Swedish director Jan Troell (The Emigrants) directed Zandy’s Bride, a Western starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann.
Zandy Allan, a hard-working cattle rancher in a remote part of the American West, needs a hired hand more than he needs a wife.
He sends away for a mail-order bride, a Swedish woman who lives near Minneapolis. Expecting a woman in her 20s, Zandy is disappointed when Hannah Lund turns out to be 32.
He is not interested in love, only in work. He misbehaves around a local woman named Maria. Hannah is here, in his mind, strictly to help Zandy run his ranch and provide sons.
However, the more time he spends with Hannah, the less he comes to treat her as a bought possession, due to her insistence that he treats her with respect.
Director Jan Troell recounted, “The first problem with me on Zandy’s Bride was that I wasn’t allowed to operate the camera because of U.S. union rules. That makes a lot of difference to me because I feel very awkward sitting beside the camera. Otherwise, I thought it was a very useful experience.”
The film is also known as “For Better, for Worse in the United States” (TV title).
It was shot on location near Big Sur, California.
Cast
Gene Hackman as Zandy Allan
Liv Ullmann as Hannah Lund
Eileen Heckart as Ma Allan
Susan Tyrrell as Maria Cordova
Harry Dean Stanton as Songer
Joe Santos as Frank Gallo
Frank Cady as Pa Allan
Sam Bottoms as Mel Allan
Bob Simpson as Bill Pincus
Vivian Gordon as Street girl
Fabian Gregory Cordova as Indian boy
