Unconquered

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Cecil B. DeMille's first postwar production, the $5 million Technicolor historical spectacular Unconquered lacks only the kitchen sink. The story begins in England in the 1760s, as Abigail Martha Hale (Paulette Goddard), unjustly accused of a crime against the Crown, is sentenced by the Lord Chief Justice (C. Aubrey Smith) to 14 years' forced servitude in North America. Carted off to the auction block, Abigail is highly coveted by slavemaster Martin Garth (Howard da Silva), but the highest bidder turns out to be Virginia militiaman Captain Christopher Holden (Gary Cooper). Having been jilted by his aristocratic fiancee Diana (Virginia Grey), Holden harbors no romantic feelings for Abigail, but he's determined not to let her fall into Garth's grimy clutches. The patriotic Holden also knows that Garth, who is married to the daughter (Katherine de Mille) of Indian chief Pontiac (Robert Warwick), has been trading firearms to the Ottawas. The treacherous Garth later participates in the "Pontiac Conspiracy," an allegiance of 18 Indian nations forsworn to wipe out every colonist on the East Coast. To put Holden out of the way, Garth arranges for him to be court-martialed and sentenced to death on a trumped-up desertion charge. But Abigail, partly in repayment for her rescue from Seneca chief Guyasuta (Boris Karloff) and partly because she's fallen in love with Holden, helps him escape, just in time to save a nearby military fort from an Indian massacre -- a feat accomplished by a subterfuge straight out of Beau Geste, which also starred Gary Cooper! As historically suspect as any Cecil B. DeMille epic, Unconquered is still marvelous escapist entertainment, especially during the time-honored bathtub scene involving a bare-shouldered Paulette Goddard (who spends most of the film in either a state of dishabille or bondage, or both!) Once again, however, Mr. "Spare No Expense" DeMille cuts corners by filming most of his major exterior scenes within the artificial confines of the Paramount sound stages. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Fre
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: DDM2.0
• Features:
  • Exclusive introduction by Turner Classic Movies host and film historian Robert Osborne

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Special Effects - 1947 (Gordon Jennings, Devereaux Jennings, George Dutton, Farciot Edouart, Paul K. Lerpae)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Gary Cooper - Capt. Christopher Holden
       Paulette Goddard - Abby Hale
       Howard Da Silva - Martin Garth
       Boris Karloff - Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas
       Katherine de Mille - Hannah
       Cecil Kellaway - Jeremy Love
       Porter Hall - Leach
       Marc Lawrence - Sioto, medicine man
       Mike Mazurki - Dave Bone
       Gavin Muir - Lt. Fergus McKenzie
       Alan Napier - Sir William Johnson
       Jane Nigh - Evelyn
       C. Aubrey Smith - Lord Chief Justice
       Victor Varconi - Capt. Simeon Ecuyer
       Henry Wilcoxon - Capt. Steele
       Al Ferguson

• Director:

  Cecil B. DeMille

• Producer:

  Cecil B. DeMille

• Screenwriter:

  Fredric M. Frank, Jesse Lasky, Jr., Charles Bennett

• Book Author:

  Neil H. Swanson

• Cinematographer:

  Ray Rennahan

• Songwriter:

  Ray Evans, Jay Livingston

• Composer (Music Score):

  Victor Young

• Editor:

  Anne Bauchens

• Art Director:

  Hans Dreier, Walter Tyler

• Set Designer:

  Sam Comer, Stanley J. Sawley

• Costume Designer:

  Gwen Wakeling, Barbara Karinska

• Makeup:

  Wally Westmore

• Special Effects:

  Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, Devereaux Jennings, W. Wallace Kelley, Paul K. Lerpae

• Consultant/advisor:

  Iron Eyes Cody

• Choreography:

  Jack Crosby

REVIEW:

• Cecil B. DeMille certainly tried to give people their money's worth with Unconquered, one of his big-budget epics that tramples all over history but does its darnedest to provide a walloping good time. Whether a particular viewer will feel sufficiently walloped really depends on whether a whole mess of lovingly recreated period costumes, sensational sets, first rate photography and some exciting action sequences is enough to make for a satisfying picture. If that is what works for you, then Unconquered will be a field day. If, however, you are more interested in a screenplay that is at least somewhat intriguing and offers characters of believability and moderate depth, or if you like first rate performances, then Unconquered will disappoint. As so often is the case with a DeMille extravaganza, there's a lot of activity in the script but not much that actually adds up to interest. And of the leading actors, only Howard Da Silva's villain is worthy of the actor. Gary Cooper, of course, has enough star persona that he pulls the role off just fine, but there's nothing challenging the actor here, and so there aren't any real fireworks from him. Paulette Goddard is simply not cast well, and her special dramatic qualities are not used (although her physical attributes are put to very good use). And Boris Karloff, given a rare chance to play a non-horror role, somehow blows the opportunity. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi