The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writer:

Philip Kaufman (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 1972 (Finland)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The West the way it really was!

Plot:

The gangs of Jesse James and Cole Younger join forces for a bungled robbery of the bank in Northfield, MN. |

Plot Keywords:

Jesse James | Based On Historical Events | Calliope | Outlaw | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cliff Robertson	...	Cole Younger
Robert Duvall	...	Jesse James
Luke Askew	...	Jim Younger
R.G. Armstrong	...	Clell Miller
Dana Elcar	...	Allen
Donald Moffat	...	Manning
John Pearce	...	Frank James
Matt Clark	...	Bob Younger
Wayne Sutherlin	...	Charley Pitts
Robert H. Harris	...	Wilcox
Jack Manning	...	Heywood
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Bunker (as Elisha Cook)
Royal Dano	...	Gustavson
Mary-Robin Redd	...	Kate
William Callaway	...	Calliopist (as Bill Calloway)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Oregon, USA

Company:

Robertson and Associates

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Even before the wounds of the Civil War had healed in Missouri, the railroads came swarming in to steal the land. Everywhere, men from the railroads were driving poor, defenseless families from their homes. And that's when a fresh wind suddenly began to blow...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gunfighters of the Old West (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hodie Christus - Natus Est

Pretty amusing, especially for those who have lived in Northfield

There are some very interesting moments in this movie. The performance by Cliff Robertson is indeed very good, and I think the movie raises some interesting points in its portrayal of the James/Younger gang as a metaphor for the final death rattle of the old south against the modernizing north. However, this movie can't seem to decide between a comedic tone or an ironic and cynical one. I would say it succeeds in its more serious moments, but the comedic sections are very contrived.

I went to college in Northfield, and I was glad to see my alma mater represented in the film (before its name was changed to Carleton). I became pretty familiar with this raid after attending Northfield's annual "Defeat of Jesse James Days" festivities four times. Surprisingly, the actual raid itself is portrayed fairly accurately, with the proper body count and roughly similar series of events, although some details are different. I liked the irony the filmmakers added with the incident of Cole Younger fixing the rifle that was later used to snipe at his gang members. Oh yeah, and you gotta love those snow capped mountains that surround Northfield (yeah, right), and the whorehouse full of buxom Scandanavians!