The Far Country (1954)

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Borden Chase (story)
Borden Chase (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 February 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Tagline:

RENEE...the innocent...and the untamed...BEN...the gambler...and the loser...GANNON...the law...and the noose...RUBE...the friendless...and the afraid.

Plot:

A self-minded adventurer (Jeff Webster) locks horns with a crooked lawman (Mr. Gannon) while driving cattle to Dawson.

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Gold | Klondike | Gold Rush | Corrupt Judge

Cast

James Stewart	...	Jeff Webster
Ruth Roman	...	Ronda Castle (owner, Skagway Castle & Dawson Castle saloons)
Corinne Calvet	...	Renee Vallon
Walter Brennan	...	Ben Tatum (Jeff's partner)
John McIntire	...	Skagway Sheriff Gannon
Jay C. Flippen	...	Dawson Marshal Rube Morris
Harry Morgan	...	Ketchum (Castle driver / miner) (as Henry Morgan)
Steve Brodie	...	Ives (Castle driver / miner)
Connie Gilchrist	...	Hominy (co-owner, Dawson Hash House)
Robert J. Wilke	...	Madden (Gannon gunman) (as Robert Wilke)
Chubby Johnson	...	Dusty (Dawson miner)
Royal Dano	...	Luke (Dawson miner)
Jack Elam	...	Frank Newberry (Gannon's deputy)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Grits (co-owner, Dawson Hash House)
Connie Van	...	Molasses (co-owner, Dawson Hash House)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf) | South Korea:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #18975) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

One of James Stewart's favorite stories of his film career concerned his horse, Pie, a sorrel stallion whom Stewart called, "One of the best co-stars I ever had." Pie appeared as Stewart's horse in 17 Westerns, and the actor developed a strong personal bond with the horse. Pie was very intelligent, Stewart recalled, and would often "act for the cameras when they were rolling. He was a ham of a horse." When shooting the climax of "The Far Country," the script called for Stewart's horse to walk down a dark street alone, with no rider in the saddle, to fool the bad guys who were waiting to ambush Stewart. Assistant Director John Sherwood asked Stewart if Pie would be able to do the scene. Stewart replied, "I'll talk to him." Just before the cameras rolled, Stewart took Pie aside and whispered to the horse for several minutes, giving him instructions for the scene. When Stewart let the horse go, Pie walked perfectly down the middle of the street, doing the scene in one take. When Pie died in 1970, Stewart arranged to have the horse buried at his California ranch.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film takes place in 1896. Ronda Castle contracts Jeff Webster to drive her caravan until Dawson, Canada. Nevertheless, that Canadian miner town-site was named Dawson only in January 1897.

Quotes:

Ben Tatum: What gets me is, how did you know we was after them cattle? Did you see us?
Renee Vallon: Yes, but first, you know, I heard the bell, the little bell Jeff wears on his saddle.
Ben Tatum: Heh-heh. He won't ride without it. I give it to him, you know.
Renee Vallon: You did? Why?
Ben Tatum: Well, a coupla years back we was down in Mexico, I bought this bell for our house. We're gonna have a house in Utah. We were going to hang it right over our front door, on the inside, so's when you open the door the bell jingles, you see, on account of I like to know when my friends is comin' so I can put on another pot of coffee.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in L'anglaise et le duc (2001)

Soundtrack:

PRETTY LITTLE PRIMROSE

"… And I want that coffee ground."

Stewart is a Wyoming cattleman who dreams to make enough money to buy a small ranch in Utah ranch… His only real companion is his sidekick Ben Tatum, the great Walter Brennan… To accomplish that, they drive the cattle clear to Alaska and on to Dawson, in Canadian territory, where they sell them...

Along the way they meet the man who runs the gold-crazy town behind a dishonest lawman John McIntire... He attempts to steal them the herd... Later, in Dawson, McIntire and his gang reappear, this time interfering with Stewart's gold claim...

Captured by Mann's camera in the wonderful scenery of the Canadian Rockies, Stewart is a thoughtful loner forced into violence by his need to get rid of the treacherous actions of a corrupt entrepreneur robbing local miners of their claims…

In this entertaining, beautiful Western, Stewart has two leading ladies to struggle with: Ruth Roman, a bit too valuable to describe as a sexy woman resisting the worst vicissitudes of the territory and the more docile, the French Canadian girl Corinne Calvet who does create a nice portrait of a likable girl with the ability to form a judgment... In spontaneous manner, Stewart is lost between the ostentatious saloon owner and the wife-candidate...