The Canadians - Movie Review 7

Hi guys,

there he his....the Movie Monday. The next movie I review is "Here come the Canadians" from 1961.
It shows us the hard life of the mounted Police in Canada in the time, when the US deals all with the Cavalry. I am very impressed about the courage and bravery of this little troop in this big country ...

The Story:

After the Battle of Little Big Horn, 6000 Indians of the Sioux tribe flee under their chief Four Horns to Canada, where they are, however, sought after crossing the border quickly Inspector William Gannon, who is one of the North West Mounted, in their camp. His offer: The Indians are allowed to stay in Canada if they submit to the laws of the country in which they agree. When the rancher Frank Boone from Montana and three of his employees on a quest for stolen horses on one of the related Indian villages encounter, they massacred the inhabitants as horse thieves and kidnap a white squaw who does not speak with them.

The Mounties feared an uprising of the Indians and take Boone and his men into custody; they claim they have wanted to save only the woman;

The Indians want the four Americans; Gannon insisting on compliance with the law. On the way to court, he learns of the woman that she had been kidnapped as a child by Indians. Her half-blood child had been killed in the attack. The Americans managed to escape, again with the woman hostage. As in the pursuit by the Mounties a gunfight breaks out, they will be shot, which saves Gannon life. On the top of the cliffs, the bandits hit the Sioux that trigger a stampede, and so driving Boone and his men over the cliffs to their deaths. No signal was given on the part of the Sioux, which thus wahrten the law. The Mounties return to their headquarters.

I hope you enjoy. Have an nice monday.
Gordon



Nexttime we see: North West Mounted Police....

North West Mounted Police

Pony Soldier - Movie Review 6

Hi guys,

 

now before weekend a Review of one of the older Movies. At first I have to explain why I review this kind of older movies.  As I was young often in summer, when the weather was bad, i saw this and other old western movies. Actors like Tyrone Power or Gary Gooper are the first Heros of my childhood.

It is also a shame that most people only see under the Western, the United States History time. This may be due to the known prejudices of US Americans to the Canadians, but I do not think so. There are good Western, like Pony Soldier, there deal with Canada and the same problems like the US.

Pony Soldier is a kind of them. This Movie is a 1952 Technicolor Northern Western set in Canada but, what a shame, set in Sedona, Arizone. It is based on a 1951 Saturday Evening Post story Mounted Patrol by Garnett Weston. It was retitled MacDonald of the Canadian Mounties in England and The Last Arrow in France and Spain. In Germany it was titeled Pony Soldier.

The Story:

 

In 1876, the NWMP send Constable Duncan MacDonald (Tyrone Power) and a blackmailed Blackfoot scout (Thomas Gomez) to get the Cree to sign Treaty 6 with The Crown. Initially hostile, the Cree are influenced by a Fata Morgana type mirage and they mistake for the power of Queen Victoria.

In addition to negotiating with the Cree, MacDonald of the Mounted rescues white hostages arrests a murderer, and adopts a Cree son.

I think it is a classic and have to see. Hope you enjoy. Have good weekend.
Nextweek we see "North West Mounted Police"


Greetings,
Gordon

North West Frontier (titled Flame Over India (US) and Empress of India( Australia) - Movie Review 5

Hi guys,

this weekly review talks about a other movie in time of British India and belong the North West Frontier. The title of the movie is given in three forms:

Regular : North West Frontier
US: Flame Over India
Australia: Empress of India

It is is a 1959 British CinemaScope adventure film starring Kenneth More and Lauren Bacall.
The film is set in the North West Frontier Province of British India, which now lies within modern Pakistan. The film explores tensions between Hindu and Muslim Indians as Muslim rebels attack a fortress to kill a young Hindu maharajah.
^{- from Wikipedia}

That shows the plot:
 
North West Frontier, British India, 1905: a Hindu maharajah asks British Army Captain Scott (Kenneth More) to take his son, Prince Kishan, to the safety of the Governor's Residence in Haserabad because a Muslim uprising has begun in his province. Accompanying them is a widow, Mrs Wyatt (Lauren Bacall), the prince's American nanny/governess. Soon after leaving, the rebels storm the palace and kill the maharajah.

