Alan Ladd

Shelley Winters

J. Carrol Naish

Hugh O'Brian

Robert Douglas

George J. Lewis

Richard Long

Jay Silverheels

Antonio Moreno

Frank Chase

Lowell Gilmore

Anthony Caruso

Henry Wills

Bob Herron

Bud Westmore

Raoul Walsh

Gil Doud

Aaron Rosenberg

William Lava

Henry Mancini

Hans J. Salter

Frank Skinner

Herman Stein

John F. Seitz

Frank Gross

Bernard Herzbrun

Richard H. Riedel

Russell Saunders

Robert F. Hoy

Roy Jenson

John Cason

Henry Janssen

Western

Adventure

Saskatchewan

Universal International Pictures

United States of America

Mounties, Cree and the Sioux.  

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.

English