O'Rourke of the Royal Mounted (1954) Online

I was there on location for this film and it was filmed mostly in Alberta in the vicinity of Lake Louise and Banff. It rained a lot during the filming and a lot had to be redone at the studio. I was an extra and mostly rode horses and was a dead man in several scenes. As a kid it was a great experience.

Alan Ladd was wonderful as was Carrol, Shelly and Raoul. They fed us well and we stayed in small out buildings, like motel buildings, near the Banff Springs Hotel.

I had to leave early to do a film with Jeff Chandler and I had a commitment at the Pasadena Playhouse at that time also. My last theatre work was in 1960 when I had to give up show business for health reasons --- I needed to eat!

Hope this clears up the question of where it was filmed.

Don Alan (Droesch)

This movie was filmed in Banff National Park not far from the headwaters of the Saskatchewan River. Locations such as Bow Lake and Peyto Lake are on the Icefield Parkway Hwy 93 North of Lake Louise. The movie showed the Sioux a little farther west and north of where they retreated after the Custer Massacre as they only (most of them) only made it to the Cypress Hills in Southeast Alberta. Actual number of "mounties" involved in bringing them back to the border?? Three!! The Canadian and American governments had agreed no harm would come to the Sioux or Sitting Bull but of course this promise was not kept and Superintendant Walsh of the R. C. M. P. (Then Northwest Mounted Police orN.W.M.P) resigned over the betrayal of the Sioux.

It is set in Western Canada , in the wonderful Saskatchewan region with its lush forests and wild rivers . A Mountie constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police called Thomas O'Rourke : Alan Ladd and his Indian partner , Jay Silverheels , encounter a fired wagon train , at the same time they meet a wounded woman and sole survivor named Grace : Shelley Winters . Meanwhile, Sioux commanded by chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse have vanquished George Armstrong Custer's 7th cavalry in 1876 , and they go across the border . Sioux are attempting to force the Cree in being allies to their battles the US army . Later on , Mountie Thomas revolts against his stiff-upper-lip commander : Robert Douglas and trying to persuade the Cree to help them . Thomas must aid Creek Indians and also Grace , who is accused for killing and being pursued by deputy Smith : Hugh O'Brian . Along the way the group of Mounties escapes from the Sioux by the wild river .

Spectacular and enough budget western with thrills , adventures , battles , go riding , emotion and being mostly shot on location in Saskatchewan . This is an impressive saga of the conquest of the Saskatchewan territory where the Royal Northwest Mounted Police stood alone against the fury of the Custer-massacring Sioux and the savage Cree nation . Thinly written for the screen by Gil Doud , author of the original story based on facts , including some disapponting moments ; nevertheless , it was ably made by the great director Raoul Walsh . On the plus side are reasonable good acting from a nice cast and support cast . As main cast is pretty good , it stars the estimable Alan Ladd , a fine actor who performed some classic Noir Films and a lot of Westerns , such as The Badlanders , Proud rebel , Drum beat , Branded and the classic Shane . Support cast is frankly fine , Robert Douglas is very authentic and striking looking as the inept and vengeful commandant . The female lead is taken by pretty Shelley Winters as a captive , but she has little to do and isn't in it very much . Other secondaries appearing are Hugh O'Brian , Richard Long , J. Carrol Naish , George J. Lewis , Lewis Gilmore and as narrator : Rex Reason. And some actors playing Indians as Antonio Moreno : Chief Dark Cloud , Anthony Caruso : Spotted Eagle and Indian Cajou played by Jay Silverheels , the famous Tonto from Lone Ranger series.

This colorful movie belongs to Canadian Mountie sub-genre including important titles as the classy Unconquered by Cecil B DeMille with Gary Cooper , Pony Soldier 1952 by Joseph M. Newman with Tyrone Power and The Canadians by Burt Kennedy with Robert Ryan . This Saskatchewan packs a glimmer and rousing cinematography by John F. Seitz , showing splendorous landscapes. The motion picture was well directed by Raoul Walsh . He was a prolific filmmaker , writer , actor and producer . He directed all kinds of genres with penchant for Western , Noir Film and Gangster movies. Raoul directed westerns for Warner Bros as They died with their boots on 1942 , Sílver river 1948 with Errol Flynn , Colorado territory 1949 with Joel McCrea , Cheyenne with Dennis Morgan and Along the Great Divide with Kirk Douglas . In Universal Pictures Walsh directed : The lawless breed , Gun fury with Rock Hudson , and Saskatchewan . His two best considered westerns were The Big TraIl and Dark Command. And his last westerns were The tall men 1955 , The King and 4 queens 1956 with Clark Gable and The sheriff of Fractured Jaw with Kenneth Moore .

