"Unforgiven" American mythology = Eastwood's Arrival stripped of Western drama trappings

A metaphor for a wife who saves a movie with a cycle of violence.

Although the story of "Unforgiven" is driven by a cycle of violence, it never leaves the viewer feeling devastated.

The film's dim lighting and beautiful landscapes, reminiscent of the 19th century West, combined with the film's leisurely flow of time and delicate direction and editing that bring out the characters' emotions, all combine to give the film (ironically) an air of mythical elegance.

Another big reason why this film does not degenerate into a gruesome and violent drama is the story of Manny's wife, Claudia. Manny was once a rough and unruly man, but after meeting Claudia, he reformed and became a good man. However, his wife died of smallpox. The story of his wife is explained in subtitles at the beginning of the film, and again at the end:

Claudia's mother visited Manny later in life, but the family had already moved away, and she never understood why her beautiful young daughter had married a notorious roughneck.

“Unforgiven” (c)2007 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

His wife, who guided the evil man Manny with god-like mercy and led him back to his violent ways, and even after her death brought him back to being the good farmer he was, is a symbol of human goodness. And while she has a decisive influence on the actions of the protagonist Manny, she also quietly watches over the "Unforgiven" from a different dimension to the world of the story.

It's like a God's perspective. The wife's perspective gives the film an allegorical quality. So, even though "Unforgiven" is full of violence, it doesn't feel bleak.

Furthermore, the presence of this wife can be seen as another metaphor: Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, mentioned at the beginning of the film.

For Eastwood, these two film mentors were like gods who taught him, and this film was made possible thanks to the filmmaking know-how he gained from them. Even after their deaths, they continued to watch over Eastwood as the good souls of the film, helping him create a masterpiece.

So when the subtitle "Dedicated to Sergio and Don" appears over a shot of his wife's grave, silhouetted in the distance at dusk, it also looks like their gravestone.

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW), ``Takeshi's Birth: Master and Asakusa'' (NHK), ``Master and Disciple Story: The Encounter That Changed My Life'' [Masahiro Tanaka x Katsuya Nomura ] (NHK BS Premium).

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"the Unforgiven"

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(c)2007 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.