Brief Thoughts - ROSE MARIE (1954)

I caught up with the musical ROSE MARIE (1954) the other evening and have to admit I agree with the general critical assessment of it being fairly mediocre. It isn’t a bad film but it is flat and uninvolving for the most part. I wasn’t aware that this was the third film version of the stage production until after I saw this one, but I am now curious enough to want to see those earlier takes on the show to compare. I was initially interested in it because one of the main characters is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but the allure of the songs was strong as well. I’m not the biggest fan of musicals but a good one can always win me over. Sadly, most of the songs here are pretty forgettable with only two of them really sticking out. ‘I’m a Mountie That Never Got His Man’ sung by Bert (Cowardly Lion) Lahr is a funny tune and the film stages it well with Lahr getting to play off of his talented co-star Marjorie Main. Oddly, it was written for the film adaptations and wasn’t part of the original stage production.

But there is one song that I knew before watching this film but had no idea it originated here. ‘Indian Love Call’ is a tune that I have heard someplace before and actually heard in a way that made it stick in my memory. I suspect I absorbed a comedic take on the chorus in some short or cartoon but I just can’t remember where or when. Nevertheless, this song is now lodged in my brain for the first time in decades and I’m not sure that is a good thing. It is a bit strange no matter how you approach it. Check it out below to hear what I mean.

HUDSON RIVER MASSACRE (1965)

A few years ago, when Troy and I got the job do a commentary track for an Amando De Ossorio film I decided to track down his earlier movies as part of my research. I felt it would be a good idea to get a sense of what he was doing then to get into the position to be able to create his Blind Dead films as well as his other horror movies. I knew that seeing his first features outside the horror genre would allow me to see his progression as an artist. Among these early pictures was one that I was very happy to spot among his list of credits called REBELS IN CANADA (1965). It's generally described by Ossorio and his biographers as one of a couple of westerns he made for producers to prove that he could bring in a film on budget and on time. But for me it was a chance to see one of my favorite horror filmmakers from Spain trying his hand at a Canadian Mountie movie! Rare indeed.

Long time readers of this blog will realize that I have a soft spot for tales of the Canadian Mounted Police for no good reason that I can really put into words. I have been fascinated with them ever since reading a collection of Pulp short stories centered around the Canadian police force years ago. I especially love with stories of this force that take place in the late 1800's so this film check marks several of the boxes to get me interested. I was excited recently to discover that this movie, under a different title, has now been released on Blu-ray. Having really enjoyed the film even just above and beyond my general love of Canadian Mounted Police stories I was happy that I would eventually be able to tell people that they could see this movie without resorting to the darker corners of the internet. I’m pretty sure this is the first time REBELS IN CANADA has been released on home video in the US but, sadly, I have to report that the MVD Classics Blu-ray of this film under the title HUDSON RIVER MASSACRE is extraordinarily subpar.

The print of the film used for the Blu-Ray is bright and colorful but the film has been mastered onto the digital format very poorly. If the image is still things looks great but the second there is any movement the picture becomes grainy and smears appear. I’m not well versed enough in the art of crafting high definition product to know exactly what went wrong but it seems as if there was not enough care taken to make sure this obscure little movie looked as good as possible before slopping it out onto disc. It’s a complete failure of quality control that makes suspect the entire MVD line might be as poorly done. This a real shame as the movie is a pretty good film with a few surprises and one really impressive battle sequence along the way. Lead George Martin is an acrobatic actor with the perfect look for these kinds of tales. He does his job well even in the sometimes violent action scenes when the bloodier side of the director’s leanings come to the fore. The female cast is strong, playing out the typical clichés of this tale with verve and energy. Top marks to Diana Lorys as a singing salon girl who loves Martin’s character but can’t catch his attention. My research tells me that there is possibly a longer version of the film out there someplace but it seems never to have been brought to video anywhere in the world. (I’ve hunted!)

If, like me, you are curious to see Ossorio’s early non-horror output this is a film to seek out. I wish the Blu-Ray was better but if you can find it for a cheap enough price it will allow you to at least see this rare northern adventure. Maybe someday another company will take the fine print used to make this disc and process the picture for a better looking disc. This isn’t a great movie but it worth seeing especially if you have a fondness for the European westerns of the period. Or Canadian Mounties!

Canadian Mounted Police Artwork

One of the stranger reading habits I have is the unavoidable desire to read adventure tales of the Canadian Mounties during the winter months. Even if the story takes place in the Summertime I still want to read these things in the cooler times of year. Of course, I prefer that they take place in the driving snow with bitter temperatures causing ice to form on everything but I'll take anything I can get in this rather small genre. I don't expect many folks to understand this obsession much less share it, but if you like westerns you might enjoy this Northern variation. Maybe. 

REBELS IN CANADA (1965) - Amando de Ossorio Makes a Western!

Over the past few years I've been slowly tracking down the few films by Spanish filmmaker (and creator of the Blind Dead films) Amando de Ossorio that I have yet to see. I finally watched one of his two westerns tonight and enjoyed it for it's slight pleasures. It's part of one of my favorite western sub-genres - films about the Canadian Mounted Police! It's a tiny subset of westerns but I love it so!

Very much a Euro-Western made before the release of Sergio Leone's worldwide hit A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964) changed everything,  Ossorio's REBELS IN CANADA (1965) is cut from a very different cloth. Released under half a dozen titles including Three From Colorado, Massacre on the Hudson River and Canadian Wilderness it tells the story of Canadian trapper Victor DeFrois (George Martin) who, in a fit of vengeful anger at the English fur-dealer responsible for his brother's death, joins a rebel group fighting the Mounted Police. The rebels are trying to oust the British influence from the country in an attempt to control their fortunes and their future. To achieve this goal they kidnap the villainous businessman's very blonde daughter and stash her in the woods with Victor as her guard. Eventually these two star-crossed people fall in love (like ya do) and fight to find a way to live together in this terrible situation.

This was Amando de Ossorio's second feature film as director and it shows that he was ready for the job. He injects some interesting visuals into the story often finding some sharp ways of making scenes that could be dull come alive. The scene in which rebel leader Leo gives a speech to his assembled crew is juiced up by being done as one shot with the camera centered and rotating around to follow him as he circles the group. It's a clever 360  degree shot that keeps things interesting. Also, there is a fist/knife fight between Martin and a nasty prospector that is set in a very dangerous looking set of river rapids. This sequence looks quite realistic and I can't understand how the two actors didn't sustain serious injuries!

It was nice to see the lovely Diana Lorys in a solid role as Victor's old flame who seeks revenge on him for leaving her in lurch with his new blonde woman. She is good here giving off a sense of native menace and is convincing in her final battle with another female character. Lorys was famous at the time as a key cast member of Jess Franco's THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF (1962) and would go on to star in Ossorio's FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD (1969) and turn in a memorable performance in Aured's BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (1974).

This is a well mounted (see what I did there?) film, colorful and vibrant enough even if it feels much more like a film made a decade before it's production. It's a fun little western programmer that wouldn't have felt out of place as a Saturday matinee for the kiddies and I suspect that is what it was meant to be. It's an OK film with some neat moments and that's about all. If you like the Hollywood westerns of the 1950's you might enjoy this one but you'll have to track down the fan-subtitled version I watched as I don't know of an English language version.