Thunder in the Sun – A Tale of Basque Gold-Rush Immigration Essay (Movie Review)

Introduction

Harmoniously combining long-lasting traditions of classic American western films with those specific to a romantic tale, Thunder in the Sun directed by Russell Rouse was released in1959. However, besides conventional entertaining features, the film portrays French Basques’ immigration into the United States during the Gold Rush epoch, providing insight into their cultural identity and national characteristics. This paper will examine the representation of the Basque culture in Thunder in the Sun by referring to pertinent scholarly sources and the film plot.

The Plot and Main Characters of the Film

Thunder in the Sun depicts hardships and travails experienced by a group of French Basques who hold a course for the United States, escaping from Europe devastated by the Napoleonic wars. Striving to gain new opportunities for wellbeing and prosperity in California, the Basques take grapevines to plant vineyards (Rouse). They confront a lot of challenges, including the fire in the prairie, fiendish heat and raging thirst in the desert, Indians’ attack, and so forth. Basque immigrants’ belief in their promising future and self-confidence help them survive and reach their destination.

There are two protagonists in the film, Gabrielle Dauphin (Susan Hayward) and Lon Bennett played by Jeff Chandler. Gabrielle Dauphin is a beautiful, charismatic young woman. She heads up the group of Basques after the accidental death of her husband whose mission is to lead the immigrants to California. Lon Bennett is an American scout hired to guide the Basques’ wagon train. A romantic relationship between Gabrielle Dauphin and Lon Bennett, which is one of the main plotlines, is complicated by his heavy drinking, obtrusive harassment, and brusque manners. It is obvious that Gabrielle is enamored of Bennett, but she repels his advances. Moreover, according to Basque traditions, after her husband’s death, Gabrielle Dauphin has to marry his brother played by Jacques Bergerac (Rouse).

Evaluation of the Film from the Historical Perspective

The examination of the plot of Thunder in the Sun and credible sources focused on the Basques’ culture and immigration into the United States has revealed some inconsistencies in terms of historical evidence. Firstly, this immigration-related trial takes place in 1847 while the inception of modern Basque immigration into the United States “can be directly linked to the Californian Gold Rush of 1849” (Alvarez-Gila 2). California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Wyoming were the most preferred destinations. The same data are provided by Douglass (4) and Ray and Bieter (244).

Secondly, before the onset of the Gold Rush, the immigration was minimal with the major migratory influx of the Basques to South America (Douglass 4). The socioeconomic destruction caused by the Napoleonic wars and the Carlist Civil Wars were the main factors contributing to the emigration from the Basque Country to Argentina and some other countries of Latin America. Moreover, as distinct from immigrants’ aspiration to start wineries portrayed in Thunder in the Sun, the Basques were mainly involved in the Argentine sheep industry during this period (Ray and Bieter 244). Douglass claims that “filmmakers have transformed the Basque sheepherder into a truly romantic western character” (6). Sheepherding has become the dominant stereotype of the Basques in the United States’ cinema (Alvarez-Gila 4).

Thirdly, historical discrepancies are apparent from the interactions between the film characters. Being a former soldier, Lon Bennett starts experiencing sympathetic understanding towards one of the Basques who states that he vied for Napoleon. Bennett claims that he also fought for George Washington during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) (Rouse). From the chronological perspective, in 1847, Lon Bennett should be a senile man.

Undoubtedly, Thunder in the Sun is not a documentary. However, the aforementioned details testify to the film creators’ neglect of generally known facts and historical inaccuracy of the film script. The perversion of the historical truth inevitably leads to irrelevant interpretation and portrayal of the Basques in American cinema.

Representation of the Basque Cultural Specificity

The specificity of the Basques’ cultural identity and national self-consciousness is inextricably linked with their singularity. Anthropological and ethnographical disputes over the Basques’ origin have not ceased so far. From the rest of other peoples inhabiting Spain, the Basques differ in character, manners, and customs. They have their own language, literature, musical folklore, rituals, sports, holidays, cuisine, and other cultural attributes. Furthermore, recent genetic studies determined the uniqueness of the Basques (Baeta et al. 8). According to Ray and Bieter, in the United States context, authentic Basque identity is expressed via “traditions in dance, language, music, and sports” (246).

Representation of the Basque Language

Historians and philologists from different countries have been unsuccessfully attempting to determine the genealogy of the Basque language for more than 200 years. Despite the Roman conquest of Hispania, when nations and tribes inhabiting Spain were completely Romanized, the Basques who lived apart in mountainous regions, far from the major trade routes, have preserved Euskera, their original and mysterious language (Baeta et al. 1; Ray and Bieter 242). There are many hypotheses about its origin and preservation in an authentic form in Europe whose history is replete with examples of linguistic assimilation. This language is considered to be the only pre-Indo-European language existing in modern Europe; it has become one of the main elements of the national identity of the Basques. Therefore, serving as a distinguishing characteristic, the Basque language should be one of the basic approaches to the portrayal of the Basques in popular culture.

Nevertheless, in Thunder in the Sun, the representation of the Basque language was limited to the strange accent of some characters and ululations. These exotic ululations are only produced by men to communicate during battles or on some specific occasions. Although the language is a non-visual element of the representation of cultural specificity, the use of Euskera in the film is evidently underrated. Being undervalued in Thunder in the Sun, as well as other films, such as Wild is the Wind, this cultural trait results in the public perception of the Basques as Hispanics or Latin Americans (Alvarez-Gila 5).

