Sure, a viewer can certainly add analyses to the plot--much of it psychological commentary--to try to make it all fit together. That is certainly your prerogative. My point, though, is that the movie itself did not do the job.
Did you sleep through it? The events I mentioned actually happened on screen. They didn't need to be inferred or “analyzed” into existence.
The scene of Bill standing in front of the dry goods store looking at the few overpriced food items left in the window showed that supplies in the town were dangerously low. The count eating steak with Sundown watching him like he hadn’t eaten in days and Sundown says, “Eating like that in front of your men might come across as calloused.” The other man saying, “We’re waiting on our wages sir. Tell him we ain’t playin, Sundown. If you don’t, I will. Put some money in our hands right now or we’re going to have a problem.” Then the count stabs him brutally, and says to the other men, “We’re all hungry we’re all cold, this is something only money can fix. We’re surrounded by it in the mines. Men are just yanking it randomly out of the ground, men like Bill Haskel. I suggest we go pay him and his mine a little visit.” Did you miss that scene?
Belinda goes to the count and says she only cares about building the hotel and is willing to sell any one of her properties on Front Street to him for $6000 The count wants all of her properties for $6000 and she agrees. When she meets him at the saloon he offers her $2000, but she insists on the whole $6000, then figures out that he doesn’t have much cash. The count tells his man to go get the $6000 and the man tells him, “The cash in the bag is a big chunk of your money.” But he gives it to Belinda anyway. So he’s clearly low on cash and desperate for more, which is why he goes after Bill.
Do I need to go on? Everything I mentioned in my original post was in the series. It was all there in the dialog and scenes if you paid attention.
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bhicorp
10 years ago
You are mostly correct other than the fact that Belinda never sold her mill to the count because it wasn't on Front Street. The count had already started his own mill to compete with Belinda. That is how she was able to prevent the count's mill from making any money by offering credit to customers of her own. Plus Belinda would never sell her mill; she needed it to build her hotel.
One more thing, Belinda wasn't selling because she was in debt (or had "notes" as you put it); you can't sell properties you owe money on. She sold because she needed cash to pay her employees long enough to get the hotel operational.
Also, don't defend yourself when someone makes ignorant claims.
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