When the kid presses himself on Hartley, which was bad enough. But later Hartley demurs, saying that her resisting the assault - and it was an assault - was "silly" on her part. This scene always bugs me because it is the film's major flaw, and completely unnecessary. It is the one flaw that shows that Peckinpah was not _quite_ ahead of his time relative to gender issues.
shareDon't see how the scene is flawed when a boy/man tries to force himself on a virginal naive young woman out in the woods. He got carried away but who's to say he only just wanted to kiss her? It had already been established back in the saloon that he was a young man full of spit and vinegar with an eye on the ladies. The whole notion of a man forcing himself on a woman when no meant well okay was still a convention at that time (and in the time depicted in the story). Sure it looks clumsy and wrong now for Elsa to blame herself for his behavior.
From Wikipedia: Critics were particularly enthusiastic about the film's mix of the conventional and the revisionist in its treatment of the Western. They hailed Peckinpah as a worthy successor to classic Western directors such as John Ford.
The OP is viewing the scene with the eyes and sensibilities of the 21st Century, not the 19th. What is clearly and rightly over the line today was viewed differently a century or more ago. I only wish I could see what sacred cows of today are mocked and disparaged in the year 2110.
"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's living!!!"
Augustus McCrae
I couldn't disagree more.
Even today, it looks like a natural relationship about to start. This is how romances start most of the time, or at least before on line dating.
Both characters seemed very natural. Yes, they are flawed. They aren't perfect. They haven't taken Sociology 101 and 102, and Psy., etc. This is very natural, very believable.
Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time
Pretty much looked like attempted rape.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
I think attempted rape is over-stating it. It was improper behavior. By today's standards it might be considered sexual harassment, but not rape. By the standards of 1962, it would have been considered rude or aggressive, but not criminal.
I think this is an important scene. Longtree is a rude pushy cowboy, used to dealing with dance hall girls. When Elsa refuses his advances, he realizes that she is not like those girls. That is why he is so bothered by the "wedding". If it had been one of the "bridesmaids" in that situation, he would not have cared.
Another data point on circa 1962 attitudes: In the movie More American Graffiti (1979) there is a scene set in 1964 where the Paul Le Mat character behaves toward the Anna Bjorn character very similarly to the scene in Ride the High Country.
I just remembered: compare and contrast the Gary Cooper/Patricia Neal relationship in The Fountainhead (1949).
Those scenes were absolutely in keeping with what the film was about. The whole point of the film is the influence of these two old men on the young. It's the end of an era and their time is passing, but the hero reminds those who remain that a man's integrity is of paramount importance. The arc of the young man from cad to upstanding gentleman is the heart of the story.
As for her apology, I think that's completely plausible. She does like the boy and has encouraged him. It's not unusual for a girl in a situation like this to blame herself for the improprieties of a man who forces himself upon her, especially seeing the consequences visited upon him. In real life, something like 12% of rape accusations are withdrawn because the woman second-guesses herself and adopts the blame.
Peckenpah certainly never was remotely 'ahead of his time' in the sense of believing anything people today seem to believe about gender. If you need proof of that, watch Straw Dogs. He seems to have worshipped machismo.
"I'll book you. I'll book you on something. I'll find something in the book to book you on."
As for her apology, I think that's completely plausible. She does like the boy and has encouraged him. It's not unusual for a girl in a situation like this to blame herself for the improprieties of a man who forces himself upon her, especially seeing the consequences visited upon him. In real life, something like 12% of rape accusations are withdrawn because the woman second-guesses herself and adopts the blame.