Saskatchewan is no earth shattering watching experience at all , but with its saving graces as the attractive , appealing outdoors , and the presence of its charming stars , it is just about worth a look . Rating 6/10.

I would have to agree with most of the other posters, who give this film mixed reviews. The scenery is fantastic, the action is compelling, and there are a number of good actors on hand. But the historical inaccuracies, concerning things like the Mounties' costumes, and the actions of the post-Custer (Last Stand) Sioux, do detract from the film. Raoul Walsh is one of my favorite old-time directors, but he made his share of films which deviate from the truth. After all, he did direct the Errol Flynn version of Custer, "They Died With Their Boots On," which must be one of the most fanciful historical films ever. Walsh wasn't (and isn't) alone in this casual disregard for the truth, by any means. Everyone knows that there is history, and there is movie history. And plenty of other directors took as many liberties with the truth. The great John Ford, for instance. For example, the shoot-out at the OK Corral was nothing like that portrayed in "My Darling Clementine" (great film though it is). And the fact that Monument Valley creeps into so many of his westerns, some of which are taking place far from that photogenic area, isn't accuracy at work. Artistic license, and making a good movie, have often taken precedence in this regard.

One Walsh movie which does seem more true-to-life is "The Big Trail," his ground-breaking 1930 film with John Wayne. Historians could no doubt find some mistakes in the film, but it seems fairly realistic as regards a covered wagon trek. Maybe the lesson is that historical fiction is often best, as inconvenient facts can't get in your way. And classic Hollywood directors had no monopoly on putting myth before truth. Look at contemporary directors like Oliver Stone and Michael Bay, who put the older Hollywood folks to shame. Stone, in particular, takes almost psychedelic flights of fancy in his films, and any relation to true events seems very tenuous. As many have pointed out, John Ford addressed this issue of myth-making versus truth-telling, in his film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." It should come as no surprise that the myth often wins out. And even when true stories are told fairly accurately, as in "Glory," small liberties are taken with things like contemporary language, and events are often compressed or moved around. A classic movie like "The Great Escape," while basically telling a true story, fictionalized large aspects of it (not many, or any, Americans involved; it's the wrong season, etc.), something that no doubt irritated the men who were really there. Another great prison camp movie, "The Bridge on the River Kwai," was guilty of the same things.

Anyway, Raoul wasn't immune to any of that, as this film clearly shows. If one looks at it as pure fiction, and if one buys the scenes of Mounties trying to be inconspicuous, in the woods, while wearing bright red uniforms, it's a pretty entertaining movie. Those more knowledgeable than I can point out the geographical and historical errors in this film. I'm sure that anyone with proximity to Saskatchewan can find many things to chuckle over.

In 1945, Alan Ladd played the title role in a film called "Salty O'Rourke," directed by Raoul Walsh. Ladd's character's name in this film is O'Rourke, too. An in-joke, perhaps? It does seem like more than coincidence, considering that the two men didn't work together often. Also, does the plot remind anyone of other Walsh "chase" films, like "Objective Burma," and "Distant Drums," where army units are being pursued through hostile terrain, often by an unseen enemy (in this film, the pursuers are shown very clearly)? A nail-biting plot, but one which does get repetitive. Also, what's with the jungle bird sounds that the Sioux make? Not your usual Canadian bird calls.

Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse vacationed in Banff. There are snow capped mountains surrounding Fort Walsh in SW Saskatchewan. The Mounties had a gun battle with the Sioux, leaving many dead on both sides. You can travel by canoe from the Rockies to Fort Walsh in a day (quite a feat considering it's hundreds of miles, and there's no river).

It's all good.

Indian scouts making jungle calls to each other at night. Mighty Alan Ladd slaying men left and right, winning the heart of the beautiful woman, and never having to raise his voice or change it from a flat, dull monotone. That's the kind of men the Mounties were made of.

Best of all, Shelley Winters in a low cut dress, six gun in hand explaining "I was on my way to Battleford!"

10/10

I've noticed a number of other reviewers, Canadian reviewers, mostly have gone to town on Saskatchewan. Making fun of the fact that the Mounted Police are wearing the Smokey the Bear hats which were not regulation until after World War I. They wore pillbox type hats as you can see in the Shirley Temple-Randolph Scott film Sussanah of the Mounties. The uniforms they fought in were also not the bright scarlet dress uniforms you see them in here as well.

