Robert Mulligan returned with Gregory Peck to reclaim the magic of their 1962 classic To Kill a Mockingbird, this time in a western searing with dramatic tension. The Stalking Moon (1968) puts Peck out on horseback with a gun (wasn’t the first time for Peck, of course) yet with a heart as full of empathy as the attorney defending a racially targeted man in the court of law.
The Stalking Moon is a western and drama but also a gripping thriller with Peck as the protagonist Sam Varner, a scout on his last mission with the army that arrests a group of Apaches only to find a white woman named Sarah (Eva Marie Saint) among them. Sarah, abducted and enslaved by the Apaches years ago, has now a little son from the leader of their tribe. Uncertain and scared as to where she can go, Sarah eventually accepts Sam’s offer to go to his ranch in New Mexico while Sam realizes that the boy’s father will be on a hunt for them and spare no one’s life in his way to reclaim his son.
The Stalking Moon has great dramatic tension, much in the vein of To Kill a Mockingbird, and Mulligan masterfully capitalizes on moments of silence while keeping the dialogue at minimal throughout the movie. It pays off. The fear of the warrior’s threat played against the veteran scout’s trailing expertise creates a climbing conflict that lasts till the last moment.
Silence also plays a major role in accentuating the characterization of all the lead roles but notably that of Sarah and the nameless little boy who conveys all his responses via facial expressions. Peck notably plays the role of a protector (as in To Kill a Mockingbird) but this time his actions speak louder. If one wanted to learn how to use gestures and looks instead of words, this is their movie.
