North West Mounted Police

... but the director is Cecil B. DeMille, and given that DeMille helped build Paramount, it's not like the studio is going to deny even his worst impulses. It's 1885, and the Metis (half-breed) people of western Canada are planning a rebellion, led by bad guys Corbeau (George Bancroft), Riel (Francis McDonald), and Duroc (Akim Tamiroff). Out to stop them are the stalwart men of the North West Mounted Police, led by the straight-backed Sgt. Jim Brett (Preston Foster). He bristles when he's forced to accept help from Texas Ranger Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper), who has come north in search of a fugitive murderer. Both Brett and Rivers chase after angelic nurse April Logan (Madeleine Carroll). Meanwhile, young Mountie rake Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston) is conducting an illicit affair with half-breed wildcat Louvette (Paulette Goddard). This is a big, loud mix of the dumb and the entertaining. It's bad but never boring, with outrageous characters sporting silly names ("Dusty Rivers"? Really?!?), tonally awkward scenes of slapstick comedy followed by people being shot in the head, and laughably misplaced romance. The gorgeous "Canadian" scenery was achieved primarily on LA soundstages, and the filmmakers never did make it to Canada, although there's some legitimate outdoor scenes shot in California state parks. However silly it all is, DeMille knew his formula well, as this ended up being Paramount's biggest hit of the year, as well as earning Oscar nominations for Best Score, Best Sound, Best Color Art Direction, and Best Color Cinematography, as well as winning for Best Editing. Would it have gotten these accolades had the director NOT been De Mille? I doubt it.

You don't expect subtlety or underacting in a movie made by Cecil B. DeMille, and you don't get it here. There are several stories blended together around the idea of Cooper, a Texas Ranger, come to the Canadian north woods to capture a miscreant murderer, the half breed Corbeau. This Corbeau is a nasty guy. He and the other half breeds are trying to stir up the Blackfeet and the Cree against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, intending to declare independence and kill everybody who doesn't like their new country. Cooper is swept up in the intrigues. Robert Preston is a Mountie who falls for the devoted but treacherous half breed woman, Louvette, played by Paulette Goddard in the go-anywhere accent she used when she played foreign spitfires. She was such an attractive and sexy young woman, it's a shame she didn't get better parts. There is a dull romantic triangle involving Sergeant Preston Foster and another woman he worships, Madeleine Carroll, and there are several shoot outs between half breeds and the RCMP. The half breeds have got their hands on a Gatling gun, which gives them a kind of edge. I didn't like the fact that there were two actors in supporting roles whose names I always mix up -- Robert Preston and Preston Foster. But I was on the side of the Northwest Mounted Police at every moment. One scene -- an aborted patrol -- shows us some skilled extras in formation that make John Ford's cavalrymen look like amateurs. I also was enthralled by the titles -- Inspector, Constable, Chief of Inspectors, Chief of Constables, Constable Inspector-in-Chief, and Queen of England. Gary Cooper is young and handsome and looks like he belongs on a horse. He may have had the longest limbs of any major Hollywood actor. And he adopts the rural speech and hick-like characteristics he used in "Sergeant York." "I was just a-passin' this way." "A feller has to take what he's a-got a-comin' to him." "I ain't a-got a-nothing' hyeah but maters, braid, and a-hoppin' john." (Well -- not that.) Sure, it's dumb. All the usual cinematic conventions are followed. There's no real mistaking the evil doers because they're all ugly or comic or both. The Francis Ford role is taken by Lynne Overman as Todd McDuff, a supposed Scotsman who lays it on a little thick. But he's one of the more likable sidekicks in the genre, so let McDuff lay on. It IS colorful, especially considering that that is no outdoor scene in it. It's all shot on a sound stage. Still, you have never seen so many crimson tunics. I think by this time they had stopped using dried scaled insects to produce the color.

this first demille color epic was a sensation in 1940, deep in the era of fitzpatrick traveltalks ("so as the sun sinks slowly behind the rugged rockies we bid a reluctant adieu to the friendly metis people of canada.") it surely has many fine moments. but the plot is somewhat convoluted and the hero keeps picking up different horses along the way. "the horse he rode in on" was 1500 miles from home (texas). we see a somewhat distorted map of canada at the opening. the pivotal town of batoche is situated too close to the US border, about where regina should be. regina isn't shown, despite continual reference to it throughout. demille isn't the best director for gary cooper, who was allowed to brandish his bizarre mannerisms in a duel to the finish with paulette goddard. the cool blonde madeleine carroll and stout fella preston foster were pleasant to see, but best acting was done by george bancroft as the heartless whiskey runner, jacques corbeau. best lines include one by montagu love as the mortally wounded inspector cabot: some fool at headquarters wants to change the uniform to green. stand up for the redcoats! it's a good color. and another colonialism from foster as sgt. brett to an indian chief: will big bear kneel to the queen and be chief of his people again? it was a valiant two hour fight, but the scenery won. bonus quote by lynne overman as scottish-indian todd macduff: do they have fast horses in texas, mr. rivers? i'm bettin' they can nae keep up wi' the men.

