One of my favourite actors - Gene Hackman - takes the lead as a farmer of the Old West who takes out an advert in search of a mail order bride. The lady in question, is nothing more than a mere possession in Hackman's eyes. Following the most cheerless wedding I have ever seen on film, the newly pronounced wife is subjected to all kinds of harsh treatment from her brutish and seemingly unfeeling husband.
The limited and low key story, maintains its focus upon the character development of the two leads. As time elapses, the husband learns to treat his good lady with more in the way of respect, courtesy and love.
The music tends to grate upon my nerves after a while and I wished for something else to be played! The direction tends to slow everything down until the narrative moves at a snail's pace.
Gene Hackman puts his dramatic acting chops to excellent use in "Zandy's Bride." For me, he has never been about wearing different costumes or putting on different accents (good at the latter when he does). Hackman is an actor who is effective by his realism and by his various facial expressions and body language. That is how he creates a performance.
I can't say I'm surprised that "Zandy's Bride" is a more obscure film but it is an interesting curiosity.
Review of Zandy's Bride
