University of Virginia Library

CINEMA

Dying, Quietly

By DAVE NOZIGLIA

"When The Legends Die": An Extenuated Rodeo, With Indians

Every so often, we come
across a film that was not made
with a lot of hoopla, will not
win any awards, and will not be
very famous or significant, but
is nevertheless a very nice film.
Such a movie is "When The
Legends Die."

This is not a great film. At
times it is not a very good film,
but there is a feeling one can
get from it that is sincere and
very good.

It is the story of Thomas
Black Bull (played as an adult
by Frederick Forrest). At the
film's beginning, Thomas is a
young boy living in the
mountains by himself after his
parents have died. He was
raised to know the old ways of
the Ute tribe, and does not
even know English. He is
brought to the reservation and
raised there. When he is
nineteen, he is adopted by Red
(Richard Widmark), who trains
him for the rodeo circuit as a
bronco rider.

It is a quiet story; even the
country music is quiet. This is
mostly because of the fine
performance by Forrest. His
emotions are all bottled up.
Tom sits and listens to Red
ramble on about his swindles
and dreams and drunken
brawls, and we see his
disapproval, even without the
violent action that comes later.

Forrest's performance is
contrasted with that of
Widmark, his guardian, teacher,
and the man who teaches Tom
to swindle. Widmark acts in the
grand style, floridly gesturing
with each statement, coloring
his character brightly and often
over-much.

The photography is
particularly interesting in this
film, mainly because it is new
and unusual, and as said above,
those who made it are not
exactly expected to be exciting
innovators. Mostly the interest
lies in the realm of improved
technique.

The film is shot in
Colorado, mostly outdoors. As
a result, the director has not
missed the opportunity to
show us some fine panoramic
scenery. But the interesting
thing is that these shots are not
flat distance shots. Every time
we see mountains in the
distance, we are shown in the
same frame some piece of land
in the foreground, thus adding
a tremendous sense of depth to
the shots.

There is another aspect of
interest to "When The Legends
Die." At a certain point, we
begin to wonder just what is
this film about? Indians, yes,
but that is only one element.
Rodeos, as well as almost all
Western ideals, are also shown in
the movie. But they are merely
shown.

Finally, the subtle balance
that had made this film so
interesting is lost, and we leave
the theater feeling
disappointed.

"When The Legends Die" is
nice. It is a nice try.

(Now at the Barracks Road)