The Mountie (film)
The Mountie | |
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Directed by | S. Wyeth Clarkson[1] |
Written by | Charles Johnston, S. Wyeth Clarkson, Grant Sauvé[1] |
Produced by | Phillip Daniels, Andrew Williamson, S. Wyeth Clarkson, Michael Vernon[1] |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Rene Smith |
Edited by | Kerry Davie |
Music by | Ivan Barbotin |
Production company | Travesty Productions & Releasing Lionsgate Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Budget | <C$1,000,000[2] |
The Mountie (U.S.: The Way of the West; U.K.: The Ranger; France: Lawman) is a 2011 Canadian Western film directed by S. Wyeth Clarkson, co-written by Clarkson, Charles Johnston, and Grant Sauvé.[1] Though drawing on elements of Canadian northern genre fiction, the film was pitched as a neo-spaghetti Western by Clarkson to its star, Andrew Walker. Walker plays a disgraced North-West Mounted Police officer dispatched in 1894 to survey the Yukon for a new garrison, where he encounters a small group of Russian settlers in a town in desperate need of law and order. The cast includes Earl Pastko as Olaf, a Russian Orthodox priest of dubious character, Jessica Paré as Amethyst, Olaf's scarred daughter, as well as George Buza, Tony Munch, Matthew G. Taylor, and John Wildman.
Plot
In 1894, Corporal Wade Grayling, an officer of the North-West Mounted Police arrives in a remote and lawless settlement in the Yukon territory where the Commonwealth wants to build a fort. Upon his arrival, Grayling finds a hanged man, a death he correctly deduces to be connected to a small community of Cossacks - primarily Latvians and Russians - who have set up camp nearby. Olaf, their religious leader, says they killed the man for having stolen from them, the suspended body left as a warning to any other potential thieves. The Cossacks are unhappy about a fort being built on the land they have settled, which means moving. After an encounter with other visiting Cossacks, Grayling realizes why, and why they killed the man: the community's economy is based largely on the opium trade. Olaf maintains and harvests poppies. Grayling has personal reasons for putting a stop to it, as he was disgraced in the eyes of his superiors since he was found in a Chinese opium den the previous year. Grayling wages a one-man war against Olaf and the visitors. The matter is complicated by the need to protect the innocent, particularly Olaf's two daughters, the disfigured Amethyst, and young Cleora.
Several scenes are bridged by Robert Service poems read by Kestrel Martin, who portrays Cleora, Amethyst's young sister. The poems include "The Men That Don't Fit In", "Clancy of the Mounted Police," and "The Land of Beyond".
Cast
- Andrew Walker as Wade Grayling
- Earl Pastko as Olaf
- Jessica Paré as Amethyst
- George Buza as Kleus
- Tony Munch as Cobb
- Andrey Ivchenko as Pachek
- Matthew G. Taylor as Nikolai
- Dean Williams as Damoslav
- John Wildman as Robert Johnson
- Kestrel Martin as Cleora
- Ada Chan as Chinese Woman
Production
Background
In an interview with
Financing
Made for a little under C$1,000,000,[2] The Mountie received equity production funding from Telefilm Canada's Ontario office and the Harold Greenberg Fund, as well as production funding support from the Yukon Film & Sound Commission.[4]
Casting
Of his lead Andrew Walker, Clarkson said he "just jumped off the screen for me. ... He sent me an audition tape, and Andrew just embodied what I imagined the Mountie to be. There is a fearlessness to him ... and he also was a punt return football player, so he actually is pretty tough. I talked to Andrew about how much I wanted Canadian kids to be able to celebrate their icons and their history, and one day he raised his shirt and showed me a maple-leaf tattoo on his chest. Then he said, 'See, I'm true red Canadian too.'"[2] Walker recounted how Clarkson "sold" the film to him as a Canadian spaghetti Western, resulting in the actor spending a lot of time studying Clint Eastwood.[5] He also studied historical figures such as Sam Steele and other portrayals of the predecessors of the present-day Royal Canadian Mounted Police.[5]
As for Jessica Paré, Clarkson said he was lucky to cast her "before she caught the eye of" Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. "I think Jessica is as close as we have to someone with the kind of transcendent beauty I needed for that part ... She's got the looks, as well as the acting chops."[2]
Filming
Music
The film features original music by Toronto-based Russian-Canadian composer Ivan Barbotin, performed by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Release
Clarkson returned to his alma mater, Queen's University, to screen The Mountie at the 11th annual Kingston Canadian Film Festival on 4 March 2011,[8] at the Empire Theatre 1.[9] It received a gala screening at Canada House in London, England.[4]
Distribution and marketing
Domestic
The Mountie | |
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The film received a
What Clarkson ended up with was a handful of screens - mostly on AMC and/or independents, plus a prints and ads budget commensurate with such a small release. The numbers weren't great, but they were surprisingly on a par, if not higher than a number of Hollywood releases within the same multiplexes. Clarkson pushed and pushed to get screens. He got them, but not what he imagined and certainly not what he deserved.[11]
International
Craig Morrow and Cinemavault managing director John Dunstan closed an overseas distribution deal with Jason Price and producer Phillip Daniels of Travesty Productions, retitling the film Lawman for international markets[12] such as France.[13][14]
Home media
The Mountie was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on 19 July 2011, under the title The Way of the West.[15] In the United Kingdom it was released on DVD under the title The Ranger.[16][17]
Released in 2014 on DVD and blu-ray in Germany, though the American title was used, covers explicitly referenced the 1971 film
Critical reception
The Mountie received mixed reviews from critics.
