The Story: I still feel grief. But, one has to move on. There's the line from The Shawshank Redemption—The simple choice: "Either get busy living or get busy dying." It's the responsibility of the living to live. To go on. "To be or not to be" somebody else put it. Make something of the life that you've got, mindful of the gift others have lost.
But, homage must be paid. Tribute. It's the responsibility of the living to acknowledge the dead. See them off. Move on.
We'll be doing that for the next couple weeks. Funeral speeches. There's a lot of them, but I'll do just two.
Then, move on.
Revisiting Kevin Costner's Open Range not too long ago, I was struck by just how good and how simple it is. Magnificently photographed with Costner's eye for detail and vista, it's a story of loss, responsibility and integrity, and it holds up as well now—maybe better—than when I first saw it upon its release.
But, this scene hit me in the gut.
I guess that means "amen."
The Set-Up: In the West, death can come in many forms. For the cowboys working a few dozen cows and horses for cattleman Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), a quick supply visit to town the town of Harmonville—a town that hates free rangers—their cook, Mose (Abraham Benrubi) has been beaten up in town and jailed, and Spearman and his associate Charley Waite (Kevin Costner) have sprung him and had his injuries treated. But, now they're known in town and are targets. When Boss and Charley disarm some would-be attackers they've spotted, another group enters their camp, attacks Button (Diego Luna), kills Mose and the group's dog, Tig.
Action.
BOSS SPEARMAN: Looks real nice, Charley.
CHARLEY WAITE: Yeah, a man ought to have something to show he was here.
CHARLEY: Be gone in another big storm.
BOSS: Don't matter none. He's got your dog for company.
BOSS: He'd like it you put old Tig with him.
CHARLEY: Yeah, he was more Mose's dog in the end
than he was mine.
CHARLEY: Be right to say some words.
BOSS: You want to speak with the man upstairs, do it.
BOSS: I'll stand right here and listen,
hat in hand,
BOSS: ...but I ain't talking to that son of a bitch.
BOSS: And I'll be holding a grudge
for him letting this befall a sweet kid like Mose.
CHARLEY: Well, he sure as hell wasn't one to complain.
CHARLEY: Woke with a smile.
CHARLEY: Seemed like he could keep it there all day.
CHARLEY: Kind of man that'd say "good morning" and mean it,
whether it was or not.
CHARLEY: To tell you the truth, Lord, if there was two gentler souls,
I never seen them.
CHARLEY: Seemed like old Tig wouldn't even kill birds in the end.
CHARLEY: Well, you got yourself a good man and a good dog, and I'm inclined to agree with Boss
about holding a grudge against you for it.
CHARLEY: I guess that means "amen."
Words by Craig Storper
Pictures by J. Michael Muro and Kevin Costner
Open Range is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
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