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Burt Lancaster - Two Points Of Interest
Colin
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Recently watched Yesterday�s Enemy starring Stanley Baker, in which his character sustains an injury, limiting the use of his right arm on occasion.

Seeing this reminded me that he had initially been the first to portray Durnford in ZULU DAWN, but I wondered at his capabilities of riding a horse using only one arm.

Burt Lancaster commented in an interview he did about playing Durnford, and how riding a horse this way with arm in sling or slotted inside jacket is very demanding as it affects balance, etc.

On looking back Burt�s films, I noticed two films where he had scenes only using his right arm, the other arm in a sling - His Majesty O�Keefe, a publicity photo showing such, and I think the other film was The Flame And The Arrow, where he used his gymnastic skills when dropping to the ground from a tree branch, again his arm in a sling (can�t find a screenshot of this image unfortunately)

Plus, 5 years before, he played a similar character to Durnford in Ulzana�s Raid, as an expert scout who understood the ways of the Apaches, aided by his Indian companion.

My theory is, with ZULU DAWN needing an actor who would be capable of riding visibly on screen thus hindered with one arm, as well as playing a similar character just a few years previously, maybe assisted in him being selected for the role...as I don�t recall other actors with these physical abilities.

Does anyone know if these two points were involved in the consideration of him to be in ZULU DAWN, than just the needing any American actor for the film�s funding ?

A question for Sheldon Hall I guess, as I don�t know if Stanley Baker could ride one-armed for certain scenes without the constant need for a stuntman.

Also, does anyone have an image of Lancaster wearing a sling in the scene from The Flame And The Arrow they could post

This topic is a minor subject of interest only to myself, needing confirmed, as I don�t think it it covered anywhere else on the net.

Thanks in advance


Last edited by Colin on Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:10 pm; edited 2 times in total
Colin
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Burt Lancaster - Two Points Of Interest
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