Samuel Fuller

146 Pages·1970·65.113 MB·English

by  Phil Hardy

SAMUEL FULLER
series edited and designed by lan Cameron

Produced by November Books Limited for To Carole James, Stanley Machowicz and Jean
Movie Magazine.Limited, 23-29 Emerald Street, Robinson.
London, WCIN 3QL.
I wish to thank - in no special order - Sue
Published by Studio Vista Limited, Blue Star Bennett who found me a typist, Mrs Learner who
House, Highgate Hill, London, N19. typed the manuscript, Ian Cameron who edited
it, Thomas Elsaesser (especially with regard to
Text set by Yendall & Company Limited, Risca The Crimson Kimono), Mike Wallington and
type House, 22-25 Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, those who attended the Sheffield Polytechnic
London, EC4. seminar (particularly in connection with The
Steel Helmet), and the many other people with
Printed by Compton Printing Limited, Pembroke whom I have discussed Fuller, most of all Peter
Road, Stocklake, Aylesbury, Bucks. Wollen.
Bound by Dorstel Press Limited, West Road,
Templefields, Harlow, Essex.
© Movie Magazine Limited, 1970.
Printed in England.
This edition is not for sale in the United States
or Canada.
SBN 289.70035·3 (paperback)
289.700]6.1 (hardback)
Stills by courtesy of Allied Artists, Amanda
Films, Columbia, David Hutchison, the
National Film Archive, RKO Radio, Twentieth
Century-Fox, Warner Pathe.
PREFACE 6
AN AMERICAN DREAM
7
Run of the Arrow - China Gate - Pickup on South
Street- The Steel Helmet
JOURNALISM AND STYLE 35
Park Row
AN AMERICAN REALITY 54
Hell and High Verboten!- Underworld U.S.A.
Water~
Merrill's Marauders - Fixed Bayonets - Shock Corridor
ASIA 95 .
The Steel Helmet - House of Bamboo - The
Crimson Kimono
THE VIOLENCE OF LOVE
122
I Shot Jesse James- Forty Guns- The Baron of
Arizona- The Naked Kiss
FILMOGRAPHY
The idea behind this book is to set Fuller and on first appearances it might seem that too
his films in a context which makes them more much attention is being devoted to someone
accessible to discussion. Some of the ideas who has previously at best been relegated to
considered might seem extraneous to the the category of minor but interesting. More
films and. more relevant to a book on con often he has simply been dismissed, found
temporary America. However, Fuller is so guilty of a charge of Fascism. This objection
essentially an American film director that a in itself is not important but has had the effect
purely cinematic approach to his films would of taking the ground from under the feet of
be unprofitable. Yet, Fuller is so much a film Fuller's defenders; they are asked first to
director that too much context. and not enough answer the charge of Fascism. Thus discussion
criticism of the films themselves would in of Fuller rapidly degenerates, to be conducted
evitably misrepresent his achievements. exclusively in terms of themes and taste. This
Accordingly, this book has a rather dubious book aims to confront the problem of ideology
double structure. The films have been grouped not defensively in the abstract but concretely
together to clarify the various contexts which through an analysis of the films themselves.
can help illuminate Fuller's work. Within each
group, the films are discussed individually. To
some degree such a structure tends artificially
to limit consideration of each film to a single
aspect. I have"tried to balance this tendency
by offering a fairly thorough analysis of each
film irrespective of its position in the argu
ment. Thus, in effect, the book can be read in
two ways; as an examination of the films or as
an examination of Samuel Fuller, in which
case the 'extraneous material' becomes very
important for the light it can throw on the
pressures evinced by his work.
A lot has been written about Fuller recently:
6
You cannot spill a drop of American blood defeat. Equally, he rejects the South's re
without spilling the blood of the whole world. integration into the Union and journeys west
HERMAN MELVILLE ward to the lands outside the Union's domain
where he joins the Sioux. However, he arrives
Even on the level of plot, Run of the Arrow is at a time when the Sioux are making peace
explicitly about America and an individual's with the United States and is detailed, as one
need for allegiance to a nation. At the close of familiar with the white man's ways, to ensure
the Civil War, a white Southerner, O'Meara that the peace is kept by making certain that
(Rod Steiger), refuses to accept the South's the fort the Americans are building - Fort
7
Abraham Lincoln -is built outside the Sioux's he doesn't miss. With the killing of Driscoll,
hunting grounds. Because of the activities of O'Meara completes his Civil War and so
