‘Feud,’ also known as ‘vendetta’ is a prolonged state of conflict between individuals, social groups, and clans and, at times, between alliances. The word ‘vendetta’ has been derived from the Latin root Vindicta meaning ‘vengeance’ which is the root cause of all sorts of feuds. The history of feuds is as old as the history of mankind itself. It is instinctive for human beings to retaliate in order that an insult or injury inflicted by the opponent may be avenged. Very often the feuds are initiated by an exchange of hot words, any wrongdoing, or actions causing insult by an invidual or a group to the opponent. At times feuds are caused by miscommunications between different individuals and tribes. Ancient societies made legal provisions for vengeance, especially in blood feuds.

1. Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian movie based upon the famous drama of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was written in the backdrop of two feuding families; Montagues and Capulets. Belonging to these families, two teenagers from Verona, Italy fell in love and were helped by Romeo’s confessor Friar Laurence and Juliet’s nursemaid to marry secretly. Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, insulted Romeo, who belonged to the opponent clan, though was considered family by Romeo after his marriage to Juliet. He, therefore, led his friend Mercutio to avenge the insult for him. Mercutio was killed during the fight, and to retaliate, Romeo killed Tybalt. Unaware of their secret marriage, Juliet’s father arranged her marriage to a wealthy count in Paris. To avoid this marriage and to remain faithful to Romeo, she consumed a potion prepared by the friar which would induce 72 hours of sleep and make her appear dead. Hearing the death news of Juliet, Romeo, who did not know the facts, killed himself at Juliet’s grave, who also killed herself when upon awakening she found that Romeo had died.

2. Roseanna McCoy

Roseanna McCoy is a 1949 American film based on Alberta Hannum’s novel of the same name. It is a fictionalized version of the most famous American feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families. The Hatfields of West Virginia and Kentucky were led by William Anderson Hatfield, who was more commonly known as Devil Anse. The Hatfields were affluent and politically influential, and they fought for the American Confederacy during the Civil War. The McCoys were led by Randolph McCoy, commonly known as Ole Ran’l, and they fought for the Union. The feud started with the murder of the returning Union soldier Asa Harmon McCoy. The feud is iconic to family feuds in America and is remembered even after a century. The movie story revolves around the romance between Johnse and Roseanna belonging to the feuding families.

3. Gunsmoke: to the Last Man

Gunsmoke: to the Last Man is a 1992 television movie starring Matt Dillon, hero of the television series Gunsmoke in the Pleasant Valley War. Also known as the Tonto Basin Feud, the Pleasant Valley war was an Arizona sheep war between the feuding cattle herding Graham family and the sheep herding Tewksbury family. The war lasted for about a decade with its climax in 1886. The Pleasant Valley was located in Gila County, Arizona, but many feud events happened in Apache and Navajo country. It was one of the most tragic family feuds in American history as almost all of the members of both  families were killed in the feud.

4. The Corsican Brothers

The Corsican Brothers is a 1941 movie starring Douglas Fairbanks. It was based onLes Freres Corses, The Corsican Brothers by Alexandre Dumas. The Franchis clan met and came to know that a Siamese twin boy was born to the count and countess of Franchi. The Clan Colonnas attacked and killed all the Franchis.  Dr. Enrico Paoli separated the boys, and they were raised in different locations, but they reunited when they grew to 21 years old. To avenge the death of the people from their Franchis clan, they started killing the members of the Colonnas clan.

5. V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta is a 2005 movie written by the Wachowski Brothers and directed by James McTeigue. It is a political thriller conceived in the backdrop of the historical Gun Powder Plot. It was treason against King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Led by Robert Catesby, a group of English Catholics planned to blow up the House of Lords during the opening of the English Parliament on November 5, 1605 at the occasion of the institution of James instead of nine-year-old Princess Elizabeth to the position of the Catholic Head of State. The treason, however, failed.

6. The War of the Roses

The War of the Roses is a 1969 American feud movie. It was based on the novel War of the Roses by Warren Adler. The movie is an allusion to the battles fought between the House of York and House of Lancaster for the throne of England. Their heraldic symbols were red and white roses. The movie is costarred by Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito. The married couple’s family name is also Rose, both in the novel and the movie. The War of the Roses was ultimately won by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor who defeated King Richard III and married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV. In this way, he united the two houses, and the Tudors ruled England and Wales for 117 years.

7. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale literally means ‘Real Man’ is a 2011 Taiwanese epic film directed by Wei-TeSheng. The Seediq people believed in going on to the other side of the rainbow after death. It is based on the historical, 1930 Wushe incident in Taiwan. It is the story of Mona Rudao, the Chief of the Seediq people living in the Mahebu village. He led them to fight against the Japanese army. The feud starts when Mona Rudao of the Seediq people attacked two Bunun hunters, killing one of them, and taking away their hunted boar. The film is considered one of the most expensive Taiwanese films. It was shown at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and was selected for the nomination competition for the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

8. 47 Ronin

The movie titled 47 Ronin is a 2013 adventure film. It is a fictionalized version of the real feud which happened in Japan in the 18th century. A Japanese scholar commented on the event that it was ‘The most famous example of the samurai code of honor Bushido, as the country’s national legend…’ The movie is directed by Carl Eric Rinsch and starred  Keanu Reeves. The story is about a samurai group who left Ronin leaderless, when their feudal lord Asano Naganori was forced to commit the ritual suicide seppuku on account of attacking a court official, Kira Yoshinaka. The Ronins avenged their master’s honor after two years’ patience.

9. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is a 1967 feud movie written by Howard Browns and directed by Roger Corman. It is based upon the 1929 Chicago mass murder of seven members of the Northside Gang led by George Moran, commonly known as Bugs. The massacre was conducted on the orders of the feud with Al Capone who wanted to overpower the opponent George ‘Bugs’ Moran. The massacre resulted from an organized crime war in Chicago in the 1920s. Al Capone was portrayed by Jason Robards, and George ‘Bugs’ Moran was portrayed by Ralph Meeker. The movie has been adapted from a CBS Playhouse 90 episode Seven Against the Wall. The Empire Magazine ranked it as number 7 among the 20 greatest gangster movies.

10. A Dry White Season

A Dry White Season is a 1989 movie directed by Euzhan Palcy produced by Paula Weinstein and starred Donald Sutherland, Marlon Brando, and others. Marlon Brando was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film is based on the Soweto uprising which is also known as ‘June 16.’ It comprised of a number of protests by the high school students in South Africa against apartheid. The feud between the students and the government started on June 16, 1976 when approximately 20,000 students protested against the newly imposed Afrikaans as the medium of instruction. More than 175 people died in this fight. In remembrance of the 1976 events, June 16 is observed as a public holiday in South Africa.

Conclusion:

The inhabitants of the Mani and Crete cities of Greece had feuds since long ago which continue even to today. In Corsica, France, a social code required the killing of a person who had dishonored a family. More than 4,300 people were murdered in France between 1821 and 1852 on this account. Bedouins, the nomadic Arabs, the Pushtuns of Afghanistan, the Berbers of Algeria, the Igbos of Nigeria, and Tamils of Sri Lanka are a few of the famous feuds of these modern times. There is perhaps no end to the bloody feuds arising from vengeance.