Die Unbezähmbaren (1955)

Die Unbezähmbaren: Directed by Henry King. With Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Richard Egan, John Justin. In 1847, the Irish potato famine forces Katie O’Neill and her husband to emigrate to a troubled South Africa where Katie runs into an old flame.

“20Th Century Fox produced and released some epic motion pictures in Delux Color and CinemaScope in the 1950u0026#39;s such as The Robe, The Egyptian.Untamed was one such movie with would be advertised as monumental and sweeping in itu0026#39;s scope.. The story of a young women named Katie Ou0026#39;Neill Kildare born of the Irish landed gentry who loses everything in the Irish Potato Famine of 1847. She and husband Sean migrate to South Africa and join Boar pioneers to become part of the Great Trek and help settle the Orange Free State.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSusan Hayward was queen of the 20TH Century Lot at that time and got first pick of any of the roles that the studio had available. She hoped Untamed would be her Gone With the Wind and any resemblance between Katie and Scarlett Ou0026#39;Hara is purely intentional.Fox matinée idol Tyrone Power is Boar military commander Paul Van Riebeck who is sort the Ashley Wilkes of this tale and Katie pursues him as Scarlett pursues Ashley.Richard Egan portrays Kurt Hout a Boar settler who is in lust with Katie and is always more then willing to play the chump for her. Agnes Moorehead and Hope Emerson were two of my favorite Hollywood…er.. ah…actresses and their involvement in any film always upgraded itu0026#39;s quality. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eVeteran director Henry King was 20TH Century Foxes top drawer helmsman and a personal friend of Powers. He ha also directed Hayward in several of her best films.King kept the story very visual.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUntamed starts out with a bang.Paul Van Riebeck comes to the Ou0026#39;Neill Estates in Ireland to purchases horses from Squire Ou0026#39;Neill , Katieu0026#39;s father.Paul and Katie dislike each other at first so you know that they will soon passionately in love with each other. Paul canu0026#39;t let his feelings for Katie interfere with his duty to his cause so he returns to South Africa to resume his mission, leaving Katie heartbroken. Like Scarlet, Katie just isnu0026#39;t used to being dumped by a man.So itu0026#39;s not surprising that when the opportunity presents itself shes off to South Africa with her husband and child in tow to… start anew.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor me the best part of Untamed is the trek and the Zulu attack. This segment is dramatic, exciting and beautify filmed. After the Commandou0026#39;s rescue of the wagon train,however, the story slides into soap opera and becomes fairly predicable. A good film for Hayward and Henry King fans with one of Egan;u0026#39;s better performances and of course Agnes Moorehead and Hope Emerson.”