The Unforgiven (Original poster artwork for the 1960 film)

Beverly Hills, CA: United Artists, 1960. Original conceptual artwork the 1960 film. Featuring a drawing of Burt Lancaster with Audrey Hepburn clasped against him. Based on the 1957 novel by Alan Le May.

In many ways a reflection on John Ford's 1956 film "The Searchers," which was also based on an Alan Le May novel, "The Unforgiven" tells the story of a woman taken from her Native American tribe and raised by a white family. She struggles with her allegiance towards her adoptive family and her feelings towards another white man, and a bloody battle ensues between the two communities. An uncommon film for its time, it highlights the racism Native (truncated) Americans had to endure from settlers of the Old West.

A difficult shoot, which included a severe back injury sustained by Audrey Hepburn when she fell off a horse, director John Huston was unhappy with his producer's insistence on releasing a more commercially friendly film. While
Hepburn and Huston would both eventually distance themselves from the film, "The Unforgiven" remains a bold, powerfully raw take on the Western with arguably some of the best performances of many of the actors involved.

20 x 25.5 inches. Graphite and charcoal on illustration board. Very Good, with some tape at the top and bottom edges, the bottom two corners bumped, and light toning to the extremities.

Hardy, The Western, p. 277. Hitt, p. 329. Pitts 4662. (Inventory #: 139609)