From today’s perspective, the Western genre is no longer that easy, especially because in many of its older examples the US soldiers are shown as honorable heroes. The late western The Lullaby of Manslaughter turned this tide and for this reason was initially met with controversy by the press and public when it was published in 1970. Today it is considered by many to be one of the most overlooked and iconic works of the genre, even if it still stands out shocked by extreme depictions of violence.
These also caused discussions when deciding on the age rating in the USA. Because the film was almost only released for adult viewers.
The Lullaby of Manslaughter was supposed to be released for adults only – and had to cut particularly brutal scenes
When members of the Cheyenne tribe attack a cash-in-transit truck, recruit Honus and his squad plan a retaliatory attack that turns into a gruesome bloodbath. The Lullaby of Manslaughter is dedicated to the true story of this Sand Creek Massacre of 1864in which 133 Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed. Most of the victims were women and children. The story was fictionalized for the film and is based on the novel Arrow of the Sun by TV Olsen, which was published a year before the western was released in theaters.
According to Allociné, the Sand Creek Massacre was later described by an Army judge during a commission of inquiry in the following terms: “A cowardly, cold-blooded slaughter, enough to cover its perpetrators with indelible disgrace, embarrassment and indignation on the face of every American.”
Director Ralph Nelson is said to have used real amputated bodies from Mexico City for the shoot, which took the horror shown to a new level. The film finally had to be shortened by 20 minutesso that it could avoid the X rating in the USA.
The X rating only releases films in the USA for adults and is roughly comparable to the German FSK 18 rating. In Germany, The Lullaby of Manslaughter was ultimately released for ages 16 and up.
Watch the trailer for The Lullaby of Manslaughter here:
The Lullaby of Manslaughter – Trailer (German)
This is how you can watch the western The Lullaby of Manslaughter
The film could also be considered more direct Commentary on the Vietnam War which took place during the film’s release and featured similar war crimes committed by Americans in Vietnam. For this reason, among other things, The Lullaby of Manslaughter became a box office success in the USA, but shocked the press and audience at the same time. According to Allociné, leading actress Candice Bergen explained: “This film was a Mirror of life and the Americans couldn’t stand it.”
After the film was not shown in Germany for a long time, it was only released in a new 4K version last year. This can be purchased on Amazon *, among other places. It is also available to buy and rent there on demand available as a stream.
A thematically similar article appeared on our sister site Allociné.
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