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''The Hanging Tree'' is a 1959 Technicolor movie directed by Delmer Daves. Karl Malden took over directing duties for several days when Daves fell ill. The film stars Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, George C. Scott and Malden and is set in the gold fields of Montana during the gold rush of the 1860s and 1870s. The story follows a doctor who saves a criminal from a lynch mob, then learns of the man's past and tries to manipulate him. The film was the first one for Gary Cooper's Baroda Productions company. This marked the first film of Scott. He and Malden later teamed for 1970's ''Patton'', for which Scott won an Academy Award. ==Plot== Joseph Frail—doctor (Gary Cooper), gambler, gunslinger—rides into small town of Skull Creek, Montana, with miners in a gold rush, looking to set up a doctor's office. He passes by the "hanging tree," an old oak with a thick branch over which has been slung a rope with a frayed end, presumably a former noose. He rescues and treats Rune (Ben Piazza), a young sluice robber who has been shot, and obliges him into temporary servitude as a method of payment. Frail houses and feeds Rune while covering his identity as the wounded sluice robber. A stagecoach is robbed and overturned, killing the driver and a male passenger. But the daughter of the male passenger is believed to have survived. A search party is formed, and sole survivor Swedish Elizabeth Mahler (Maria Schell) is found by the town opportunist, "Frenchy" (Karl Malden). Crippled by burns, blindness and dehydration received from overexposure, very attractive Elizabeth is moved into a house next to the doctor's house to begin her recovery. The placement causes much chagrin among the town's righteous women, who believe that Elizabeth may be paying for her medical care through illicit behavior. Frenchy sneaks in under the guise of trying to strike a business deal with Elizabeth, but instead tries to forcefully kiss her. Frail witnesses the aggression and chases Frenchy back to town. Frail beats him up and threatens to kill him. There are many witnesses, including a mad faith healer, Dr. Grubb (George C. Scott), who sees Frail's medical practice as a threat. Elizabeth eventually regains her sight and makes romantic overtures toward Frail. He rejects her. She leaves in a huff, determined to strike it rich as a prospector so that she can pay off Frail and get out from under his control. She teams up with Rune and Frenchy, who plan to buy a claim and set up a sluice. To get money, she pawns a family heirloom necklace. It is worthless, but Frail secretly tells the storekeeper to loan her however much money she needs. Thus Frail secretly continues to control her. She finds out and asks Frail why he couldn't respond to her affection. He reveals that his wife had an affair with his own brother. He found them together, both dead, an apparent murder-suicide. In a rage, he burned down their house with their bodies in it. He tells Elizabeth he is "not allowed to forget." The trio of Elizabeth, Frenchy and Rune strike it rich on their claim, finding a "glory hole" of gold under a large tree stump. They ride into town as heroes, tossing a few pieces of gold to the townsfolk. The gaiety quickly turns into a riot of the lawless town members led by Dr. Grubb. While the lawful citizens of the town are engaged in fighting fires set by Grubb, Frenchy takes advantage of the commotion to make advances on Elizabeth. Her disinterest sparks a brutal physical assault as he attempts to rape her. Frail again catches Frenchy just in time. A fist fight ensues and Frenchy pulls his pistol and shoots, attempting to kill Frail, but misses. Frail responds in self-defense killing Frenchy in front of the rioting townsfolk. Seeing his opportunity to remove his "competition", Grubb incites the mob to lynch Frail. They carry him to the hanging tree, tie his hands, and stand him up in a wagon bed, the rope around his neck. Rune and Elizabeth rush in carrying their gold and the deed to their claim. Elizabeth offers everything to the townsfolk if they will let Frail live. As the mob members now fight each other to grab the gold and claim document, the lynch party disperses. Elizabeth now feels she has finally repaid Frail in full. Rune slips the noose off and Elizabeth turns to walk away downhill. "Doc" Frail calls out her name. She turns back, and steps to the end of the wagon. He kneels down, cups her chin with both hands, and they touch foreheads, while the balladeer's haunting refrain plays in the background. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Hanging Tree」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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