The Lawless centred on former crusading reporter Larry Wilder (MacDonald Carey), who sought a quiet life in a small town as the editor of the Santa Marta, California newspaper The Union. Santa Maria, which advertises itself as "the Friendly Town" is white and largely middle class. Across the river is Sleepy Hollow, a shantytown where the local Mexican and Chicano fruit pickers (derisively called "fruit traps" by the local whites. When a fight at a dance breaks out between Chicano and white youths, Larry Wilder and Sunny Garcia (Gail Russell), whose family published the local Spanish language newspaper La Luz, find they must champion a young Mexican American, Paul Rodriguez (Lalo Ríos), who is accused of striking a white police officer.
The Lawless was based on the shot story "The Voice of Stephen Wilder" by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring). Daniel Mainwaring had also written Build My Gallows High, the novel upon which the classic film noir Out of the Past (1947), for which he wrote the screenplay, was based. Daniel Mainwaring had already written several screenplays prior to The Lawless besides Out of the Past, including Dangerous Passage (1949), Big Town (1946), and The Big Steal (1949). The film rights for "The Voice of Stephen Wilder" were bought by Pine-Thomas Productions, who had produced such low-budget movies for Paramount as They Made Me a Killer (1946) and Caged Fury (1948). Daniel Mainwaring would also write the screenplay for The Lawless. The Lawless would have several working titles, including The Big Showdown, Outrage, The Dividing Line, and The Voice of Stephen Wilder (the title of the original short story).
It was Daniel Mainwaring who convinced producers William H. Pine and William C. Thomas to hire Joseph Losey Making The Lawless would not always be smooth. The Production Code Administration (PCA) had objected to any references to the alleged rape of a girl in the screenplay and suggested removing the lines "What they holdin' back the doctor's report on what he done to her for?" and "and I thought of those hands mauling the lovely little body of Mildred Jensen." For the most part, the PCA found the screenplay acceptable, although Joseph Breen expressed concern stating in a letter to Paramount that the screenplay was a "...a damning portrayal of our American social system" due to its portrayal of racism on the part of a small California town and the sensationalism in which many of the journalists in the movie freely engaged. Paramount also expressed similar concerns, but Paramount representative Luigi Lurasch did point out that the script specified the script never explicitly says Mildred was "raped," but instead "attacked."
As it was producers William H. Pine and William C. Thomas interfered with director Joseph Losey at every turn. He felt that he would have never been able to make The Lawless had it not been for screenwriter Dan Mainwaring, who backed him up. As it was, Pine and Thomas were the ones who insisted on the alleged attack on the girl being in the screenplay, as well as a scene of police car bursting into flames. Joseph Losey also found star Gail Russell difficult to work with. By the time The Lawless was made, Miss Russell had been an alcoholic for many years. Paramount stated that Gail Russell was not allowed to drink, but Joseph Losey found he had to provide her with alcohol for her to remember her lines.
The Lawless was shot on location in Marysville and Grass Valley, California. Various local citizens appeared as extras in some scenes, including one scene involving an angry mob. The Lawless premiered in San Antonio, Texas, assisted by the League of United Latin American Citizens (also known as The LULACS). The Lawless received some positive reviews from some notable critics. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times liked the film, writing, "And although their drama, The Lawless, is no Fury or Intruder in the Dust, it is a startling account of mob violence in a northern California town." The Los Angeles Times also praised The Lawless, stating, "Geoffrey Homes, in one of the most cleverly balanced scripts yet written for a controversial theme, (all racial themes, unhappily, seem to be controversial), has found direction to match in Joseph Losey's dynamic use of camera and speech." Variety also gave the film a good review, commenting, "Racial tolerance gets a working over in The Lawless, but the producers don’t soapbox the message, using it, instead, as a peg on which to produce a hard-hitting drama, equipped with action and fast pace"
The Lawless was nominated for the BAFTA's United Nations Award, which in the words of BAFTA is "for the best Film embodying one or more of the principles of the United Nations Charter." Pine and Thomas also received an award from the Los Angeles Urban League for "outstanding achievement in developing better racial understanding through the production of their film, The Lawless."
Beyond Daniel Mainwaring's script and Joseph Losey's direction, much of the success as The Lawless's success as a film is due to its cast. The Lawless is filled with actors that even casual film buffs today would recognize. Character actress Lee Patrick plays Jan Dawson, a reporter for a Stockton newspaper who seems either unconcerned or unaware of the effect her sensationalistic coverage of the events in Santa Maria is having. John Hoyt plays against type as Ed Ferguson, a Santa Maria businessman who is not only tolerant of, but sympathetic towards the Mexican Americans of Sleepy Hollow. Martha Hyer appears in a small role as Caroline Tyler, while Tab Hunter appears in his film debut as Frank O'Brien.
Today the casting of Gail Russell as Sunny Garcia would be considered politically incorrect, given she was not Mexican in descent or even a Latina. From the Silent Era well into the Seventies, it was not usual for white people to be cast as Latinos, East Asians, Arabs, and many other ethnicities. While Gail Russell gives a good performance as Sunny Garcia, many today (myself included) would prefer a Latina in the role. The Lawless can be given credit for the fact that the majority of Mexican American characters in the film are indeed played by Latinos. Among these are Maurice Jara, who would later play Dr. Guerra in Giant (1956). Mexican actor Felipe Turich, who played Paul Rodriguez's father, had a busy career during which he appeared in such films as Giant and One-Eyed Jacks (1961) and such TV shows as Peter Gunn and The High Chaparral.
Of course, at the centre of The Lawless is newcomer Lalo Ríos as Paul Rodriguez, the young Mexican American who finds himself persecuted after he unintentionally strikes a white cop. The Lawless marked the film debut of Lalo Ríos, who had never acted before. Lalo Ríos was part of a neighbourhood social club called "the HepKitties" in East Los Angeles. Writers Dan and Lilith James occasionally wrote skits for the HepKitties and took notice of Lalo Ríos. They introduced him to director Joseph Losey, who arranged for a screen test for Lalo Ríos, after which he was cast as Paul Rodriguez in The Lawless. Lalo Ríos receives a good deal of screen time in The Lawless. Indeed, the movie's plot would not take place without his character Paul Rodriguez. What is more, he delivers a sincere, believable performance in the role of the frightened teenager at the centre of controversy.
Sadly, The Lawless would not be a stepping stone to stardom for Lalo Ríos. After a few uncredited roles following The Lawless, he played his only lead role in the classic boxing film The Ring (1952), one of the earliest films to not only address racism against Chicanos, but to use the word "Chicano." Following The Ring Lalo Ríos would have smaller roles in such films as Prisoner of War (1954) and Touch of Evil (1958). In the late Fifties his career largely shifted to television, where he would have somewhat more substantial roles in guest appearances on such shows as The Untouchables and Laredo. Unable to make a living as an actor, Lalo Ríos worked as a construction worker when he wasn't acting. Following an accident that limited his mobility, acting jobs became harder to find. He died on March 7 1973 at the age of 46.
While the central character of The Lawless is white, the film is still a pioneering work with regards to portrayal of Mexican Americans on film. For one of the first times in the history of American movies, Mexican Americans are presented in a sympathetic, non-stereotypical manner. The film is also notable as one of the earliest portrayals of racism against Mexicans and Mexican Americans in a Hollywood film. The fact that it is set in a typical, North California town makes its message of racial tolerance all the more potent. As might be expected of a movie in which Mexican Americans play a central role and which address racism against Mexican Americans, it is also a movie in which many of the roles are played by Latinos. This set The Lawless apart from many films of the era, in which all of the Mexican Americans might be played by white people or people of yet other ethnicities. Of course, in the end The Lawless is also a taut story of racial tensions in a small town that can't help but keep the viewer enthralled.
No comments:
Post a Comment