weezeralfalfa I was struck by the contrast between the many negative comments herein and the mostly very positive comments at the DVD release site at Amazon.com. Although I appreciate some of the criticisms, on the whole, I will agree with the positive reviews. YES. SEE IT!, either at YouTube or rent or buy the DVD(expensive). As several reviewers observed, it's easy to see some parallels with "Gone With the Wind". But, it also reminds us of a wagon train western, in which Zulus replace the usual hostile Native Americans. The Zulus put on quite a show, both before and during their attack, with lethal throwing spears. Much of the film was shot on location in Zululand. However, I'm very surprised that we didn't see one untamed animal in the African portion! Despite this, the film is not deficient in action, as one claimed, unless you need action 90% of the time.Susan Hayward, at Katie, certainly used men to get what she wanted. But, often, she was just trying to survive with a modicum of comfort, security and dignity. She shamelessly used surrogate husband Shawn as an aid in her ambition to reconnect with adventurer Paul(Tyrone Power), in emigrating from Ireland to South Africa. If Shawn hadn't been conveniently killed in the Zulu raid, I wouldn't be surprised if she found another way for him to die, so that she could hopefully reconnect with Paul. She exploited Kurt's(Richard Egan)infatuation with her, to help her run her homestead while Paul was off with his commandos. But she refused him the physical love he craved, and he lost a leg cutting down a big tree that he knew Katie cherished.(Served him right). While he might have been a first rate farmer in the veld before he donned his peg leg, judging by the way he slapped mistress Julia(Rita Moreno) around, I'm sure Katie was hesitant to marry him, even when he had 2 legs.The plot is driven by the conflict Paul faced, in returning to lead his wandering commandos fighting for a Dutch Free State, or staying home, helping Katie work their homestead. For him, there was no question which took priority until the cause was finished. I lost count of the times Katie told him to buzz off with his buddies and never return. But, he always eventually returned and she always accepted him back. Katie had a lot of spunk in improving her life when the opportunity presented itself. She lucked out trading some trifles to a native for a probable huge diamond in the rough. After cashing in, she bought the house that Paul had spent his childhood in. She lived lavishly there for several years, until her money ran out, with Paul a sometimes visitor, and discovering that he had fathered a son with Katie. Happily, her money ran out about the time Paul was finishing up his political obsession. Initially, she headed off to hopefully find some more diamonds, but she found that Kurt had since set himself up as the kingpin of a criminal gang who largely controlled the diamond trade in that region, and claimed he would eventually own all the towns in the Dutch Free State. Well, Paul and his commandos had something to say about that. Paul had stolen his love's heart and destroyed his criminal empire, so Kurt went to kill him. Guess what happened, in quite dramatic fashion.Several reviewers accuse Susan of overacting here and elsewhere. I don't see it. At least, you know she's alive. We may cringe at Katie's sometimes devious ways, but she remained true to Paul, despite his periodic disappearances.Those Irish horses must have been some kind of special that Paul would travel months from and back to South Africa to acquire them. Katie had to stage an incident that caused Paul's horse to throw him in order to get his attention away from horses and her father. Doesn't sound like it was love at first sight on his part! Then, she expects him to offer to take her back with him to Africa, which he claims wouldn't work out for her as long as he felt he had to lead the fight for independence of the Dutch Free State.Power and Susan are rather wooden in the Ireland segment, but limber up some in the African segment. Power isn't among my favorite actors. He's usually too wooden and formal. In contrast, I like the acting of Richard Egan. Susan is somewhere in between.

edwagreen It takes the great Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s to drive Susan Hayward and her new husband along with their baby out of Ireland and having heard all about South Africa from the dashing Tyrone Power who had previously visited her father, they embark there.Of course, Hayward conveniently meets up with Power there and decides to get free territory there. How convenient that Sean, her husband, gets killed and Hayward is left to become impregnated by Power.Power, as the leader of the Free Dutch has no time for Hayward and she then falls for Richard Egan, the heavy in the film. Rita Moreno is as fiery as ever but is given little to say or do here. Her jealousy of competitor Hayward is from the moment she sees her.Power learns of his son and Egan, now as evil as they come, still wants Hayward.The lavish cinematography and endearing story make this one interesting film.

