Alien Thunder
| Alien Thunder | |
|---|---|
George Malko | |
| Produced by | Marie-José Raymond |
| Starring | Donald Sutherland Gordon Tootoosis Chief Dan George Kevin McCarthy Jean Duceppe |
| Cinematography | Claude Fournier |
| Edited by | Yves Langlois |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
Production company | Onyx Films |
| Distributed by | Ambassador Film Distributors (Canada) American International Pictures (USA release) Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date | 22 February 1974 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,500,000 |
Alien Thunder (also known as Dan Candy's Law) is a 1974 Canadian
Synopsis
Set in 1890s Saskatchewan after the North-West Rebellion, Alien Thunder is based on a true story about a Woods Cree (Gordon Tootoosis in his first film role) who kills a North-West Mounted Police sergeant (Kevin McCarthy) under desperate circumstances. Hunted for two years by the sergeant's resolute partner (Donald Sutherland), the ending brings tragedy for all those involved.
Cast
- Donald Sutherland as Sgt. Dan Candy
- Gordon Tootoosis as Almighty Voice
- Chief Dan George as Sounding Sky
- Kevin McCarthy as Sgt. Malcolm Grant
- Jean Duceppe as Inspector Brisebois
- Francine Racette as Emilie Grant
- Jack Creley as Arthur Ballentyne – Indian Agent
- James O'Shea as Edouard
- John Boylan as Cpl. Harold Bellringer
- Lenny George as Rolling Grass
- Ernestine Gamble as Small Face
- Vincent Daniels as Many Birds
- Sarain Stump as Napoleon Royal
Production
Alien Thunder was filmed in Saskatchewan's
.The RCMP, which had originally seen the film as a centrepiece of its 1973 centennial celebrations, withdrew its backing. Donald Sutherland called Mr. Fournier’s direction of the project “wretched".[2]
Release
The film was not a financial success.[3] "Suspense is lacking and characters are generally underdeveloped, as is the tension between the Mounties and the Indians.", stated Natalie Edwards for Cinema Canada.[page needed]
An article in Luma found that "Though it laudably uses Indigenous (and principally
References
- ^ Conway, Alana. ""Blood on the Poplars: ALIEN THUNDER (1974) and the Story of Almighty Voice"". Luna Quarterly. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "Quebec filmmaker Claude Fournier adapted Gabrielle Roy's the Tin Flute". The Globe and Mail. 26 March 2023.
- ISBN 9780802029881.
- ^ "Blood on the Poplars: ALIEN THUNDER (1974) and the Story of Almighty Voice". Luma Quarterly. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
External links
- Alien Thunder at IMDb
- Alien Thunder is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
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