The daring one

Movie
German title	The daring one
Original title	Will Penny
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1968
length	110 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Tom Gries
script	Tom Gries
production	Walter Seltzer , ; Fred Engel
music	David Raksin
camera	Lucien Ballard
cut	Warren Low
occupation
	Charlton Heston : Will Penny; Joan Hackett : Catherine Allen; Donald Pleasence : Preacher Quint; Lee Majors : Blue; Anthony Zerbe : Dutchy; Ben Johnson : Ranch foreman Alex; Jon Gries : Horace; Bruce Dern : Rafe Quint; Gene Rutherford : Rufus Quint; Slim Pickens : Ike Walterstein; Clifton James : Catron; DG Spradlin : Anse Howard; Matt Clark : Romulus Quint; Roy Jenson : Boetius Sullivan; Quentin Dean : Jennie; William Schallert : Dr. Fraker; Lydia Clarke : Mrs. Fraker;

The daring (original title: Will Penny ) is an American western by Tom Gries from 1968 . The script is based on the episode Line Camp from the TV series Die Westerner, also directed by Tom Gries . The premiere in Germany took place on April 9, 1968, the television premiere was on February 26, 1979 on ZDF .

action

Will Penny is an aging cowboy who, along with his comrades Blue and Dutchy, clashes with the seedy Quint family after completing a cattle hunt. A shootout ensues in the course of which Quint's son Romulus is shot and Dutchy is badly wounded. In search of a doctor, the cowboys meet Catherine Allen and her son Horace at a ranch, who are on their way to California with a guide. They part ways again and the cowboys reach the nearest town, where they take Dutchy to a doctor, who, however, does not rate the wounded man's chances of survival very high. Then Will separates from his comrades and tries to get a new job on the Flat Iron ranch. He is employed by foreman Alex and is supposed to control the ranch's border fences from a remote log cabin as a border rider. When he reached the hut, he found that it was already inhabited by Catherine and her son, as the two had been abandoned by their guide. Will points out to the woman that the hut is owned by the ranch and only intended for the border rider, and that she has a week to disappear before he is back from his control ride. During this control ride, Will is ambushed by the Quints, who seriously injure him. They leave him without his horse and boots, believing that Will is slowly dying. But Will manages to get back to the hut and is nursed back to health by Catherine. Then he decides that the two can spend the winter in the hut.

Over time, the cowboy begins to develop fatherly feelings for young Horace; he and Catherine also get closer and the three live together like a family. As they celebrate Christmas together, they are suddenly attacked by the Quints who want to set up a home. They force Will to work for them so that Catherine and her son are not harmed.

Will manages to escape, but is pursued by Quint's sons. Then Will gets unexpected help from his two comrades Blue and Dutchy, who were looking for him. Together they manage to kill the quints.

Now Will has to decide whether to settle down with Catherine and Horace, but in the end, at almost 50 years old, Will feels too old to give up his old nomadic way of life. He leaves the area with his two comrades, leaving Catherine and Horace behind.

background

The $ 1.4 million Paramount Pictures film was not a commercial success. It was shot in Inyo County, California.

Tom Gries, whose son Jon plays 10-year-old Horace, worked primarily for television prior to this film. The film is his fourth directorial work for the cinema, although his last feature film was 10 years ago.

In this film GD Spradlin and Anthony Zerbe made their feature film debuts, Lee Majors made a second appearance in a motion picture, although his first appearance was not mentioned. The role of Catherine was to take on Eva Marie Saint . After her rejection, the producers turned to Lee Remick , but she also canceled . Oscar winner Charlton Heston (1960 for Ben Hur ) called this film the favorite of all the films he has made. Like Tom Gries, Joan Hackett had mostly worked for television. Before this film she was only seen in another movie.

For the equipment of the film were u. a. Art director Hal Pereira (Oscar 1956) and set decorator Ray Moyer (Oscar twice in 1951 and 1964).

Reviews

“A western that was epically broadly developed without any gimmicky. Realistically, true to detail and psychologically accurate, he describes the everyday life of the shabby cattle-driving life in a captivating and free from romance. In the title role, Charlton Heston creates the precise portrait of an unheroic cowboy. "

- Lexicon of international film

“Unlike many westerns of its time, the film does not offer a wild west idyll. The outstanding leading actor Charlton Heston renounces any glorification. "

- Cinema