A great novel written by R. C. Featherstonhaugh is the basis for this rousing, well directed movie by Cecil B. DeMille and is called " North West Mounted Police ". It tells the story of a courageous and determined Texas Ranger named Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper) who's task is to ride to Canada and bring back Jacques Corbeau (George Bancroft) a murderous outlaw to stand trial for murder in Texas, U.S.A. Complications arise when he arrives in Canada he learns, the Mounted Police also want the outlaw to stand trial there. In addition, among the friends Rivers' makes is Sergeant Jim Brett (Preston Foster), Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston) and Constable Dumont (Robert Ryan). Further complications involve are the women he meets while there. Although he tries to stay clear of the Canadian police, it's nearly impossible and he becomes personally embroiled in their rebellious uprising and Indian war. The film is colorful, interesting, well structured, and sure to entertain audiences. Although not the director's first choice, Cooper holds his own and with the other exciting cast members like Madeleine Carroll, Paulette Goddard, Akim Tamiroff, Lon Chaney Jr, and Regis Toomey, allows the movie to become a major Classic on it's own. Well done. ****

I just watched this movie for the first time. Coop made the Westerner for William Wyler, who had the script totally rewritten to accommodate Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean and Gary Cooper as Cole Harden. It was made the same year as this one, 1940. De Mille was a failed playwright who became something like a business partner to some very important nickelodeon owners in New York. They let him come west in 1913 and make the first film in Hollywood: The Squaw Man. De Mille was pretty much incompetent, but his films were nevertheless, often successful. The Westerner is arguably one of the funniest westerns ever made. Coop and Brennan were superb because the film was set up for them. De Mille tried to cut Northwest Mounted's script for Cooper, but Coop's lines didn't always fit in the square peg mounted police spectacle. That left Coop squirming to get the right grimace, wince or gulp, when the script just couldn't make room for it. The movie was close to good, but not quite. I just saw it on a downloaded DVD. I spotted Iron Eyes Cody as a young Indian in the cast, but note that he is not included in the IMDb cast. Perhaps someone wants to rectify that.

NWMP has just had a rare outing on British TV and it's a Gary Cooper film I hadn't seen before. It wasn't bad by 1940s' standards for a Western. The scenic shots at the beginning were a bit garish but then the colour seemed to settle down. It's worth a look for: 1. Gary Cooper, who's never looked better facially; 2. Paulette Goddard, who looked fantastic; 3. the unusual historical setting; 4. early, albeit minor, appearances of Robert Ryan and Rod Cameron. The police head-gear apart, some effort had been made to make the uniforms and civilian clothes look authentic. The tragi-comic "duel" that the Scotsman involved himself did jar a little. I'm not perceptive enough to read much "sub-text" in films, but I did wonder about the date of issue (1940) and the gallant, laid-back US coming to the aid of the stuffy but devoted-to-duty Brits. Not for the first time, I had a slight difficulty in distinguishing at first between the two Prestons on the small screen. I would be happy to watch NWMP again, recording it if necessary, if it's screened again in a year or so.

1940's "North West Mounted Police" may have been Paramount's biggest box office success that year, but considering it as the first color film for director Cecil B. De Mille it must rank as one of his few failures. The Duck Lake massacre of 1885 led by Louis Riel (Francis McDonald) provides a solid backdrop for an abundance of poorly sketched characters unable to overcome the sluggish pace. The chief villain is Jacques Corbeau (George Bancroft), whose wildcat half breed daughter (Paulette Goddard) is in love with Mountie Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston). Gary Cooper toplines as the Texas Ranger sent north to bring Corbeau to justice, sparring with dedicated Sergeant Jim Brett (Preston Foster) over the lovely April Logan (Madeleine Carroll), sister of Ronnie. This makes it sound like a real snoozefest, and while it's not quite that bad it certainly isn't very captivating. Supporting players like George E. Stone are on and off in a flash, while poor Lon Chaney (previously seen in a silent role in De Mille's "Union Pacific") doesn't fare much better as Shorty, one of the trappers involved with Riel, who at least has a chance to exult in becoming a father. We last see him with his pretty young wife, properly scolding him before he meekly replies, "yes mama."

Where can i obtain a copy of this Movie(North West Mounted Police) with Gary Coopr in it or at least Rent it?? Preferably on DVD, although i would accept a VHS rendition as well, I have looked a long time for this Movie. I first saw it when i was 12 years old an it made a lasting impression on me and I have always wanted to own it. I have many of "Coops" movies but till now this one has avoided me. I have always thought Garry Cooper as one of the BEST leading Men and all time best actors,it will be,in my Mind, a long time before the Movies will see his equal, I believe that Grapes of Wrath runs a close second to North Weast Mounted Police.

The master of spectacle doesn't let us down in that regard with his first movie shot in Technicolor.The action sequences are as exciting as in other De Mille spectacles but the hammy acting,the ridiculous dialog and slow pacing makes this a below par movie for De Mille. Gary Cooper and Madeleine Carroll look embarrassed throughout speaking those silly lines.Preston Foster as the third party of the love triangle has one of his more substantial parts in his career.But it is fun to watch Paulette Goddard's hilarious overacting.As her villainous father George Bancroft isn't far behind in that department.The best acting are provided by the two veterans Akim Tamiroff and Lynne Overman who provide some comic relief.The movie is beautiful to look at in bright colors and passes the afternoon quite painlessly.

Had waited for some years to catch up with this oater. Never would have believed it could be so poor. Such a huge waste of money and talent. Wowful dialog with even worse dialects! Hard to believe any Director would put his name on this insufferable work (let alone De Mille) But then, he was a Hollywood consumer product (a bit like Hitchcock became) This director put 'Action' ahead of Story, People, or Animals. Horses, their stunt riders, Chickens, all sacrificed to get 'that shot' Terrible studio bound sets badly cut into shots of grand outdoor footage. A case of money over matter, in the end, nothing matters at all. Not even the usually great music man Victor Young provided anything above mediocre. It looked (and sounded) like he saw how bad the content was, took the money and ran. The undiscerning viewer may enjoy it, others should beware.....