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Two Rode Together (1961)
In John Ford's minor western about racism and Indian-white
relations, slightly similar to The Searchers
(1956), and set in the 1880s in Texas, in Comanche country:
- the opening sequence - an introduction to one of
the characters - cynical, opportunistic mercenary Texas Marshal
Guthrie McCabe (James Stewart), lounging comfortably on the front
porch of a saloon with his feet up on the railing, as he was served
a beer
- the two characters who "rode together" -
Marshal Guthrie McCabe accepted orders to join cavalry officer First
Lt. Jim Gary (Richard Widmark) in relieving the grief of despondent
relatives by rescuing, bringing home, and repatriating a long-lost
group of white settlers who had been abducted and held captive by
the Comanches; McCabe agreed for two reasons: Army pressure and the
promise of a lucrative $500 payment per captive by Army Major Fraser
(John McIntire), and secondarily so that he could escape marriage-minded,
co-saloon-brothel owner and attractive yet coarse-talking fiancee
Madam Belle Aragon (Annelle Hayes)
- the nostalgic scene of a grieving, tomboyish settler
Marty Purcell (Shirley Jones) opening a tragic keepsake - a music
box - and listening to String Quintet in E Major - a possession or
reminder of her abducted brother Steve who was a young 8 year-old
boy when he was snatched by a Comanche raiding party; her father
Judge Edward Purcell (Paul Birch) told her: "Now, Martha, stop
torturing yourself. Why don't you let me have that? Let me give it
away. Or better yet, destroy it"
- the memorable 4-minute river bank sequence - a long
uninterrupted, mostly-improvised take between Marshal McCabe and
Lt. Gary, when the two sat down on a log, rinsed off their faces,
smoked cigars, and bantered realistically about McCabe's fiancee
(who carried a stiletto in her garter belt); she was hinting at matrimony
by suggesting increasing his take of saloon profits: ("...she
didn't see why I was satisfied with just 10 percent of her take when
she was willing to go for fifty-fifty...I get 10 percent of everything
in Tascosa"); McCabe argued that he was justified with the extra
money since the Marshal's salary was only $100 dollars a month -- "Look
at you. Jim, Jim. You're a man of simple wants. I just require a
little more, that's all"
- McCabe and Gary traded two rifles for two of the Indian
captives in a deal made with Chief Quanah Parker (Henry Brandon):
(1) 17 year-old Running Wolf (David Kent), a white boy raised as an
Indian after being kidnapped 9 years earlier - later revealed to be
Steve Purcell, the abducted brother of Marty - Lt. Gary's love interest
and fiancee
(2) Elena de la Madriaga (Linda Cristal), a beautiful young Mexican
woman - the forced squaw named Wah-kay-nah of warring Comanche Stone
Calf (Woody Strode) for five years
- after they departed from the Indian camp, the scene
of McCabe's killing of Stone Calf (in full headdress garb) who appeared
at McCabe's campsite with a knife and tried to reclaim Elena
- the ugly issue of racism exhibited by fort-dwellers,
faced by the group when they returned to Fort Grant and civilization
with the two released captives
- Elena's shunning by the hypocritical white society,
especially the wives who regarded her as damaged goods: ("These
people, they smile at me and show their teeth, but it's the eyes
that bite. I have not seen the back of anyone's head since I came
here. Their eyes are all on my body like dirty fingers. As if they
would turn their backs, I would leap upon them, and my touch would
have to be washed off like filth. You should not have brought me
here. I do not belong with these people... how could I know I would
come back to this? For five years with the Comanches, my eyes never
saw a tear. Now, they see the silent questions. How many braves has
she known? How many mestizo children carry her blood in their veins?
Now, why didn't I kill myself? I took a Comanche!")
- a mentally-deranged, hysterical Mrs. McCandless (Jeanette
Nolan) wrongly claimed that Running Wolf was her son - and after
she released him from his bonds and tried to cut his braided hair
("Braid. Mama's gonna cut that off so you'll be my darling little
white boy"), he stabbed her to death through the heart (off-screen)
- in retaliation, the settlers proceeded to lynch the
youth - and as the execution was about to be committed, his true
heritage was revealed (he recognized his toy music box, and spoke
an English word: "Mine!"
- but was restrained and taken away to his death)
- in the conclusion, McCabe was leaving to return to
his Texas marshal's job, but changed his mind (he learned his position
in Tascosa had been filled in his absence by his deputy); he bid
farewell to Lt. Gary and Belle in the saloon and joined Elena to
go to California, riding shot-gun on her stagecoach (Lt. Gary spoke
to Bell about McCabe's decision in the film's final lines: Belle: "You'd
think a woman with my experience would know more about men" Lt.
Gary: "Yeah. Well, I guess old Guth finally found somethin'
he wanted more than ten percent of")
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