However according to the films of Alan Ladd, Saskatchewan was made in Canada near Banff so the location is somewhat accurate and it certainly is picturesque. What's not accurate this whole basis for the story of the Sioux going north to stir the Cree Indians of Canada up to go on the warpath.

The Sioux went north after the Little Big Horn, but it was for refuge as you can imagine it was pretty hot for them south of the 49th parallel. The last thing they were looking to do was stir trouble in a place they were looking for support.

But that's what we have here as two men clash about what to do about those visiting Sioux. Inspector Alan Ladd's lived among the Cree and is a blood brother to Jay Silverheels. Because of the Sioux a new commander at Ladd's post orders Cree rifles taken from them. That gets the Crees collective backs up as they've been peaceful and need the weapons for hunting.

Later on the new commander gets an order to abandon that post and take all the weapons and ordnance to another post. The commander, Robert Douglas, is a spit and polish guy from Great Britain and hasn't a clue about the Indians or the Canadian woods. On the trail Ladd pulls a Fletcher Christian number on him and the men follow Ladd.

There's also a subplot involving a United States marshal seeking extradition for Shelley Winters who is wanted for murder in the USA. They're along on the trail of mutiny as well.

Given those facts it's no wonder that Canadian audiences to this day apparently don't receive Saskatchewan well. A pity because Raoul Walsh, one of the best action directors ever, does well in that department with the ridiculous story. Ladd's as intrepid a Mountie as ever this side of Nelson Eddy and Winters essentially repeats her character from Winchester 73.

In the supporting cast is J. Carrol Naish who plays the Metis scout for the Mounties who apparently every time he turns his wife is birthing another child. It's his performance I enjoy best about Saskatchewan.

Who ever wrote this scipt apparenly was never in The Canadian West. I live in Manitoba and have traveled many times to the West Coast I have never yet seen a mountain in Saskatchewan. We never had any sort of trouble with the Sioux when they came into Canada and certanly no N.W.W.P. constable would allow a Canadian never mind an American shoot an indian in the back. And the Costumes terrible, the Mounties wore Pill Box Hats I think untill about 1919 when they became the R.C.M.P.And th music is the march past of the royal 22 regement Vive la Canadienne and certanly would not have been known out west.All in all a lousey movie about the Canadian west, very little truth.

Viewers will enjoy the staggering beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in this no-nonsense, fast-paced, colorful story of a patrol of scarlet-coated Mounties guiding a diverse group of passengers over a perilous mountain pass while pursued and constantly noodged by Indians. The movie should have been called "Alberta" instead of "Saskatchewan," since Alberta is the province where shooting took place. But I suppose "Alberta" sounds too much like an Astair/Rogers musical, while "Saskatchewan," though longer and harder for youngsters to read and pronounce, sounds like a curse in some exotic language and implies violent action through "katch", "chew", and "chew an".

The viewer should enjoy the visual splendor and remain unchallenged by the familiar story of cavalry and Indians. I don't know how the Sioux will feel about it. They're the villains of the piece.

It seems that in the Canadian West of 1877, the white settlers and a handful of Royal Canadian Mounted Police lived in harmony with the local Cree Indians. The Mountie's second-in-command, Alan Ladd, is actually an adopted brother of one of the Cree braves, Jay Silverheels. So far, so reasonable -- and roughly accurate. Somehow the Canadian mountains and the high plains were absorbed into the country with a nearly complete absence of the kinds of violence that took place in that great nation to the south.

Then two flies appear in the ointment. One is the post's new commanding officer, the principled but adversarial Robert Douglas, heavy of an Errol Flynn swashbuckler and a couple of other such films. He is intent on preventing the peaceful Cree from causing any trouble, so he disarms and alienates them. Mutters Silverheels, "They teach us to hunt and then they take away our means to do it."

This betrayal tends to drive the Cree into an allegiance with Fly Number Two -- the American Sioux, who have just massacred General Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn and have now escaped across the border into Canada. Bang, bang, and then BOOM. (That's the explosion of a wagon filled with barrels of black gunpowder blowing a dozen Indians to smithereens.)

Let's see. What else. Ladd mutinies against Douglas and relieves him of his service revolver and his authority. Shelly Winters joins the party in a low-cut dress, accompanied by Hugh O'Brien as a sheriff escorting her back to Great Falls, Montana, to be hanged for a killing for which the treacherous O'Brien himself was responsible. And the victim was his own brother. Well, you can see what kind of guy Hugh O'Brien is. No wonder that Ladd, half his size, keeps punching him out.

