It's 1763 and we have a good guy Gary Cooper (Chris) and a bad guy Howard da Silva (Garth). They should be on the same side in the war for the American territories but da Silva is siding with the Indians and secretly selling them weapons. Convicted killer Pauline Goddard (Abby) is a slave girl that is caught in the middle of both their plans.
It's interesting to see that Hollywood films in 1947 portrayed arms sellers as the bad guys whereas in complete contrast, we celebrate arms dealing as a good thing today. This has been recently highlighted when Donald Trump very publicly signed an arms deal with Saudia Arabia of all countries! And it was heralded as a good thing – media just reported it as a matter of fact without any sense of criticism. I was shocked. But then again, this is nothing new. When I was a boy, I lived near a house that I'd walk passed on a daily basis that had Picassos on the wall, that sort of thing. It's owner – a friend of the Royal Family and very open arms dealer – Khashoggi. It's everywhere and we don't seem to have a moral compass on this issue. We are a country of Howard da Silvas and no-one blinks an eye. That's where capitalism has taken us. I think we should be reigning things in. So, in line with current thinking, da Silva should come out on top. Thankfully, this is Hollywood.
The cast are very good although it is funny how Goddard has a constant supply of lipstick and shampoo to make her hair nice and fluffy throughout the film. No criticism on her acting, though – she is a good female lead. And Cooper, whilst maybe a little old for the role, still has the star quality to carry the film. It's a good epic film to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon or whenever you have some time.
It's interesting to see that Hollywood films in 1947 portrayed arms sellers as the bad guys whereas in complete contrast, we celebrate arms dealing as a good thing today. This has been recently highlighted when Donald Trump very publicly signed an arms deal with Saudia Arabia of all countries! And it was heralded as a good thing – media just reported it as a matter of fact without any sense of criticism. I was shocked. But then again, this is nothing new. When I was a boy, I lived near a house that I'd walk passed on a daily basis that had Picassos on the wall, that sort of thing. It's owner – a friend of the Royal Family and very open arms dealer – Khashoggi. It's everywhere and we don't seem to have a moral compass on this issue. We are a country of Howard da Silvas and no-one blinks an eye. That's where capitalism has taken us. I think we should be reigning things in. So, in line with current thinking, da Silva should come out on top. Thankfully, this is Hollywood.
The cast are very good although it is funny how Goddard has a constant supply of lipstick and shampoo to make her hair nice and fluffy throughout the film. No criticism on her acting, though – she is a good female lead. And Cooper, whilst maybe a little old for the role, still has the star quality to carry the film. It's a good epic film to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon or whenever you have some time.