Audrey Hepburn Broke Her Back While Filming This Classic Western

The Big Picture

• Audrey Hepburn broke her back and suffered a miscarriage while filming
  The Unforgiven
  , resulting in a production delay.
• The Unforgiven
  was a commercial and critical failure, earning only $3.2 million at the box office.
• The film attempted to address racism against indigenous peoples, but critics found it problematic, especially with a white actress playing a Native American character.

The Unforgiven (1960) is an American Western film starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn. Directed by John Huston and based on the 1957 novel by Alan Le May, the author of The Searchers, the film was controversial by the standards of the time for its spotlight on the maltreatment of Native Americans by white settlers. The film was also beset with production problems. In 1959, Audrey Hepburn broke her back while rehearsing a scene for the film, suspending production for several months and resulting in a subsequent miscarriage. She did not return to the screen until 1961 in the legendary feature film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

What Is ‘The Unforgiven’ About?

The Unforgiven is a revisionist Western starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn as Rachel and Ben Zachary, the prosperous children of their deceased cattle rancher father, Will Zachary, who was killed by the Kiowa some years prior. The audience learns that Rachel was adopted as a baby by her family, who absolutely adore her and dote on her. Rachel is willful, running out on her mother to galavant about on a horse, long brown hair blowing in the wind against a pale blue sky. Everybody loves her, especially Ben, whose brotherly affections for her are affirmed when he is reluctant to marry her off to Charlie (Albert Salmi), the son of his business partner, Zeb Rawlins (Charles Bickford). One day, a mysterious old man wearing a Confederate uniform, Abe Kelsey (Joseph Wiseman), visits the ranch and proclaims that he is the avenging truth of god and that Rachel is Kiowa by birth, creating a racist panic among the Rawlins clan, foaming at the mouth with their hatred for the Kiowa, and unsettled as to whether or not they can continue business with the Zachary family.

To make matters worse, a group of Kiowa arrive at the farm. Their chief Lost Bird (Carlos Rivas) insists that Rachel is his sister and attempts to trade horses for her. What follows is a story of Job, where a prosperous family is brought to ruins by their inability to accept Rachel’s indigenous background. The Rawlins sever all ties with the Zachary family after Charlie is killed by the Kiowa at Rachel and Charlie’s wedding. Charlie’s mother launches into an unhinged racist tirade, difficult to watch by any decades’ standards, leading to a bloody gunfight between the families and eventually the Kiowa. Ben’s love for his sister only deepens, and their mutual affections sometimes seem less than familial. There is undoubtedly a romance between the two, only deepened now that Ben knows and understands that she is a Kiowa woman. In the final moments of the film, as the family is bloodied and trapped in a cellar amidst their burning house, they make a last stand against the Kiowa. Ben readies his gun and then passionately kisses his sister on the mouth — which is gross, to say the least. However, at this moment, Ben has accepted her for who she truly is and is ready to go out in a blaze of gunfire to protect the woman he loves. The metaphorical calvary rides in at the last second to save the family, and they stand in the ruins of their life, left to ponder the world’s senseless hatred.

Audrey Hepburn Was Seriously Injured on the Set of ‘The Unforgiven’

The Unforgiven was beset with problems, most notably when Audrey Hepburn broke her back while rehearsing for a scene. Hepburn was thrown from her horse, breaking four bones in her back, and although she was not seriously injured, she was sent back home to recover. Hepburn had insisted on doing the stunt herself even though she had a stunt double, a testament to her work ethic as an actor. It’s been said that she suffered a miscarriage as a result, having been pregnant at the time of her injury.

According to the Evening Independent, after regaining consciousness, Hepburn was noted to have said, ” What did I do wrong?”, worried that the accident would hold up production for the cast and crew. In an amazing coincidence, Hepburn was nursed back to health by the one and only Sister Luke whom Hepburn had portrayed in the film The Nun’s Story. Production of the film was held up for several months, and although she did complete the film when she was well enough to work again, she more or less disavowed the entire film and took an extended break from acting. She would return to the screen again to star in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Director of The Unforgiven, John Huston, blamed himself for the accident, stating:

“I felt responsible, having put her on a horse for the first time. No matter that she had had a good teacher, was brought on slowly, and turned out to be a natural rider. When her horse bolted and some idiot tried to stop it by throwing up his arms, her fall was on my conscience.”

Audrey Hepburn, however, never blamed Huston for the on-set accident.

‘The Unforgiven’ Was a Box Office Bomb

According to Bob Larkins‘ book The Films of Audie Murphy, the film’s controversial nature and production delays forced the proposed budget of $3 million to $5.5 million, creating conflict between the director and the production company HHL. Huston wanted to make a statement about racism in America, whereas HHL wanted a more commercially viable film. Neither side would get what they wanted, and the film would be a commercial and critical failure. It netted only $3.2 million at the box office. The tension between Huston and HHL comes out on screen as the vile and in-your-face racism of the film continually clashes with the incestuous love story bubbling through. Lancaster and Hepburn have a tender and sweet chemistry. Despite all that hatred, he loves her, but it is bizarre, given that Lancaster is playing her brother. The result is a film that seems not to know what it is, and it’s not at all a wonder as to why it fell flat with audiences.

Critics also hated the film. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times, commenting on Huston’s direction of the film, claims that “Huston, who made a ‘different’ Western in his The Treasure of Sierra Madre, has obviously tried to make another in The Unforgiven,” but “those who expect to see a settlement of the racial question will not be satisfied.” Another critic, Stanley Kauffmann in his book A World on Film, described The Unforgiven as “ludicrous.” Despite her tan and long dark hair, suspending one’s disbelief that Audrey Hepburn was indeed an indigenous woman is impossible, for her iconic status was present even then. Through the lens of history, the performance is even more problematic, given the racial and power dynamics surrounding the inappropriateness of a white actor playing the part of an indigenous woman.

The Unforgiven was a bold attempt by John Huston to bring attention to the discrimination against indigenous peoples and their descendants. Hepburn and Lancaster act admirably, given the circumstances. What is clear is that Audrey Hepburn remained fearless, kind, and professional despite great adversity while making this film. It is a testament to her character that firmly cements her status as a Hollywood legend.

The Unforgiven is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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