On arrival at Haserabad, Captain Scott sees that the last trainful of local Hindus and Europeans are leaving on the last train to Kalapur. After it leaves, the rebels close in and take control of the outer wall and gate beside the railway yard. The British governor then tells Scott that he must take the young prince to Kalapur because it has become too dangerous to keep him in Haserabad. In the railyard, the British captain discovers the Empress of India, an old, obsolete engine lovingly cared for by its driver Gupta (I. S. Johar) and a battered old carriage.
In the early hours of the next morning, Captain Scott quietly loads the passengers on the train. They include Mrs Wyatt, Prince Kishan, arms dealer Mr Peters (Eugene Deckers), British ex-pat Mr Bridie (Wilfrid Hyde-White), Lady Wyndham (the governor's wife), two Indian NCOs and half-Dutch, half-Indonesian journalist Mr Peter van Leyden (Herbert Lom). To avoid detection the Empress freewheels out of the yard, but unexpectedly the old engine lets off her whistle, alerting the rebels to the plan, so Gupta engages the steam to smash through the outer gate.
Later that morning, the train encounters the refugee train that had left the day before. It is found that everyone on board had been massacred by the rebels. But Mrs Wyatt, who rebuffs Captain Scott's order to remain on her train, finds one survivor; a small baby who was concealed by his mother's body.
The next morning, the train has to stop because part of the track has been blown up. However, they then realise that the rebels are already waiting for them in the surrounding mountains. The rebels' cover is blown when Mrs Wyatt spots a light shining at the mountain summit, which turns out to be a heliograph, the method of communication the rebels are using. With the job barely finished, the train gets away under a hail of gunfire. Gupta is hit in the arm but he survives.
Later on that day, while stopping to refill the engine's tanks, Scott walks into the pump house to find Van Leyden allowing Prince Kishan to stand dangerously close to the spinning flywheel. During the night, Mr Van Leyden again approaches the prince only to notice Lady Wyndham staring at him.
The train then reaches a large viaduct bridge which has been damaged by a bomb although the rails remain intact. All the passengers disembark and carefully cross the broken section. But again Van Leyden's behaviour nearly results in the prince's death because he held him too short almost letting him fall. Captain Scott accuses Van Leyden of trying to kill the prince. The reporter is placed under arrest. After that, Captain Scott (under the guidance of Gupta) then carefully drives the train across the broken section.
While going through a tunnel later on, Van Leyden (who was under guard in the luggage compartment) uses the opportunity to overpower his guard. He then uses a Maxim machine gun to hold the passengers hostage. But he cannot kill Prince Kishnan immediately because he is riding on the engine outside. Eventually Scott returns to the carriage with the young prince, after spotting more heliograph signals used by the rebels, showing they've been waiting for them again, but they are saved as Van Leyden is knocked off balance at the crucial moment. The British officer Scott pursues Van Leyden onto the carriage roof. However it is Mrs Wyatt who shoots and kills Van Leyden just as he is about to finish off Scott. The rebels catch up with the train on horseback, however they have to stop when it enters a two-mile-long tunnel. On the other side, the train and its passengers reach the safety of Kalapur. At the station Prince Kishan is met by senior Hindus, Gupta is taken to hospital, Lady Wyndham is informed her husband is safe because the rebels withdrew with the departure of the prince and Scott and Mrs Wyatt leave together. - from Wikipedia
 
Sorry that I have taken a long summary of Wikipedia. But I do believe that this film is not very well known. I consider him to be a little gem from the old days. It is well made and has voltage even though one knows quickly who is good and evil.

That was from India for the time being. Over the next three weeks, I dedicate myself another British Dominion, namely Canada. Also there are hidden old classic movies, because America is not only US cavalry and cowboys ....

I will start with: Pony Soldier

 

Royal Engineers - Indian, Sudan and other Service

Hello everybody !

 

There are the first pics from the workbench about my Royal Engineers, Major Dudley, Lord Peter Wimsay and Colonel Burnaby (Blues).

 

 

I have told about the uniform mix between grey and red tunics...on the left Major Dudley (RE) on the right Brigadier Lord Peter Wimsay (CB,CBE, KCSI). This two minis are finished.