Greg Klymkiw calls The Mountie Clarkson's "most ambitious project to date", "a solid picture", an "old fashioned western replete with a strange blend of 70s cynicism, grit and ... lush panoramas and a weirdly affecting sentimental streak that would have made John Ford proud." The film is "both unabashedly Canadian and yet presented in homage to a myriad of great western traditions."[11] Jennie Punter, writing for The Globe and Mail, gave the film a very positive review: "With gorgeous cinematography, brisk pacing, evocative music, well-orchestrated showdowns and no-nonsense storytelling, The Mountie delivers an entertaining slice of Canadian history that never feels like it's a patriotic duty to watch," at the same time noting the film is most effective when actions play out against the spectacular backdrop of the Yukon, but "less so when the characters start talking."[19] Liz Braun also gave a positive review, saying there was something "satisfyingly Canadian" about the film.[20]
Robert Bell found the film culturally retrogressive: "Canada has hopped on the male ego bandwagon, purporting the titular enforcer in red as an ersatz cowboy, literally detailing the generic Western format in the most rudimentary and embarrassing manner possible," opining that the film had no redeeming qualities whatsoever: "Perhaps it's cruel to dote on the sheer ineptitude of this production, from its borderline incoherent action sequences to the misguided cinematography and woefully integrated exposition, but it's truly impossible to imagine anyone taking this film seriously beyond mockery and sheer jaw-dropping amazement."[25]
A common thread among reviewers, regardless of how they felt about the film, is the similarity of Walker's performance to that of Clint Eastwood. Linda Barnard in particular did not understand why a Canadian film "spends so much time aping Clint Eastwood it could have been titled A Fistful of Loonies, in reference to A Fistful of Dollars.
References
- ^ a b c d e "About The Mountie". Facebook. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Macdonald, Gayle (29 June 2011). "With 'The Mountie,' Wyeth Clarkson gives a Canadian icon a reboot". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b Baillie, Andrea (28 June 2011). "'Mountie' goes up against 'Transformers' this weekend". CTV News. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b "The Mountie". Self-inflicted. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b c "Mountie-a-Mountie". Toronto Star. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (1 September 2009). "Jessica Paré A lot's at, er, stake for the former "It girl" as she draws blood – and plenty of laughs – in Rob Stefaniuk's rockin' vampire flick". Now Toronto. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Goodall, Jim. "The Mountie Wraps Up in the Yukon". jimgoodall.wordpress.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "KCFF '11: Festival Minute: The Mountie". YouTube. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Harry (23 February 2011). "Guide to the 11th Kingston Canadian Film Festival". Kingstonist. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "The Mountie". Tribute. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b Klymkiw, Greg (31 December 2011). "GREG KLYMKIW'S CFC PRESENTS THE TOP 10 HEROES OF CANADIAN FILM IN 2011". GREG KLYMKIW'S CFC. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- Screen Daily. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "Lawman". Ecran Large. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ^ "Lawman". Allo Ciné. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "The Way of the West". Amazon. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ "The Ranger". Amazon.co.uk. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Cummings, Chris (9 September 2014). "The Ranger (2011) Review (101 Films)". The Cinephiliacs. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "Way of the West – Ein Mountie in Clint Eastwoods Fußstapfen". Die Nacht der lebenden Texte (in German). 5 December 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Punter, Jennie (1 July 2011). "The Mountie: beautifully-shot and no-nonsense". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Braun, Liz. "The Mountie Review". Jam! Movies.
- ^ Cole, Susan G. (30 June 2011). "The Mountie: Loser Lawman". Now Toronto. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Knight, Chris (30 June 2011). "Film review: The Mountie (2.5 stars)". The National Post. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Barnard, Linda (30 June 2011). "Movie review: The Mountie doesn't save the day". Toronto Star. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Eisner, Ken (29 June 2011). "The Mountie is a good-looking dud". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ Bell, Robert. "The Mountie / Wyeth Clarkson". Exclaim!. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
External links
- Official page on Facebook
- Official trailer on YouTube
- The Mountie on AllMovie
- The Mountie on IMDb (under title The Way of the West)