While more "chick flick" than western, "The Last Sunset" is, nonetheless, a great movie. World class performances from Kirk Douglas, Dorothy Malone and Carol Lynley, and a very good one from Rock Hudson (who struggles with a character who becomes increasingly irrelevant) highlight this effort. The plot elements border on soap, but so do many of Shakespeare's, and there's that level of poetic beauty in "
Sunset".
Kirk Douglas plays O'Malley, a charming but ruthless gunfighter, who has escaped justice to Mexico. But O'Malley reasons for being in Mexico are far greater than sanctuary; for O'Malley has reached a point in his life where he longs for more than the usual pleasures. O'Malley has learned his "lost love" is living in Mexico and he intends to have her.
Dorothy Malone plays Belle, O'Malley's "lost love". Belle has settled into conventional life with an alcoholic husband (Joseph Cotton) and a sweet, lovely, but willful teenage daughter (baby-faced Carol Lynley). They own a small ranch and plan to move a cattle herd to Texas.
Rock Hudson plays the sheriff pursuing O'Malley for his own reasons. Hudson's character is more a symbol than a real person, signifying snap judgment and retribution giving way to more nuanced evaluation of O'Malley's life and character.
I first saw " Sunset" when I was thirteen, and it had more influence on my feelings about unselfish love than all the years I spent going to church. While I freely admit my wife and I shed tears at some movies, only "The Last Sunset" left us both openly sobbing at the end.
WARNING: SPOILER Douglas' choice to duel Hudson with an unloaded gun was much less a choice for suicide than a determination to protect his daughter (Lynley) from the consequences of their feelings for each other. Douglas sacrificed his life for his daughter's happiness and left her with a beautiful, loving memory of a man who was far better than anyone but God would have ever believed.
END OF SPOILER Sadly and, for whatever reason, "The Last Sunset" has been nearly forgotten. While prints screened on TCM are usually pristine, the print of " Sunset" was noticeably damaged.
"The Last Sunset" is beautifully photographed, directed and scored, touchingly written and gets better with repeated viewings. What more can one ask? I give "The Last Sunset" a "9".
Kirk Douglas plays O'Malley, a charming but ruthless gunfighter, who has escaped justice to Mexico. But O'Malley reasons for being in Mexico are far greater than sanctuary; for O'Malley has reached a point in his life where he longs for more than the usual pleasures. O'Malley has learned his "lost love" is living in Mexico and he intends to have her.
Dorothy Malone plays Belle, O'Malley's "lost love". Belle has settled into conventional life with an alcoholic husband (Joseph Cotton) and a sweet, lovely, but willful teenage daughter (baby-faced Carol Lynley). They own a small ranch and plan to move a cattle herd to Texas.
Rock Hudson plays the sheriff pursuing O'Malley for his own reasons. Hudson's character is more a symbol than a real person, signifying snap judgment and retribution giving way to more nuanced evaluation of O'Malley's life and character.
I first saw " Sunset" when I was thirteen, and it had more influence on my feelings about unselfish love than all the years I spent going to church. While I freely admit my wife and I shed tears at some movies, only "The Last Sunset" left us both openly sobbing at the end.
WARNING: SPOILER Douglas' choice to duel Hudson with an unloaded gun was much less a choice for suicide than a determination to protect his daughter (Lynley) from the consequences of their feelings for each other. Douglas sacrificed his life for his daughter's happiness and left her with a beautiful, loving memory of a man who was far better than anyone but God would have ever believed.
END OF SPOILER Sadly and, for whatever reason, "The Last Sunset" has been nearly forgotten. While prints screened on TCM are usually pristine, the print of " Sunset" was noticeably damaged.
"The Last Sunset" is beautifully photographed, directed and scored, touchingly written and gets better with repeated viewings. What more can one ask? I give "The Last Sunset" a "9".