The direction is by Raoul Walsh and it zips along as most of his Warners productions did. Walsh, like many old-school directors, didn't hold with psychological nonsense. A man was what a man was. Similarly, a woman was what a woman was. They were defined by their actions. No inferences allowed. You know, as a minor observation, when this movie was in first release it was criticized by some reviewers because Shelly Winters' wardrobe suggested that she had a bosom. It is to laugh. Actually, Winters' dialog, like all the rest, is concise to the point of being stilted, but she probably gives the most honest performance. Ladd seems content to glory in his blazing red coat with its gilded pips, his blue riding breeches with the gold stripes, and his black boots and silver spurs. As I said, this is colorful stuff. J. Carrol Naish, an Irish-American, is a raggedy French scout this time around. In the past he'd played Asians, Italians, Tibetans, and just about everything except a Siberian Chukchee -- and that only because nobody ever made a movie about the Chukchee. And in every role, he used the same all-purpose accent.

The plot seems to have been dreamed up by a committee but the location belongs to God alone. The images make you yearn for the clean, dry, cool air of sunny Banff and a scent of pine that doesn't come out of a bottle.

O'Rourke is a red coat – no, not Butlins but a member of the Canadian Mounted Forces; and he is returning to service having travelled with his Cree Indian half brother Cajou. When he reaches his posting, his commander Benton immediately distrusts Cajou, driving a divide between the half brothers that see them separate. Escorting the beautiful survivor of a Sioux attack (Grace Markey) across the territory, the Mounties are fearful of the Sioux, even though O'Rourke can see their side of things – a viewpoint that makes him the target of suspicion and mistrust from Benton, Smith and others in the party.

The strange name attracted me to it, a statement that perhaps shows just how ignorant a person I really am! The cast also suggested that this would be a solid and enjoyable b-movie western that would meet my needs. The film actually did more than that and I found it to be an enjoyable if slightly apologetic b-movie that provided solid characters, a good plot and some exciting (if dated) action scenes. Of course it isn't anything that wonderful and those who dislike the genre would do well to avoid it for obvious reasons. The plot starts well, with some interesting character issues but then does little with them and heads into the usual b-movie territory, forgetting the more interest conflict between O'Rourke and Cajou that appeared to be the focus early on. That said it does well enough for the genre and provided enough entertainment for my needs.

Cinematography wise it looks good; despite the claim that it was all filmed in Saskatchewan the presence of rolling hills and impressive mountains suggest that perhaps this was not the case. Despite this it looks good, not John Ford but the bright colours and location feel that the better b-movies could muster. Ladd is enjoyably wide-chested in a typically heroic role and will please genre fans. Winters is a good female co-star, pretty enough to fill that role but feisty enough to avoid blandness. Silverheels has a smaller role than I would have liked and people like Long, Douglas and Naish all fill their roles well enough despite not doing anything in particular of merit.

Overall this is a solid b-movie western that does all that you expect it to and, if that is what you want, you'll enjoy it like I did. It could have done more of course but it works for what it is and the colourful presentation and solid pace help cover what "could have been" with what is.

No, I've never been to the province. But a quick look at a relief map will show that all but the very southwest corner of Saskatchewan is prairie. Nevertheless mountains loom in the background in every shot of this film which is supposed to take place in the central part of the then-territory. The film is not alone in this; there are no mountains in western Oklahoma either, contrary to "True Grit." Alan Ladd plays O'Rourke, a RCMP officer with a progressive bent who must battle his mutton-headed commander as well as the Indians. Shelley Winters, here in her brief Marilyn Monroe-competitor period, is an American fugitive in a low cut dress. Unless you don't see many movies, you can probably surmise complications arising between the two. Jay Silverheels, later of "Lone Ranger" fame, is O'Rourke's Cree companion who angrily leaves him when the RCMP insist on confiscating the tribe's rifles and who must later confront his former friend.

A previous post noted that the RCMPs are wearing "Smokey Bear", not the correct "sepoy" hats. More noticeable to me was the dress of the Indians, who always look to be gussied up for a powwow. Photographs of the time show that by the late 1800's Indians usually dressed in manufactured (i.e. white) clothes with a some Native touches. Common sense also makes me doubt leaders wore the heavy, conspicuous headresses into battle, although again this film is not alone in this.

The plot involves the entry of the Sioux into Canada in the aftermath of Little Big Horn. In reality, the fragmented Sioux could hardly attempt a takeover of Western Canada, but merely hoped to find refuge from the vengeful U.S. Army. But here the setup is for a spectacular mass battle at the end, showing Indians charging en masse into white firepower the way they almost never did in actual history. Noticeably missing from depiction, by the way, are the Sioux women and children who trekked into Canada along with the warriors.

