From: jheath@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Jim Heath)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies
Subject: Re: Unforgivable ***SPOILERS***
Date: 12 Aug 92 20:39:01 GMT
Organization: Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems, Purdue University

From article <rauser.713580217@sfu.ca>, by rauser@fraser.sfu.ca (Richard John Rauser):
> chris@dranet.dra.com writes:
> 
> 
>>I thought Clint Eastwood's character was very unbelievable. First off, 
>>he abandons his two kids in the middle of Kansas with no one to look over
>>them.
> 
>     Life is much different in 19th century America. It was the middle of
> summer, so the kids wouldn't freeze. They were born and raised on the farm
> and knew how to kill chickens, milk cows, etc...ie how to sustain themselves.
> The farm is out in the middle of nowhere...there's no danger of them being
> robbed or mugged or molested. The bottom line is that those kids in that
> time are far more independent than kids today. So, in the historical context,
> there was nothing unusual about Clint leaving them there for a couple of weeks. It seems kind of barbaric to us at first...but then ask yourself, what kind
> of danger are those kids in being alone?? None, really...save being scared
> perhaps, but they were clearly far more independent than kids today would be.
>

Best make that relatively little danger.
 
>  Then were supposed to believe that he hasn't ridden a horse in so
>>long that he doesn't remember how to get on one (He lives out on a farm,
>>remind you).
> 
>    No, that's not true. The reason it was so hard for him to mount that horse
> is because that particular horse had never been ridden before. (Geez, weren't   you paying attention? :-)  
> 

Nope, sorry, the horse has been used to plow and maybe pull a
buckboard, but it apparently was Munny's horse before his late
wife tamed him down.  The boy mentioned it and Munny gave one of
his "sermons" about how the horse was getting even with him for
the times he abused it.

>  His character is lifeless who never really talks; he only
>>says funny one-liners which most of the time aren't even funny.
> 
>    So are they funny or not? Another contradiction (perhaps part of you enjoyed
> the movie and part hated it...Raising Cain in real life!!!)  
> 
>  Any finally
>>after being incompentant throughout most of the movie, Eastwood manages
>>to get it together to single handedly outgun the sheriff (Hackman) 
>>and about 10 deputies.
> 
>    This was typical Western bravado, true...but realize two things. The first
> is that the deputies were incompetent tools...they were wetting their pants
> over confronting English Bob, remember? Also, the important point the movie
> is making is about the killing itself and the fall of Clint's character back
> into his old patterns of behavior and morality...the logistics of the shoot-out
> are not really the issue. Don't miss the forest for the trees.
> 

Nope, it was English Bob's "biographer" who wet his pants, not
the deputies.

-- 
"Land of song, said the warrior bard,           Jim Heath
Though all the world betrays thee.
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, (The Minstrel Boy)
One faithful harp will praise thee."         (Thomas Moore)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies