Range wars- disputes over grazing or water rights which frequently escalated into violence- were a popular subject for Westerns; well-known examples include "Shane", "Man without a Star" "The Big Country", "Heaven's Gate" and, more recently, Kevin Costner's "Open Range". Some of these films told purely fictitious stories; there were, for example, no real-life equivalents of the feuding Terrill and Hannassey clans from "The Big Country". Others, however, were loosely based on actual incidents from the history of the West; the Johnson County War, which took place in Wyoming in 1892, has inspired a number of films such as "Shane", "Heaven's Gate" and the various versions of "The Virginian".
"Chisum" likewise takes its inspiration from the Lincoln County War of 1878 in New Mexico. (Such conflicts were often named after the counties in which they took place). That "war" was fought between two opposing factions of cattle farmers and businessmen. The title character, John Chisum, was a rancher and a leader of one of the two factions. The other faction was led by another rancher named Lawrence Murphy who also owned the only general store in the area. As in a number of these conflicts, the division between the two factions was based on religious and ethnic lines. In a curious extension of the Ulster troubles to New Mexico, Murphy and most of his followers were Catholic Irish-Americans, whereas Chisum and most of his followers were Protestants of British or Northern Irish stock, although some were Mexicans.
In this version, however, Chisum is the hero, a kindly, paternalistic landowner, whereas the greedy, grasping Murphy is the villain of the piece. He is using his monopoly on trade to push up prices, hoping to bankrupt the local farmers and thereby obtain their land cheaply. Chisum and his close friend and neighbour Henry Tunstall try to forestall Murphy's plans by creating their own bank and general store, sparking off a conflict between their supporters and Murphy's. (In reality Tunstall, originally an Englishman from London, was a young man of 25 but in the film he is played as another elderly patriarch. His real Christian name was John rather than Henry).
Another real-life person involved in the Lincoln County War was William Bonney who under the name Billy the Kid was to become one of the most legendary figures of the Wild West. In the film he is played as a wild young man who, under Tunstall's benevolent influence, has become a reformed character. When, however, Tunstall is murdered by corrupt lawmen on Murphy's payroll, the grief-stricken Billy, who regarded Tunstall as his adopted father, swears revenge.
The sixties and early seventies saw the growth of what has become known as the "revisionist" Western which sought to challenge the accepted heroic myths of the Old West and to introduce a greater sense of moral ambivalence in place of the old moral certainties. As one might expect from a film starring John Wayne, there is little that is morally ambivalent about "Chisum"; the heroes are heroic, the villains dastardly, and it is the men on the side of right and justice who inevitably come out on top. Yet in two ways the film does show the influence of the revisionist movement. It is much more respectful of Native Americans and their culture than many earlier Westerns; Chisum will not allow anyone to insult an old Indian chief who is one of his close friends. And it does question the wisdom of the old "law of the gun", arguing for the rule of law instead. When Billy goes out to seek personal revenge for the death of his friend Tunstall this only leads to sorrow for himself and others. Chisum, by contrast, argues that all should be done by due process of law. This emphasis on law made "Chisum" an example of the sort of revisionism which could appeal to political conservatives as well as liberals; the film was praised by President Richard Nixon in a speech about law and order.
Although the Western genre was to decline in the latter part of the seventies, the first half of the decade saw a number of fine films in the genre, and "Chisum" is in many respects a splendid traditional Western, with some great photography of the wide-open western landscapes and some excellent action sequences, especially that cattle stampede at the end. John Chisum himself is a good example of the sort of character John Wayne excelled at playing- brave, decent and honourable. Wayne might occasionally have played flawed heroes, as in "The Searchers", but he never seemed to play an outright villain. Fortunately, he didn't need to, as there were plenty of actors capable of taking such parts, and Forrest Tucker's Murphy makes a good foil for the heroes. I would rank this as one of the finest of Wayne's late Westerns, second only to his last great swansong, "The Shootist". 8/10
"Chisum" likewise takes its inspiration from the Lincoln County War of 1878 in New Mexico. (Such conflicts were often named after the counties in which they took place). That "war" was fought between two opposing factions of cattle farmers and businessmen. The title character, John Chisum, was a rancher and a leader of one of the two factions. The other faction was led by another rancher named Lawrence Murphy who also owned the only general store in the area. As in a number of these conflicts, the division between the two factions was based on religious and ethnic lines. In a curious extension of the Ulster troubles to New Mexico, Murphy and most of his followers were Catholic Irish-Americans, whereas Chisum and most of his followers were Protestants of British or Northern Irish stock, although some were Mexicans.
In this version, however, Chisum is the hero, a kindly, paternalistic landowner, whereas the greedy, grasping Murphy is the villain of the piece. He is using his monopoly on trade to push up prices, hoping to bankrupt the local farmers and thereby obtain their land cheaply. Chisum and his close friend and neighbour Henry Tunstall try to forestall Murphy's plans by creating their own bank and general store, sparking off a conflict between their supporters and Murphy's. (In reality Tunstall, originally an Englishman from London, was a young man of 25 but in the film he is played as another elderly patriarch. His real Christian name was John rather than Henry).
Another real-life person involved in the Lincoln County War was William Bonney who under the name Billy the Kid was to become one of the most legendary figures of the Wild West. In the film he is played as a wild young man who, under Tunstall's benevolent influence, has become a reformed character. When, however, Tunstall is murdered by corrupt lawmen on Murphy's payroll, the grief-stricken Billy, who regarded Tunstall as his adopted father, swears revenge.
The sixties and early seventies saw the growth of what has become known as the "revisionist" Western which sought to challenge the accepted heroic myths of the Old West and to introduce a greater sense of moral ambivalence in place of the old moral certainties. As one might expect from a film starring John Wayne, there is little that is morally ambivalent about "Chisum"; the heroes are heroic, the villains dastardly, and it is the men on the side of right and justice who inevitably come out on top. Yet in two ways the film does show the influence of the revisionist movement. It is much more respectful of Native Americans and their culture than many earlier Westerns; Chisum will not allow anyone to insult an old Indian chief who is one of his close friends. And it does question the wisdom of the old "law of the gun", arguing for the rule of law instead. When Billy goes out to seek personal revenge for the death of his friend Tunstall this only leads to sorrow for himself and others. Chisum, by contrast, argues that all should be done by due process of law. This emphasis on law made "Chisum" an example of the sort of revisionism which could appeal to political conservatives as well as liberals; the film was praised by President Richard Nixon in a speech about law and order.
Although the Western genre was to decline in the latter part of the seventies, the first half of the decade saw a number of fine films in the genre, and "Chisum" is in many respects a splendid traditional Western, with some great photography of the wide-open western landscapes and some excellent action sequences, especially that cattle stampede at the end. John Chisum himself is a good example of the sort of character John Wayne excelled at playing- brave, decent and honourable. Wayne might occasionally have played flawed heroes, as in "The Searchers", but he never seemed to play an outright villain. Fortunately, he didn't need to, as there were plenty of actors capable of taking such parts, and Forrest Tucker's Murphy makes a good foil for the heroes. I would rank this as one of the finest of Wayne's late Westerns, second only to his last great swansong, "The Shootist". 8/10