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| “ | Emmet! | „ |
| ~ One of Chela's only quotes. |
Chela is one of the deuteragonists of the 1972 Western movie, The Wrath of God. She is an Aymara Indian woman who hardly speaks since the death of her parents at a very young age residing in an Aymara village in the Wind River Country near Mojada led by Chief Nacho and Emmet Keogh's love interest.
She was portrayed by Paula Pritchett.
Personality[]
Chela is a kind, caring, gentle, loyal, selfless, charming, and generous woman with a heart of gold. Given her love for Emmet Keogh, she is very concerned and protective of him.
As a woman of morale, dignity, and honor, Chela doesn't take kindly to insults or any other man trying to have their way with her through perversion and rape.
Biography[]
Ever since Chela witnessed the death of her Aymara parents when she was just a child, she hasn't spoken since, thus, rendering her a slightly mute woman after that.
One night, Chela is discovered hiding in an inn run by Tacho by soldiers led by Sergeant Luis Delgado serving under Colonel Francisco Santilla, the leader of the revolutionary forces. When Delgado tries to examine her amulet, Chela doesn't hesitate to put a fight against him and a few of his men until she is finally restrained and set to be raped by them against her own free will. Fortunately, Chela is rescued by an Irish political assassin named Emmet Keogh. However, Chela's rescue is short-lived when Emmet gets knocked off-guard and then brought to be hanged by the soldiers while they resume trying to rape her. Luckily, help arrives for Chela and Emmet including Tacho when an American Catholic priest named Father Oliver Van Horne (whom Emmet befriended earlier) suddenly appears and surprisingly kills everyone minus one soldier who manages to escape with an automatic machine gun. After Chela and Tacho help Emmet down, a hint of romance begins to spark between Chela and Emmet. Warned by Tacho that the soldier who escaped will eventually bring more soldiers and have all roads blocked by fast telegraph due to Colonel Santilla being a very smart man, Chela is brought along to guide Emmet and Father Van Horne on her way back to her own people in the Wind River Country as they escape in the priest's car as quickly as possible; much to Father Van Horne's slight reluctance despite being forced at gunpoint by Emmet earlier.
In the morning, thinking that they have outran and outwitted Colonel Santilla, Chela and her friends savor their moment of triumph until they unintentionally run across and through a nearby military campsite, thus, provoking the soldiers led by Sergeant Cordona to chase after them and eventually capture them when their car comes to a halt on an unfinished bridge despite Emmet's best attempt to shoot at them with Father Van Horne's machine gun. Then, Chela is forced to sit in the backseat and watch with horror as both Emmet and Father Van Horne are subjected to a cruel mistreatment when being slightly stripped then tied and pulled to the back of the car by the sergeant on their way to prison. On the way, when the soldiers stop to rest their horses, Chela offers Emmet water whereas Father Van Horne is denied such by the sergeant. After a long drag walk, at night, Chela is taken in to be questioned by Colonel Santilla himself. Though unable to speak, Chela is able to tell her story to the colonel by writing on a piece of paper while also mentioning the misbehavior of the latter's troops before she is set free while Emmet and Father Van Horne are thrown in a cell together with Emmet's former British partner, Jennings.
The next night, Chela returns to visit Emmet with Nacho and gives him her amulet to symbolize their love and marriage. When Nacho tells Emmet to come with them, Emmet regrettably refuses since he has been forced to go with Father Van Horne and Jennings to Mojada tomorrow in order to kill a man named Don Tomás de la Plata residing there in exchange for their freedom and an equal share of Father Van Horne's $53,000 despite Nacho's death warning.
On their way to Mojada, Chela, Nacho, and other Aymaras are greeted by Emmet driving with Father Van Horne and Jennings in the latter's car. A few days later, having missed Emmet, Chela decides to pay Emmet a visit at his hotel room where she and Nacho witness him bathing; much to Emmet's shock and surprise. After Nacho leaves them alone, Chela and Emmet eventually begin to make love before Emmet leaves to join up with his friends at the church where they intend to kill de la Plata and his men just in time.
After a failed attempt due to de la Plata's mother, Señora de la Plata's presence in the church, Chela awaits Emmet in his hotel room later night where they make love once again. Afterwards, Chela and Nacho are personally invited by Emmet for drinks to celebrate despite Aymara Indians not being allowed in a canteen. However, Chela finds herself deliberately insulted by de la Plata's second-in-command, Jurado when Emmet begins to order drinks for him and his friends despite the latter drunkenly suggesting taking Chela out and possibly raping her as well. Then, Chela and Nacho are forced to stay back and watch Emmet and Jurado fight. Even though Jurado cheats during the fight, Emmet wins the fight by knocking him out even after Chela finally speaks out for the first time to warn him about the latter's final attempt with his dagger and both Father Van Horne and Jennings come in to stop another one of de la Plata's men from finishing him off. While Father Van Horne and Jennings return to have another drink, Chela and Nacho take Emmet back to their village in order to recover from all the bruises and beatings received during the fight.
However, Chela and her people have left Emmet tied up and restrained for his own safety, but against his own free will; much to his own anger. At first, Chela refuses, but then complies and has Nacho set him free in order to rejoin his friends at the church just in time for the upcoming battle against de la Plata and his men when the latter threatens to leave her should she betray him.
Later, Chela is taken hostage along with many other villagers both men, women, and children by de la Plata and his men and threatened to death unless Father Van Horne shows up at de la Plata's hacienda alone and unarmed; given the number of casualties both Father Van Horne and his friends had cost de la Plata during the battle earlier. When Father Van Horne does show up, Chela is released along with the rest of the hostages until she is taken back and kept under guard at the stables in order to be used as bait to lure the priest's friends as well.
Luckily, Chela is rescued by both Emmet, Nacho, and her people having snuck into the stables. Then, while Emmet and Nacho leave to proceed with their objective, Chela is left under her people's protection and care until it is over. Later, after all of de la Plata's men including Jurado have been dealt with despite Jennings's ultimate sacrifice during the ensuing battle, Chela happily reunites with Emmet having received a few gun wounds; thanks to de la Plata. As Chela and Emmet embrace, de la Plata is finally killed by Father Van Horne by toppling the stone cross he has been tied up tightly to earlier onto him even after being shot twice by his own reluctant mother when trying to shoot someone in a final attempt, thus, putting an end to his tyranny once and for all. Then, Chela and everyone else generously tend to Emmet and a now-free Father Van Horne's wounds as church bells are being sounded across the countryside.
Trivia[]
- It is never mentioned how Chela's parents were killed when she was young during the whole movie.
- "Emmet" and "No" are the only two words Chela speaks out throughout the whole movie due to her slight muteness.
- Chela is the only female of her tribe seen in the movie.