Because of the spectacular backdrops in Technicolor, this is not too terrible an oater if only to see the conventions of the period.

I had the opportunity to see "Saskatchewan" lately, and viewing it brought back memories of my parents telling me about the film. When they saw it in a Calgary theatre in 1954, the audience didn't stop laughing from beginning to end. Mounties -- in 1950s DRESS UNIFORMS -- travelling through the mountains of Saskatchewan on horses! While singing! Short, skinny little Alan Ladd (with the strongest American accent on file) as a NWMP officer! Protecting his pure, innocent white girl from the evil Indians! While the towering Rockies surround FORT WALSH! Even now, knowing that the old Saskatchewan Territory took in much of Southern Alberta (but not the mountains), it's a very, very funny movie. Imagine Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in character as Bob and Doug MacKenzie playing New Jersey State Police officers and riding around Arizona on horseback - and it's not a comedy - and you get the idea.

I'm sure that people who have never seen a mountain would love "Saskatchewan" for the scenery, but by God this was funnier than the mountains of New York City in "Rumble in the Bronx". If you live here, it'll make tears fall down your face.

Incidentally, my dad actually turned to my mom after the movie and asked her why the RCMP, who function in the west as the equivalent of US state troopers, had never been riding horses when they pulled him over for speeding. Her answer: "You drive faster than a horse."

This movie begins with two men by the names of "Thomas O'Rourke" (Alan Ladd) and his Cree half-brother "Cajou" (Jay Silverheels) trapping along the banks of the Saskatchewan River in Canada. As they begin to head back home they come across a couple of wagons that had recently been attacked by hostile Indians and discover one female survivor named "Grace Markey" (Shelley Winters) within the ruins. They then decide to take her to a nearby fort. However, she has other plans and tries to steal one of the horses when they aren't paying attention. Unfortunately, as she is making her escape she comes upon a small band of Sioux Indians and has to retreat back to where she started before being rescued again by Thomas and Cajou. Once they get to the fort it is soon disclosed that Thomas is a Royal Canadian Mountie and that the Sioux have just won a decisive engagement with the U.S. 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Big Horn and have advanced north into Canada hoping to enlist the local Cree Indian tribe as allies. Also of interest is the fact that a U.S. Marshall by the name of "Carl Smith" (Hugh O'Brien) has arrived and has an arrest warrant on Grace for the murder of a man in Montana. If that wasn't bad enough, the new Mountie commanding officer named "Inspector Benton" (Robert Douglas) has recently made one bad decision after another which has seriously damaged the peaceful relations the Mounties had with the Cree and given them even more reason into considering an alliance with the Sioux. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this started out as a decent Western movie which subsequently developed a severe case of historical inaccuracy the further on it went. For starters, although Chief Crazy Horse was shown in the film trying to recruit the local Cree Indians, the fact is that after the Little Big Horn he never ventured that far north. Neither was Chief Sitting Bull an adversary of the Canadians. As a matter of fact, the Canadian government and Chief Sitting Bull had a healthy respect for one another and he was allowed to stay there in peace. It was only after the decline of the buffalo in the area that he and some fellow Sioux agreed to return to the United States and settle down in a reservation. But historical flaws aside, the film itself was pretty standard for a Western and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Well the best this highly fictionalized film can boast about, is the beautiful scenery, and that includes Alan Ladd and shapely Shelley Winters. If you over look the story flaws, you can come up with an action filled western. Set in 1877, Alan Ladd has been brought up by the Cree and becomes a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. He tries very hard to prevent the Cree allying with post-Little Big Horn Sioux. Ladd has a brother played by Jay Silverheels, who sides with Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Robert Benton plays an insensitive British RCMP officer with whom Ladd mutinies against and leads a party to safety. In the group is saloon gal Shelley Winters, being accompanied by U.S Marshall, Hugh O'Brian, who is taking her to Montanna to stand trial for murder. Add some fighting action as the Sioux attack a lot, and there's even a canoe chase, that still does not rescue this film. But the mounties always get their man, in this case Ladd gets the the buxom saloon gal Winters. If you are a Alan Ladd fan, it could be a very enjoyable film for you to watch.

