Pursued is a 1947

1947 in film

The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...

 movie starring Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum

Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...

 that combines western

Western (genre)

The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...

, film noir

Film noir

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...

 and psychological melodrama

Melodrama

The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...

. The film was directed by Raoul Walsh

Raoul Walsh

Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...

 and photographed in black-and-white

Black-and-white

Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...

 by James Wong Howe

James Wong Howe

James Wong Howe, A.S.C. was a Chinese American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films...

.

Plot summary

Set in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 around the turn of the century and told in flashback, the film tells the story of Jeb (Mitchum) whose entire family was slaughtered when he was a young boy. The vision haunts him into adulthood, but the rest of his childhood is forgotten. When the killers discover that Jeb is the only family member to survive, they vow to kill him too. He spends his life avoiding his unseen assailants, trying to remember his past and find the men responsible for the killings.

Cultural references

The Bedouin Soundclash

Bedouin Soundclash

Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band currently based in Toronto. Their sound can be described as reggae and ska.-History:The band's current lineup consists of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, and bassist Eon Sinclair with Sekou Lumumba on drums. Their debut album, Root Fire, released in 2001...

 song 'Jeb Rand', from the album Sounding a Mosaic

Sounding a Mosaic

Sounding a Mosaic is the second album from the Canadian rock band Bedouin Soundclash. The album was released on September 7, 2004. Recorded in Montreal and produced by Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains, the album has spawned the hit single "When the Night Feels My Song" which reached #1 on the Canadian...

is based on the character from the movie.

Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...

, the lead singer for the rock band The Doors

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...

, watched this film in a Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 theater a few hours before his death on July 3, 1971.