Stylish Late Classic Western.

jpdoherty

An interesting, entertaining yet somewhat underrated little western WILL PENNY was one of the last worthwhile western efforts to emanate from Hollywood in the sixties. Produced by Fred Engel and Walter Seltzer for Paramount Pictures in 1968 it was beautifully written and directed by Tom Gries. This would be Gries finest movie and the picture for which he is best remembered. He died in 1977 of a heart attack while playing tennis at 55 years of age. It is a great shame really since with this one movie he revealed a remarkable flair for film. Stunningly photographed in widescreen and colour by the great Lucian Ballard the picture was also buoyed by a haunting score from veteran composer David Raksin ("Laura").

Aging and illiterate cowboy Will Penny (Charlton Heston) has just finished up helping to bring in the last herd of cattle before winter sets in. He signs an X to draw his pay and must now look for another job to see him through the winter months ahead. Luckily he gets a line camp job with a large and remote cattle spread watching out for any strangers or drifters who might interfere with the straying cattle. But he finds the isolated cabin he is allotted in the area to be occupied by a woman (Joan Hackett) and her young son (Jon Gries). Unable to turn them out to the mercy of the elements he allows them to stay little knowing that later a growing attachment will develop between all three. Later after a confrontation with the murderous and loony "Preacher" Quint (Donald Pleseance) and his equally murderous sons Will finds now that he must defend the woman and the boy against them. The picture ends in an exciting shootout and the welcome dispatch of the devious "preacher" and his cohorts.

Performances are excellent from all concerned. Heston gives one of his very best performances as the aging cowpuncher who just cannot commit himself to the woman and the boy. His Will Penny is an absorbing and compelling portrayal of a man who cannot accept the involvement of anyone else coming into his life. A life in which he had never experienced family ties or domesticity of any kind and now resigns himself to the fact that it's too late for him to try for it. The ill-fated Joan Hackett (she died in 1983 of ovarian cancer at 49 years of age) couldn't be better as the lonely woman desperately wanting that commitment and there's a nice performance too from the director's nine year old Jon Gries as the boy. Also notable are those in smaller roles like British actor Donald Pleseance as the formidable baddie and there are welcome appearances from Slim Pickins, Ben Johnson, Anthony Zerbe and Lee Majors in his first film. The music by David Raksin is memorable as well. There is a lovely and haunting main theme heard throughout the picture and is transformed into an arresting ballad sung by Don Cherry over the end titles and a tender love theme is heard during the film's softer moments.

WILL PENNY is by no means an explosive shoot-em -up western for it is essentially a love story. But besides having moments of real charm there is a modicum of exciting action here and there. Overall WILL PENNY is beautifully written and directed, beautiful to look at and beautifully played out by a wonderful cast.

score 7/10

jpdoherty 10 January 2012

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2547011/