I've been to Sakatchewan and wasn't aware of many mountains in the Big Sky province, though the film claims to have been made in the locations where the alleged story took place, but what a treat, anyway! Stunning photography (wherever!), marvellous action sequences (vintage Raoul Walshe), intimidating Sioux, Ladd at his most laconic, sexy Shelly Winters before she got fat, the excellent Robert Douglas, J Carrol Naish, Jay Silverheels and Hugh O'Brien in his pre-Wyatt Earp persona. And just think - this would have been one half of a double-bill!

Saskatchewan is well worth watching for the spectacular scenery and cinematography alone. But in fairness, the story and acting was above average for a 1950s Western, too. The plot has been done before and some of the dialog is cliché, but if you like a reasonable effort to show a balanced portrayal of both sides of the Indian/white conflict -- you should like this movie.

If you liked Alan Ladd in Shane, you'll like him here, as well. Jay Silverheels, before he became Tonto, is his adopted brother. A young Shellie Winters and J. Carroll Naish add interest.

I had to laugh at all the reviews complaining about the title and noting that the film was filmed in Banff National Park which is in Alberta, not Saskatchewan. They apparently did not read the introduction which clearly stated "Saskatchewan River Territory - 1877". At that time, neither Alberta nor Saskatchewan existed as Provinces. But the Saskatchewan River, then as now, begins in what is now Banff National Park.

There were a number of other complaints about the anachronistic Mountie head gear worn in this movie. I suggest they send those letters to the retired Mountie Commander who was the technical adviser for the film. Surely, he should have returned his fee if they refused his advice on such a crucial matter (sarc).

Saskatchewan is directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Gil Doud. It stars Alan Ladd, Shelley Winters, J. Carrol Naish, Hugh O'Brian, Jay Silverheels, George Lewis and Robert Douglas. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography in Technicolor is by John F. Seitz.

Saskatchewan River Country, Spring 1877, and Mountie Sergeant O'Rourke (Ladd), who was reared by the Cree Indians, sets about trying to prevent the Cree from joining forces with the Sioux who have crossed the border into Canada after massacring General Custer at Little Bighorn.

Competent story with muscular direction for the action sequences, Saskatchewan is undoubtedly reliant on the beautiful visuals to keep the viewer enthralled. Plot is one of those that telegraphs the outcome right from the off, thus any genuine suspense is hard to garner, while the characterisations are drawn as standard. Male cast members are mostly fine, with Ladd always watchable when doing stoicism, but Winters, in a character desperately trying not to be a token, is sadly miscast. However, the action is of high standard, with lots of extras and horses whizzing about to create excitement, and the photography in and around Banff National Park in Alberta is sublime. Whether it's the wonderful mountains, the angled trees or the shimmering river (the latter providing a truly breath taking reflection at one point), Seitz's (The Lost Weekend/Sunset Boulevard) work for this film is reason enough to seek it out. 6/10

The Pegasus Region 2 DVD release is presented in 4:3 full frame and the picture quality is good to fair, if a little grainy for the very light scenes.

This is one of the spin off films inspired by the 'Custer's Last Stand' saga, that so traumatized the American psyche of the times.The saga of the actual Battle of the Little Bighorn has, of course, been played out on film as a drama or documentary a number of times.In fact, Raoul Walsh, who directed the present film, also directed the classic Errol Flynn-Olivia de Haviland-starring 'They Died with their Boots On' version of this battle. In fact, we might think of the present film as a long-delayed fictionalized sequel to that film, as it deals with the post-Little Bighorn Sioux movement into adjacent Canada and their interactions with the resident Cree. On the other hand, the plot much more resembles 2 other spin offs of the late '40s and early '50s I am familiar with:John ford's 'Fort Apache'and Anthony Mann's 'The Last Frontier'. These 2 films generally get higher ratings than the present film, although 'The Last Frontier' is probably no better known today. That film dealt with the US army's conflicts with the Sioux headed by Red Cloud in a slightly earlier era, just as the Civil War was drawing to a close, and is based on a historical conflict. In 'Forte Apache', the Sioux are replaced by the Apache. In all 3 films, at some point, there is a strong conflict between an 'injin'-savvy subordinate and the company commander who is either naive in dealing with 'injins' or feels duty-bound to deal with them as he believes his distant superiors wish. In the end, the rebel is vindicated. To one who has seen all 3 of these films, clearly 'Fort Apache' is the most entertaining, because of the charisma of the main adversaries(John Wayne and Henry Fonda) and the periodically interjected humor of some of the supporting actors. In contrast, the other 2 films lack any substantial humor to break up the drama, save for Victor Mature's taunting of Robert Preston, who has fallen into a bear trap pit. In 'The Last Frontier', Mature certainly provides a more animated charismatic rebel than the rather stiff monotonic Alan Ladd in the present film. This is the third film of this era I have seen , in which Shelly Winters is the lone white female among a horde of men traveling through a hostile 'injin'-infested West. Usually, she comes across as a hard-bitten floozy, sporting a low-cut dress, although she seems a tad more respectable in the present film.

