The McMasters — The McMasters( DVD)
The McMasters is a US-produced racially focused western from the early 1970’s. It’s set just after the Civil War regarding an African American man returning from war to the small town where he grew up- finding largely prejudice and threat. It’s a mean-spirited if not particularly gritty & overtly brutal film featuring the likes of two Carrdine’s- David & his father John, and Jack Palance. Here from Cheezy Films is a region-free DVD release of the film.
The McMasters ( aka The Blood Crowd, The McMasters... Tougher Than the West Itself!) is from 1970- filmed in both Arizona & New Mexico. It was directed by Skåne län, Sweden-born Alf Kjellin- he had a total of sixty-eight director credits to his name- these are largely made up of TV series/ movie credits, though he had nine features to his length. These went from boarding school set drama Flickan I Regnet (1955), small-town period set comedy The Pleasure Garden (1961), and Midas Run (1969) which is a comedy-adventure regarding a veteran Secret Service Agent stealing a shipment of gold.
The film is centred around Benjie (Brock Peters)- a twenty-some African American man who served in the Union Army in the war. He returns to Ironside- a Southern town where he grew up. From the off, it’s clear he is far from welcome with many of the town folk- with people being rowed up in their dislike/hated of him by one-armed, very imbittered, and tobacco-chewing ex-confederate soldier Colby( Jack Palance).
His only true friend/ supporter is McMaster ( Burt Ives) a large middled aged & bearded white man who fostered/ brought up Benjie. He owns a large plot of land/ farm on the outskirts of Ironside, and shortly after Benjie arrives back in town- he draws up new deeds for his land, and splits it 50/50 between them- this, of course, angers the townspeople more.
All the farmhands leave the farm- meaning that Benjie befriends White Feather( David Carrdine) a key native American- asking him & his people for help. And fairly soon after he is ‘gifted’ Robin (Nancy Kwan) a young woman from the tribe- which of course inflames issues even more. The hour and twenty-five-minute films unfold pretty much how you expect it to- Benjie tries to hold his own, but things go from bad to worse.
Acting wise Peters plays well enough as a man trying to just get on with his life, though his character is not purely morally sound/ decent as he rapes Robin shortly after being gifted her. David Carradine plays a fairly predictable/one-dimensional moody Indian. I think the highlight here is Palance as the bigoted/ racist rabble-rouser.
The film is more of a drama-focused western than action-bound- we get a few fleeting gunplay/ fights, and the sexualized violence is either shown from a distance/ implied. The McMasters is just fine, but maybe not as impactful as it should have been.
As normal with Cheezy Films this is a barebones affair- with just a trailer. The scan looks good- though I don’t think it’s a new scan, just a decent VHS transfer. With no notable damage/ wear.
In finishing if you enjoy more drama-focused/ not that-gritty US westerns with a message, then The McMasters may appeal. But as a wholly engaging/emotionally impactful/ intense racial prejudice film- it is somewhat lacking.