Visualization of Basque Immigrants

According to Alvarez-Gila, during the 1950s, the Basques were traditionally portrayed on screen with Spanish or Mexican racial features, aggravating erroneous perceptions and attitudes towards them (5). They were mostly depicted as small and dark-skinned individuals. However, in Thunder in the Sun and Wild in the Wind, this approach was not implemented. For instance, Gabrielle Dauphin is a green-eyed fair-skinned woman whose hair is brown with golden glints.

Ethically indicative folkloric costumes were another frequently used means of representing the Basques in films. Nevertheless, the traditional Basque beret (txapela) and a red belt (gerriko) worn by men remain the solely authentic elements in Thunder in the Sun and Wild in the Wind. Moreover, in Wild is the Wind, “Ferando/Bene never wore anything other than average Western American clothes during the whole movie” (Alvarez-Gila 6). The same trend is observed in Thunder in the Sun; violating all national traditions and cultural norms, Gabrielle Dauphin wears trousers (Rouse). Although such an outfit is justified by its suitability for a long journey in Thunder in the Sun, it does not reflect the Basques’ cultural traditions in clothing.

Depiction of Basque Traditions

It is evident that a viewer obtains slender knowledge about Basque traditions. Baeta et al. state that “Basque families maintained a strong ethnic identity” (9). The representation of Basque traditions in Thunder in the Sun is limited to the matrimonial customs to marry a brother-in-law after a husband’s death, childhood betrothal, and constant keeping of the fire in pots during the transportation (Rouse). Also, Basque pelota is depicted as a martial art during the battle against the native Americans.

The inadequate attention of filmmakers to historical and cultural details evokes bewilderment in a well-informed viewer. Although Alvarez-Gila identifies choral singing and folkloric dances as new elements of the Basques’ differentiation in the cinema, this characteristic feature is not completely observed (5). Specifically, it seems controversial that in Thunder in the Sun, the Basques of French origin dance Spanish flamenco (Rouse).

The portrayal of Basque National Character

Euskera is the most accentuated feature of the Basques’ national identity. Its linguistic exceptionality is the pride of the Basque people because Euskera is the only relic language that has survived in southwestern Europe since the pre-Roman times. Ray and Bieter distinguish the following characteristic elements inherent in the Basques: “self-worth, frugality, loyalty to family in the Basque Country, the Catholic faith and a persistence to survive” (246). Despite their uniqueness, the Basques are similar to other inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula due to their penchant for irrepressible fun. Along with this, they are also very hot-tempered. Nevertheless, neither cheerful disposition nor emotionality prevents them from adhering to the patriarchal way of life. In particular, residents of mountainous areas are very religious and lead a closed life.

The diversity of the Basque national character encompasses their willingness to accept the support from others, respect for the old, romanticism, selfless bravery, and cohesion. From many scenes of Thunder in the Sun, it is apparent that solidarity, dedication, and selflessness are characteristic features of the Basques. They are willing to risk their lives to save their compatriots during the confrontation with the Indians. Recognizing the significance of Bennett’s military experience in fighting with the Indians, the Basques unconditionally obey him and carefully and deliberately develop a plan to repel an attack.

Also, it is obvious that the issue of gender supremacy is not important for the Basques. Women feel equal to men. Being instructed by the men prior to the battle against the Indians, the women do not wilt and bravely perform required maneuvers. The fact that the Basques acknowledge Gabrielle Dauphin’s right to leadership after her husband’s death testifies to the presence of matriarchal foundations in their society.

Conclusion

Summing up, in view of the fact that the Basque ethnos differs from other European nations both in anthropological and linguistic terms, it is considered that they are one of the most mysterious and unusual peoples in the world. In addition to their authentic language, choral singing, and national clothing, the Basques managed to preserve other unique customs and traditions. The preservation of ancient foundations, ethnic self-consciousness, and historical memory allows the Basques to resist the powerful assimilation pressure and defend the singularity of their culture. However, in films representing Basque immigration into the United States, their cultural characteristics were underrated and erroneously portrayed. A simplified view of the cultural identity of other nations does not promote mutual understanding and collaboration. Cultural peculiarities, even the most distinctive and unique, should be a bridge between peoples instead of a wall separating them. The given fact emphasizes the need for a truthful portrayal of cultural characteristics of the Basques in particular and other nations in general.

Works Cited

Alvarez-Gila, Oscar. “The Representation of Basque Immigration in American Cinema: Wild is the Wind (1959) or the Quest for Elucidating What a Basque Is.” História (São Paulo), vol. 36, no. e113, pp. 1-17. Web.

Baeta, Miriam, et al. “Different Evolutionary History for Basque Diaspora Populations in USA and Argentina Unveiled by Mitochondrial DNA Analysis.” PloS One, vol. 10, no. 12, 2015, pp. 1-13. Web.

Douglass, William A. “Basque Immigration in the United States.” BOGA: Basque Studies Consortium Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 2013, pp.1-14. Web.

Ray, Nina M., and John P. Bieter. “‘It Broadens Your View of Being Basque’: Identity Through History, Branding, and Cultural Policy.” International Journal of Cultural Policy, vol. 21, no. 3, 2015, pp. 241-257. Web.

Rouse, Russell, director. Thunder in the Sun. Seven Arts Production, 1959.