I love klondike gold rush movies. does anyone know of anymore? I love the outdoors wide open spaces, cold, wilderness beauty. Anyway this is a great movie like most of the Mann-Stewart Westerns.
only two issues I had with it:
1. why on earth is Walter Brennan character so stupid? 2 minutes after Jeff tells him to keep silent on something he blurts it out. My God.
2. gannon just seemed to brazenly evil. Hangs people he feels like it. Takes cattle just cuz' takes people gold stakes. It just seems too ridiculously brazen. Without any law, military, cavalry no military force whatsoever can shut him down? It's absurd.
That said any mores on the Klondike or wilderness between 1935 and 1965? North to Alaska is one. Thank you
The lawlessness in Dawson City, Yukon during the gold rush is a complete fabrication by Hollywood.
In reality, the Mounted Police were in the Klondike in large numbers before and during the gold rush, and had a lock down on the place. Here's a quote from historian Pierre Berton in his review of The Far Country:
In such a community, a gunbelt was unthinkable. One notorious bad man from Tombstone who tried to pack a weapon on his hip was personally disarmed by a young constable, who had just ejected him from a saloon for the heinous crime of talking too loudly. The bad man left like a lamb but protested when the policeman, upon discovering he was carrying a gun told him to hand it over. "No man has yet taken a gun away from me," said the American. "Well, I'm taking it", the constable said mildly and did so, without further resistance. So many revolvers were confiscated in Dawson that they were auctioned off by the police for as little as a dollar and purchased as souvenirs to keep on the mantelpiece. "
So yes, the screenplay having Jeff Gannon ruling over a lawless Dawson City like a warlord is a little hard to swallow.
Oh shanty town, we're gonna tear ya down I got me money come out of me stockins
Some other "gold rush" films include: Any version of THE SPOILERS, the best probably is the 1942 one, with Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne & Randolph Scott NORTH TO ALASKA (a little too comedic for my tastes but Henry Hathaway directed, w/Wayne, Capucine, Fabian and Ernie Kovacs THE GOLD RUSH (1925) A Chaplin classic, silent of course THE NORTH STAR (1996) ROAD TO UTOPIA (Hope-Crosby-Lamour romp) THE CALL OF THE WILD (1972 version maybe closest to J. London tome)
1. why on earth is Walter Brennan character so stupid? 2 minutes after Jeff tells him to keep silent on something he blurts it out. My God.
I suppose his character represents ignorance, as one of the film's themes is the dangers of ignorance and insensitivity. Walter Brennan's character is an affable, easygoing fellow who lives with his head in the clouds, believing that everyone's as affable and easygoing as he is, even when it's plain as day that they aren't, and goes through life thinking he can just do as he pleases and that nothing bad will ever happen to him or someone else because of him, because he just expects everything to just work out for him. Ultimately, this mindset doesn't work out for him and/or Jeff.
A similar theme comes up in "Shenadoah" but that's another conversation.
2. gannon just seemed to brazenly evil. Hangs people he feels like it. Takes cattle just cuz' takes people gold stakes. It just seems too ridiculously brazen. Without any law, military, cavalry no military force whatsoever can shut him down? It's absurd.
Outside of Hollywood being Hollywood, I would say that the conflict with Gannon ties in with the theme of insensitivity as portrayed in Jeff Webster (James Stewart). Except for Walter Brennan's character, Jeff just plain doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything that doesn't somehow pertain to his plans. His refusal to really stand up on behalf of the people factors into Gannon and his thugs attacking him and Brennan near the end of the film; Jeff survives and is treated with contempt by the townsfolk when he tries to talk them out of leaving under pressure from Gannon and his thugs.
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