jpdoherty Fox's UNTAMED (1955) is a splendid romantic adventure story set in 1850's Africa. Beautifully photographed in Cinemascope and DeLuxe colour by Leo Tover it was nicely written for the screen by Talbot Jennings, Frank Fenton and Michael Blankfort and was based on the novel by Helga Moray. Tyrone Power was the star and once again was directed by his favourite director and friend Henry King. Co-starring, in the pivotal female lead, was the lovely Susan Hayward. And rounding out the fine cast was Richard Egan (never better), Agnes Moorhead, Brad Dexter, John Justin and Hope Emerson. Although he was the star in two Cinemascope productions for Columbia Pictures - "The Long Grey Long" (1955) and "The Eddie Duchin Story" (1956) UNTAMED was just one of only three Cinemascope pictures Tyrone Power would appear in for 20th Century Fox, his home studio for more than 15 years. The others being "King Of The Khyber Rifles" (1953)and "The Sun Also Rises" (1957). The latter being the only one to be released on DVD. Quite unbelievably neither "Khyber" nor UNTAMED have ever been issued in any format whatsoever! WHY?Time and place is immediately established by Susan Hayward's voice-over at the opening of UNTAMED as she informs us "This is County Limerick Ireland - the year is 1847". Hayward is Katie O'Neill the spirited daughter of rich land owner and horse breeder Squire O'Neill (Henry O'Neill). A Boer leader Paul Von Riebeck (Power) arrives from South Africa to buy some horses and after Katie causes him to be unseated from his horse during a Fox hunt ("I came to Ireland to buy horses - not to be killed by one") the two fall in love. But love isn't strong enough to hold Von Riebeck in Ireland and as a Dutch Free State commander must return to Africa to build up his country. Heartbroken, Katie later marries neighbour Sean Kildare (John Justin) and the following year when the potato famine ravages and decimates Ireland Katie and her family, along with the thousands of Irish, emigrate to Africa to start a new life. After the movie's excellent set piece of a Zulu attack on their settler's wagon train in which Katie's husband is killed she meets up again with Von Riebeck and after many eventualities, including a well staged Bullwhip fight between Paul and rival Kurt (Richard Egan), Katie and Paul finally come together for a happy ending.Complimenting the picture throughout is the lavish music score by the great Franz Waxman.There is a rich full orchestral romantic main theme heard first under the titles and given different treatments as the story demands. Also there is a ravishing love theme for the tender scenes with Katie and Paul. Augmented by biting brass figures the Zulu attack on the settler's wagons is scored for an array of African percussion instruments and is rousingly and dramatically rhythmic. Waxman's evocative music perfectly captures the movie's complex moods of adventure, love, pathos, bitterness and jealousy. Alongside "Prince Valiant" (1954) UNTAMED is Waxman's finest adventure score!UNTAMED is a somewhat forgotten minor epic and is possibly so because of its unavailability on either disc or tape which is something of a shame on the part of Fox Home Entertainment. But for those who are familiar with it it remains a memorable, enjoyable and colourful Cinemascope romance with two great stars in a picture that should be appreciated more and better known than it is.

Nazi_Fighter_David Katie O'Neill (Susan Hayward) first meet Paul Van Riebeck (Tyrone Power), a leader of the South African Boers, when he comes to Ireland on a horse-buying trip... The two fall in love, but Paul, intent on establishing a Dutch Free State back home, has no time to settle down and refuses to marry her while he has this commitment... Several years pass and Katie has wed Shawn Kildare (John Justin). When the great potato famine of the 1850s strikes Ireland, Katie, still in love with Paul, persuades Shawn that they should go to South Africa to start a new life... They sail with their infant son and his nurse, Aggie (Agnes Moorehead), and in Capetown, join a group of homesteaders on a trek to the interior, where en route, Katie catches the eye of handsome Kurt Hout (Richard Egan), leader of a band of outriders... A surprise Zulu attack on the wagon train is broken up by the timely appearance of Paul Van Riebeck and his men, but during the fighting, Shawn is killed... Paul does what he can to comfort Katie but finds that Kurt Hout, an old friend, already has made clear his interest in the newly widowed homesteader... When the wagon train finally reaches its destination, Hoffen Valley, Katie convinces Paul to settle down with her, but their happiness is short-lived... Paul leaves to continue his work with the Free State movement, unaware that Katie is carrying his child...Kurt, very upset for not being desired, becomes a dangerous outlaw, enemy of the authority... Rita Moreno plays his mistress...Katie is the example of the brave intelligent, ambitious, lucky lady... She proves her courage, persistence and full determination to win as a wife, a mother, and a woman in love... Filmed in the "grandeur" of CinemaScope, "Untamed" is a romantic action melodrama, short in action and long on romance...The role of Kurt Hout was originally intended for Victor Mature, but he was replaces by Richard Egan...