Unforgiven

Relate to Class: Unforgiven involved a hero, Clint Eastwood, that had to overcome obstacles in order to achieve what he needed to do;  he used his gun on many occasions in order to conquer those obstacles.  Clint Eastwood using a gun to get what he wanted was classically Western, along with the setting and the basic rough lifestyle he and the other characters lived.  Aspects that were not classically Western include how killing was seen in a more negative light.  Death was dealt with in a more real life way along with injuries resulting from fights.  Men did not want to kill because they knew the emotional and mental impact it had on them.  Of course there was the gutsy "Schofield Kid" who had "killed five men."  He eventually realized the toll that killing a man would put on his soul.  After fight scenes, people had injuries that were realistic and visible.  In other Westerns, men could be in full brawls and in the next scene have no visual scarring.  The plot may have been typically Western, but the characters and realism of this film were not typically Western.

Related Article:  ( http://www.clinteastwood.net/filmography/unforgiven/ )  The article fist explains Clint Eastwood's role in the film.  He was a former gunslinging murderer who was turned good by his young wife.  His wife dies and he is left with a failing farm and two young children.  The article then goes on to talk about the writing of the script and how Clint Eastwood got involved with the movie.  Clint Eastwood saw the script and bought it.  At the time he felt he was too young to play the role of Bill Munny so he held onto the script until the appropriate time.  Gene Hackman did not want to be in the film due to it's violent nature but he was convinced that it promotes non violence.  The article also goes into little things such as the fact that the pheasants that English Bob shoots were not introduced to the United States until the year after the movie was supposed to take place.  

Article applied to film screening:  The article stated that Clint Eastwood did not allow any modern vehicles on set.  This gave me a little more respect for the movie, I say a little because I already respected the movie and Clint Eastwood.  I have heard multiple good things about Clint Eastwood but this article gave me a little more insight no his process.  The movie grossed over $80 million and won multiple awards.  Clint Eastwood also dedicated the movie to two of his greatest influences.  This gave me more respect for the move and Clint Eastwood.

Critical Analysis:  I really enjoyed the film and I enjoyed the characters in the film as well.  I think that this movie covered every type of Western character.  The young gun, the old veterans, the outlaws, the good guys, the rich guy, the innocent townspeople, and the entourage members.  Of course they all met at the bar.  I liked the real representation of murder and killing and how it burdens people.  I think that Clint Eastwood's character was very deep and was my favorite.  His transformation throughout the movie was very interesting, especially seeing him return to his old self.  The final fight scene at the bar was a great scene and a great climax and ending to the film.