Crazy Wolf (H. M. Wynant), who refuses to begins the long journey back to America.
believe that the Americans are in earnest with On the surface, 0'M eara's· progress seems
their peaceful intentions, and of Lieutenant almost accidental, for instance in his meeting
Driscoll (Ralph Meeker), who suffers from with Walking Coyote (Jay C. Flippen) and his
the Custer syndrome, war breaks out when rescue from the run by Yellow Moccasin
Driscoll attempts to build the fort on Sioux (Sarita Montiel). She first violates the Run
territory. The fort is destroyed by the Sioux, of the Arrow to save 0'M eara and finally
and Driscoll captured. But as the Sioux start leaves the Sioux with him after she has
to skin him alive for his treachery, O'Meara pointed out that as an American he cannot be
kills him with the bullet with which he had a Sioux. Her behaviour, according to Alan
previously only wounded him, 'the last bullet Lovell, 'presumably [can] only be explained
fired in the war'. He cannot stand to see in terms of the convention that governs the
Driscoll, even as an enemy of the Sioux, tor behaviour of ~he heroinf . towards the h "!ro in
tured to death in this way. The film ends with the U.S. cinema'. If this were the case, Fuller's
0'M eara, his Sioux wife and their adopted son working out of the theme of national identity
leading the survivors of the massacre at the would be inconsistent to an extent that would
fort back to the United States. undermine its very existence.
.In Run of the Arrow, the Southerner-who The central supposition is that all the
will-never-say-die figure is not treated in the characters, even the Indians, are Americans.
usual romantic manner that typifies his ap The film opens at the end of the Civil War.
pearances in the American cinema. Thus, As the camera follows Driscoll on his horse
unlike even Tyreen (Richard Harris) in Sam with a long tracking shot through the carnage
Peckinpah's Major Dundee (1965), who, after and destruction, the words PALM SUNDAY
saving the hated Union colours, achieves the appear on the screen, then beneath them
romantic apotheosis of death, 0'M eara is APRIL 9, r865 and finally APPOMATTOX,
given the Union flag and it is demanded of VIRGINIA. These words disappear to be
him that he come to terms with his hatred. replaced by THE LAST DAY OF THE
The paradox that Run of the Arrow under WAR BETWEEN THE STATES. Then,
lines is that construction can come only out of immediately, comes the last shot of the war.
destruction. The bullet that 0'M eara shoots Driscoll slumps off his horse and Fuller cuts
but only wounds Driscoll with at the beginning to 0'M eara rising from the ground, rifle in
is fired in hate. The bullet is . dug out of hand, beside the jagged form of a broken
Driscoll and inscribed 'To Private O'Meara, wagon wheel. Opening with the end of the
Virginia 6th Volunteers, who shot this last Civil War which literally split America into
bullet of the· war and missed'. At the end, two nations, the film examines the difference
0'M eara again fires the same bullet, again at between a Southerner (and sundry other
the same person and again in hate; this time identity groupings) and an American, just as
Q
the later Verboten! examines the difference
between a Nazi and a German. The film
closes with the words of Captain Clarke
(Brian Keith) echoing in O'Meara's mind:
'the surrender of Lee was not the death of
the South but the birth of the United States'.
During the film, we see another group, the
Sioux, brought into the United States of ·
America. The last words which appear written
on the screen, 'The end of this story can only
be written by you', refer us not only to 0'M eara
but to the situation of minority groups, such
as the Sioux or the Nisei, in American life.
Various Identity/Loyalty groupings are ex
amined and all except American/ America are
found to be lacking.
0'M eara himself is a walking confusion of
identities. He appears throughout the film
wearing a hat inscribed 'Virginia 6th Volun
teers' and a belt which is stamped C.S.A.
(Confederate States of America), but his
horse is branded with the U.S. imprint. He
wears the dress of a white man but calls
himself a Sioux. At one point General Allan
(Colonel Tim McCoy) calls him an Irish
Sioux.
In his conversation with the medical
attendant to whom he brings the barely living
Driscoll, 0'M eara talks about pride. He
doesn't shoot General Grant because the
medic points out that if he does, he had better
shoot Lee too 'for the dishonour would kill
him'. But when we see 0'M eara with his
family on the bridge leading to their farm,
his concern is very much less with pride. In
Still: Run of the Arrow - after firing the last
bullet in the Civil War, O'Me£Va (Rod Steiger)
stands over Driscoll (Ralph .. Meeker).