a 1947 American supernatural romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven. The plot is about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems. The film was adapted by Leonardo Bercovici and Robert E. Sherwood from the 1928 novel of the same name by Robert Nathan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa Wright</span> American actress (1918–2005)

Muriel Teresa Wright was an American actress. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: in 1941 for her debut work in The Little Foxes, and in 1942 for Mrs. Miniver, winning for the latter. That same year, she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Pride of the Yankees, opposite Gary Cooper. She is also known for her performances in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

<i>Duel in the Sun</i> (film) 1946 film by King Vidor

Duel in the Sun is a 1946 American psychological Western film directed by King Vidor, produced and written by David O. Selznick, and starring Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, and Lionel Barrymore. Based on the 1944 novel of the same name by Niven Busch, it follows a young orphaned Mestiza woman who experiences prejudice and forbidden love, while residing with her white relatives on a large Texas ranch.

<i>Ryans Daughter</i> 1970 epic romantic drama film by David Lean

Ryan's Daughter is a 1970 British epic romantic drama film directed by David Lean, written by Robert Bolt and starring Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles. The film, set between August 1917 and January 1918, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite moral and political opposition from her nationalist neighbours. The supporting cast features John Mills, Christopher Jones, Trevor Howard and Leo McKern. The film is a re-telling of the plot of Gustave Flaubert's 1857 novel Madame Bovary.

<i>Big Jake</i> 1971 film

Big Jake is a 1971 American Technicolor Western film starring John Wayne, Richard Boone and Maureen O'Hara. The picture was the final film for George Sherman in a directing career of more than 30 years, and Maureen O'Hara's last film with John Wayne and her last before her twenty-year retirement. The supporting cast features Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum, Glenn Corbett, Jim Davis, John Agar, Harry Carey Jr. and Hank Worden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niven Busch</span> American novelist and screenwriter (1901–1960)

Niven Busch was an American novelist and screenwriter of movies such as the acclaimed The Postman Always Rings Twice. His novels included Duel in the Sun (1944) and California Street (1959). He was married to actress Teresa Wright for ten years beginning in 1942.

<i>Undercurrent</i> (1946 film) 1946 film directed by Vincente Minnelli

Undercurrent is a 1946 American film noir drama directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, and Robert Mitchum. The screenplay was written by Edward Chodorov, based on the story "You Were There'" by Thelma Strabel, and allegedly contained uncredited contributions from Marguerite Roberts.

<i>The Bravados</i> 1958 film by Henry King

The Bravados is a 1958 American Western film directed by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck and Joan Collins. The CinemaScope film was based on a novel of the same name, written by Frank O'Rourke.

<i>Till the End of Time</i> (film) 1946 film by Edward Dmytryk

Till the End of Time is a 1946 American drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dorothy McGuire, Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum, and Bill Williams. Released the same year but preceding the better known The Best Years of Our Lives, it covers much the same topic: the adjustment of World War II veterans to post-war civilian life. It was based on the novel They Dream of Home by Niven Busch ; unlike the soldier, sailor and airman of that film, the male leads in Till the End of Time are all U.S. Marines.

<i>Enchantment</i> (1948 film) 1948 romantic film directed by Irving Reis

Enchantment is a 1948 American romantic drama film directed by Irving Reis and starring David Niven, Teresa Wright and Evelyn Keyes. It was produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and based on the 1945 novel A Fugue in Time by Rumer Godden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Man Logan</span> Comic book character

Old Man Logan is an alternative version of the fictional character Wolverine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This character is an aged version of Wolverine set in an alternate future universe designated Earth-807128, where the supervillains overthrew the superheroes. Introduced as a self-contained story arc within the Wolverine ongoing series by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, the character became popular with fans. After the death of Wolverine, Laura Kinney took the Wolverine mantle but an Old Man Logan from the similar Earth-21923 was brought in to serve as an X-Man and featured in his own ongoing series.

<i>The Woman in Question</i> 1950 British film

The Woman in Question is a 1950 British murder mystery film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Jean Kent, Dirk Bogarde and John McCallum. After a woman is murdered, the complex and very different ways in which she is seen by several people are examined. It was loosely adapted into the 1954 Indian film Andha Naal.

<i>The Case of the Bloody Iris</i> 1972 Italian film

The Case of the Bloody Iris is a 1972 Italian giallo film directed by Giuliano Carnimeo, identified in the credits as Anthony Ascott. The film was referred to as "never boring" and "a competent thriller which offers enough violence and sex to satisfy the most ardent giallo fan".

<i>The Casino Murder Case</i> (film) 1935 film by Edwin L. Marin

The Casino Murder Case is a 1935 American mystery film starring Paul Lukas and Alison Skipworth. Rosalind Russell is in the supporting cast. It was directed by Edwin L. Marin from a screenplay by Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, based on the 1934 novel of the same name by S. S. Van Dine. It was the ninth film in the Philo Vance film series.

<i>Wanderer of the Wasteland</i> (1945 film) 1945 film by Wallace Grissell

Wanderer of the Wasteland is a 1945 American Western film directed by Wallace Grissell and Edward Killy and starring James Warren in his RKO debut replacing Robert Mitchum who had starred in Nevada and West of the Pecos from the same screenwriter and director. Richard Martin, and Audrey Long also star in the film. The screenplay was written by Norman Houston loosely based on the 1923 novel Wanderer of the Wasteland by Zane Grey, the film is about a young cowboy searching for the man who killed his father when he was a boy. With his lifelong friend at his side, he travels the country following his one clue—a distinctive brand on the killer's horse. When he tracks down the now elderly murderer, he finds he cannot kill him because of his feelings for the man's kindhearted daughter. Wanderer of the Wasteland was filmed on location in Lone Pine, California. Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, the film was released on September 28, 1945 in the United States.

<i>Bar 20</i> 1943 film

Bar 20 is a 1943 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Morton Grant, Michael Wilson and Norman Houston. The film stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, George Reeves, Dustine Farnum, Victor Jory, Douglas Fowley, Betty Blythe, Robert Mitchum and Francis McDonald. The film was released on October 1, 1943, by United Artists.

<i>The Kid</i> (2019 film) 2019 film

The Kid is a 2019 American Western film directed by Vincent D'Onofrio, from a screenplay by Andrew Lanham. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Dane DeHaan, Jake Schur, Leila George, Chris Pratt, Adam Baldwin, and Vincent D'Onofrio.

References

  1. ↑ "How to Make A Movie For £610,000". The Mail . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. October 18, 1947. p. 10 Supplement: Sunday Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 27 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  3. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1947". Variety : 63. January 7, 1948. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ Pursued at the American Film Institute Catalog .
  5. ↑ Thor's full name Thorley is seen in a closeup when she writes her name on a slate at school. And the dying words of her suitor Prentice are, "I did it for Thorley."
  6. ↑ Thomson, David (1986). "Niven Busch: A Doer of Things". In McGilligan, Patrick (ed.). Backstory Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. p. 106.
  7. ↑ Thompson p 106
  8. ↑ Thompson p 106-107
  9. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (March 8, 1947). "' Pursued,' a Western Drama by Niven Busch, With Robert Mitchum and Teresa Wright in Leads, Opens at Strand". The New York Times . Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  10. ↑ Variety Staff (December 31, 1946). "Review: 'Pursued'". Variety . Retrieved July 25, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.