The gorgeous Canadian Rockies scenery is certainly one of the pluses for this film even though, geographically, it has no business being on the route from Saskatchewan to Great Falls, Montana.It was amusing seeing Alan Ladd in his cardinal red RCMP uniform sneaking up on the Cree encampment in broad daylight, in contrast to a much more appropriate drab buckskin outfit of his French Canadian scout. It was difficult for me to tell the Cree from the Sioux by their dress, horse riding and lodges. The Cree were a very diverse and widespread group. The Plains Cree, by necessity, adopted much the same lifestyle as the Plains Sioux, riding horses and living in bison-derived tepees, as opposed to the Woodland Cree, who made wigwams and canoes out of birch bark. By staging most of this film in the Rockies, both the horsemen and canoeing aspects of Cree transport were included. Jay Silverheels, who achieved fame as The Lone Ranger's constant companion in the TV series, again serves as a sometimes companion and confident to the hero. Hugh O'Brian plays a very conflicted character: a US marshal out to capture Shelly's character for the supposed murder of her brother, but who also has the hots for Shelly, to his ultimate demise.

I've watched the movie several times and thought it was entertaining. in 1954 movies were entertainment, i don't know of any movie let alone one from 1954 that is historically correct. westerns among other movies in this period were horrible when it came to correctness. but they are amusing to watch and i found this one entertaining. i don't know whats correct or not in the movie but i've watched it several times. if there are no mountains in Saskatchewan who cares at least the movie has them and in vista vision. Alan Ladd does a good job and so does Shelly Winters, now there was a lot of people i didn't know who could use some acting skills but the movie turned out alright.

Despite the title, this was filmed in Alberta, not Saskatchewan. It didn't bother me, as it was a beautiful film to watch--it was so vivid and blue. However, I wonder if Canadians might notice that it's not Saskatchewan.

The idea of a film about the Mounties and the natives isn't a bad one. However, at times, it felt almost as if this was another 'cowboys versus Indians' films--though its message that there are both good and bad Indians and brotherhood was a nice change of pace. Too bad this was lost, somewhat, because of a dopey side story about a woman wanted in the States (Shelly Winters).

The film begins with a very unlikely pair of brothers (Alan Ladd and Jay Silverheels) having a shooting contest. You learn that they were raised together and Ladd has a strong affinity for the natives. However, his new commanding officer in the Mounties is a total idiot--and his ways do nothing but alienate the friendly natives--pushing them towards an alliance with the warlike Sioux. So, it's up to Ladd to come to the rescue! There is a bad side story involving Shelly Winters. Her characters is just annoying. No one seems too upset that she steals a horse and behaves like a spoiled brat--and you know that no matter how awful she is, she'll be in a clinch with Ladd by the end of the film. Frankly, her character was 100% unnecessary.

Overall, a very flawed but pretty film that fans of Ladd will enjoy--but others would probably be unimpressed by when they watch. Watchable.

In 1955 (almost sure) I was stuck with my parents in a line of more than one hour to see this film. Later, when we left the theater we were all satisfied. We had seen a beautiful scenery, Mounties and Indians, on rivers and mountains, plus an entertaining film. Seeing this film yesterday I was happy to realize that after so many years my opinion about it is just the same. Raoul Walsh has to his credit great classic westerns like "Colorado Territory", "Pursued" and "They Died With Their Boots On". "Saskatchewan" is not on their level but is better than many other westerns directed by Walsh. My impression is that the film was shot mostly in Lake Louise and the mountains surrounding it. The scenery is breathtaking and considering Walsh's expertise on grandiose scenes combining the outdoors with hundreds of people on horses you can be sure you are seeing something unique. Ladd is O'Rourke a man that was raised among the Cree and later became a Mountie. Shelley Winters, in one of her best roles is a woman pursued by the law. The Sioux, after Little Big Horn flee to Canada and try to make the Cree join them. Ladd, who knows the Cree better than his superior, does not agree with him, and is on a way to a court martial. The only way he can redeem himself is by proving that his decision was correct. Fom reading other comments I gathered many people were shocked by this film not being accurate neither by the locations where it was filmed, nor by the story. I can understand their point of view, but I still think it is a good film.

