7 Women (1966)

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BACKGROUND

 

Ford used his final film to express his lost faith in those who had lost faith in him. Although it may be understandable why so many would turn away from Ford after years of absorbing his criticisms and abuse, one person who never lost faith in him was Katherine Hepburn who he originally wanted to cast in the role of the mission head Ms. Andrews. This would have made perfect sense considering the excellent job she had done playing a missionary in John Huston’s 1951 African Queen. 

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Producer Bernard Smith quickly shot down the idea, however, though it’s hard to imagine why since her name still carried weight. Hepburn was certainly a greater box office draw than Margaret Leighton who eventually got the role and Hepburns sexual ambiguity had always followed in the Hollywood tabloids. Perhaps Smith simply wanted to flex his power and feel as if he was calling the shots. On the other hand, Mann reports that it was Hepburn who turned down the role so that she could remain by Tracy’s side during his rapid physical decline, though this is exactly the kind of excuse she would have made to save face. Although Leighton may ultimately be a better actress in terms of technique, Hepburn would have been able to truly live the part by tapping into her own traumas and egoic challenges. It was a genuine tragedy that she and Ford did not get one final chance to work together. 

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PLOT SUMMARY

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Christian missionaries in China try to survive a cholera outbreak and the hostile occupation of their mission by a barbaric Mongolian warlord.

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