     

I have made two sections with two Trooper in two teams. They are not finished, only first brush.

There is the first brush of Fredrick Augustus Burnaby..

(poor Burnaby..he never wear kahki....)

 

The Troop together...

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Movie Review 4

The Cherrybums - 11th Husars

DVD Cover

Actually, there are many other movies i can tell you. I can´t even remember why I wanted to do with "The Charge of the Light Brigade".

Maybe, it is, because Trevor Howard acts a great Lord Cardigan. Don´t know. But it is an really victorian Movie.


Lord Raglan (John Gielgud)
Commander-in-chief

In any case, it is a two-hour parade of red pants, and a lot of royal Cherrybums, an affinity of the victorian gentleman.

 




Riding Master Mogg and Captain Nolan

There are many scenes i never forgott because they are an example for the time, where the money in your hand pays more then your brain in the head.





One of my favorit scenes is the scene in Horse Guards, alle generals are take there new commands and Lord Raglan begun his spoke aboot the "shattered lady", and talk about Turkey......








Lord Lucan (Harry Andrews)
Commander of the Cavalry

Lord Cardigan inspects the line

All in one....it is a amazing movie, with funny and pensive moments. Not really historical correct, but it make fun to see it. The Actors are the best of this time, i assume. Harry Andrews as Lord Lucan a fine man in war.







John Gielgud is funny in his role as Raglan, because the mighty ghost of the great duke is everytime behind him..



Lord Cardigan (Trevor Howard)
 Leader of the light Brigade in Charge

At last Lord Cardigan...a gentleman and womanizer...


That are my words about it. I hope you enjoy the movie if you have the chance to see it.

 




 



HAVE A NICE DAY !

GORDON

 

Nexttime in Review

Workbench and to do

Hello my friends,

 

I hope you all have seen the new head of the blog. It should show the contents and preferences. Whether British India or Warhammer 40,000, whiskey or books, the Victorian era, or the land of the Rohirrim. Everything counts in this blog.

 

I started with the Royal Engineers in the Sudan campaign. Since I imagine a flexible design of this particular troupe led by Major Dudley and Lord Peter Wimsay and accompanied by Frederick Augustus Burnaby, I mixed the uniforms.

As a reference I used footage from the film Khartoum.

 

You can see on the Pictures, that the Guardsmen and Trooper are using the red and the grey tunic. Other then the 24th Welsh Borderers in Zulu War the trousers are khaki, with red and with grey tunic.

Behind Major Kitchener (he is wearing the grey tunic) are two Companies, first in red tunic, second is serving in grey. 
 
There are some Movie Scenes to see:

Behind Lieutenant Colonel Stuart (11th Hussars), the Drill Instructor wears the red tunic with standard darkblue trousers.

 

So I have decided to mix these uniforms at the Royal engineers in my brigade.

 

Also, because I imagine that they provided their services not only in Sudan, but also in India, South Africa and China. It is also a use in Canada.

 

I hope new Pics coming end of the week.

 

Greetings, Gordon

The long Duell - Movie Review 3

A new movie in my collection....Yul Brynner and the mighty Trevor Howard in a special movie about India around the century from 1900 till 1920.

About the Movie:

The British colonial power moves in the twenties, not just lightly with a stubborn mountain tribe. The British police officer Freddy Young is stationed at the foot of the Himalayas, however, proves to be too lax to bend Sultan, the leader of the mountain people. That brings him a disciplinary transfer. His superior Stafford takes command and makes the rebellious tribe imprison ado. The leader can escape with his heavily pregnant wife Tara - but must restore. So Young is back ordered. Young Sultan and chase each other with wechselendem luck. The Attention of a growing front of the other, and both are in their contempt against the dictatorial Stafford agreed. But this holds ready a nasty ambush for Sultan.

Here again applies:
Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews and Yul Brynner, the heroes of my childhood are (among many others of course). It is funny to see Edward Fox as young man and actor doing his first steps.
I like the movie.

I can only recommend the film. Although not the British Army is in center, but the police of old bristish India. A nice little story about power, native fighting and the british way of life in this time.


Nexttime in my personal Movie Review:
"The Charge of the Light Brigade"