Interesting movie showing the RCMP as they used to be - protectors of all peoples and unbiased towards our hosts the native american indians. Shows how the prevelent attitudes in America and Canada towards Indians have differed, and accurately portrays why the Indian Wars in the US west did not cross the border into Canada. However I do wish that the Canadian attitude showed here in the alberta sask. frontier were more prevalent in the more civilized MANITOBA area. May have avoided the METIS crisis

In the scene where they are riding along the edge of a lake, that is Moraine Lake, about 8 to 10 road miles from Lake Louise. The mountains in the background are the ten peaks that were shown on the back of the old $20. bill. The North West Mounted Police official head gear was the pill box and the pith helmet however, they "unofficially" wore the stetson prior to 1897. The stetson was first officially worn at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. It is interesting to note that the Province of Saskatchewan had an ad normal influx of American tourists after this movie was released, all wanting to see the famous Blue Canadian Rockies. For those into trivia....Robert Mitchum and Marylin Monroe were filming "River of No Return" in the same area at the same time and stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel.

The score is based on the French old folk song "A La Claire Fontaine " (17th century )whose writer remains unknown to this day.It crossed the Atlantic and became popular in Quebec ,notably among the Coureurs De Bois ;so its use in this northern western makes sense.

There are two plots :one concerns the fight against the Sioux ,with a little help from the Crees -one of the Cree Indians considers O'Rourke (Ladd),the hero ,not his friend but his brother;the other deals with a marshal (O'Brian) who's got to bring back a woman (Winters)(who might or might not have killed a man).And that the man in question was the policeman's brother only makes matters worse.

There are good leads (Shelley Winters was an actress who could play anything and she is ideally cast as this tough woman),splendid landscapes (the scene of the rainbow or the misty banks of the lake ) ,a bit of humor (the squaw and her children ,and the final nod to France)and some emotion (the wounded soldier).It is no one of Walsh's most memorable works ,but it's quite pleasant.

I had not seen Saskatchewan in years and I remember why I like it, Its in Technicolor! Mountains and scenery is awesome. Color after all these years is still outstanding and Alan Ladd was a fine actor and always a gentleman. I never care if a movie is factual or not, if I enjoy it, its a hit! This a good cowboys Indians movie and everyone come out a hero! The whole key here is Technicolor and the views of the mountains. Its a cool story and the Indians do not get beat up. Alan Ladd saves the day! Shelly Winters is pretty hot too. I need to keep writing until I get enough lines, so here is more lines! I enjoyed it! Sill not enough, Raul Walsh was a good outdoors director.

This is probably a good an example of an old formula Western as you can find. Noble Native Americans abused and used beyond their honorable means by a few rotten white guys, with a few white guys wise enough to know something is rotten in Denmark, or in this case, Saskatchewan.

And that's why this is a "6" instead of a "5". Old formula is just better and more entertaining than new formula, which means a modern neo nazi movie producer figures out ways to kill as many native American women as possible, and show that nature or God bends over backwards to make all women blond and blue eyed. This is loved by women, who can easily be blond just by being in the Sun, but it presents the most depressing world to heterosexual men.

The other new formula Western is to make one dimensional cardboard cutout characters, basically so vicious that you would have to stay alert and awake all night long to think of ways to be this vicious, and that's just the heroes. The bad guys have to "outsadist" every other movie's sadist, which is why "The Quick and the Dead" works as a lampoon of this "supersadist" in cult classic status.

Plus the old Western is better cinema. Great scenery and camera work.

The actors can't be judged here. They merely do what they're told to do. Again, the old Western is two dimensional characters as opposed to the one dimensional cliché of the Westerns popularized after about 1965.

This particular one really smacks of generic substance, though. It is pure formula, all the way through. It's as though every cliché of the time is used. There just isn't anything fresh here. The scenery makes up for it. It works as "art", and moves briskly. Still, it is duller than most of the older Westerns from the classic fifties, the golden age, and undeniably the best age of Westerns. It comes up short against its peers.

Blame it on the writing, but more on the directing. Clever directors find a way around making a cliché dull. This is done by making minor characters important. If the writer fails to do it, the ultimate culprit or hero in making the film is the director. If the minor characters hadn't been written so well in "Shane", the director would've still had the option of giving them the substance to make it more interesting, and likewise, the director can cut out great bits to make a movie less worthwhile.

If you do watch this, expect the "formula" of old fashioned fun, which still meant making a movie for the audience, instead of the "formula" on "sixties-seventies egotism", which meant the audience was supposed to be made for the alleged artists. You won't remember much either way, but at least you wont come away depressed, tired, and suicidal after watching this.