Film Review
What was to become one of the most controversial American films of the
1940s started out as a conventional western, directed by Howard Hawks
on a fairly modest budget and with a shooting schedule of a few months. Producer
Howard Hughes had a radically different vision of
The Outlaw
to that of his director and couldn't
resist intervening, to the annoyance of Hawks, who walked away from the
project. Hughes took over from Hawks, making this one of just two
films that he directed, the other being
Hell's Angels (1930).
At the time Hughes, was also heavily committed to his other line of
work, building aircraft for the war effort, and this, coupled with his
almost maniacal perfectionism, meant that it took two years to complete
the film.
With his keen commercial sense, Howard Hughes saw at once that his
leading lady, Jane Russell, was box office dynamite. In an
attempt to exploit her obvious sex appeal, he included several scenes
of an erotic nature which showcased the actress's overt
sensuality. He knew that by doing so he would run into
difficulty with the Hays Office, the Hollywood censors, and sure enough
they insisted on major edits to the film. Hughes refused to make
all of the cuts that were requested and had the film released in a
blaze of publicity in 1943, before the censors stepped in and had it
withdrawn after just one week in circulation. When the film was
properly released three years later, it had acquired such notoriety
that it was an enormous box office hit, grossing around five million
dollars. The film not only launched Jane Russell on her Hollywood
career but made her an immediate sex goddess.
The Outlaw is pleasantly
different to most westerns of this era in that it is a slow-paced
character-driven piece that explores the complex relationship between
the main protagonists instead of dragging them through a series of
thrilling escapades. The torrid coupling of Jane Russell and
Jack Buetel may have been what excited contemporary audiences and vexed
the censors but what is far more interesting is the relationship
between the three male characters, which has some distinctly homoerotic
overtones. There is clearly something far more to the
friendly rapport between Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid than just the
usual male bonding, and the mutual tenderness conveyed by Walter Huston
and Jack Buetel in their portrayal of the two characters is as poignant
as it is amusing. Reading between the lines, it is not too
difficult to see a tentative forerunner to
Brokeback Mountain in this
compelling and entertaining film.
© James Travers 2009
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Film Synopsis
Doc Holliday is delighted to meet up with his old friend Pat Garrett
but is surprised to find him wearing a sheriff's badge. Holliday
is lamenting the fact that someone has stolen his faithful horse when
the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid suddenly shows up in town with this
very horse. Wounded by Garrett after killing a man, Billy is
saved by Holliday, who takes him to his girlfriend, Rio.
Even though Billy killed her brother, Rio nurses him until he has
recovered and Billy shows his gratitude in the only way a man of the
Wild West can. Realising that Garrett is still after him,
Billy abandons Rio and rides out of town with Holliday. The
sheriff soon catches up with them, but before he can bring them to
justice, they are attacked by Indians...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.