Saskatchewan (1954)

just watch it!

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

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.

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.

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.

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