The Far Country (1954)

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

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writer:

Borden Chase (story and screenplay)

Stars:

James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Corinne Calvet

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Stewart	...	Jeff Webster
Ruth Roman	...	Ronda Castle
Corinne Calvet	...	Renee Vallon
Walter Brennan	...	Ben Tatum
John McIntire	...	Gannon
Jay C. Flippen	...	Rube
Harry Morgan	...	Ketchum (as Henry Morgan)
Steve Brodie	...	Ives
Connie Gilchrist	...	Hominy
Robert J. Wilke	...	Madden (as Robert Wilke)
Chubby Johnson	...	Dusty
Royal Dano	...	Luke
Jack Elam	...	Frank Newberry
Kathleen Freeman	...	Grits
Connie Van	...	Molasses

Storyline

In 1896, Jeff Webster sees the start of the Klondike gold rush as a golden opportunity to make a fortune in beef, and woe betide anyone standing in his way. He drives a cattle herd from Wyoming to Seattle, by ship to Skagway, and (after a delay caused by larcenous town boss Gannon) through the mountains to Dawson. There, he and his partner Ben Tatum get into the gold business themselves. Two lovely women fall for misanthropic Jeff, but he believes in every-man-for-himself, turning his back on growing lawlessness, until it finally strikes home.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to arizona | two gun holster | gun | holster | gun holster | 

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Taglines:

Memorable in "THE GLENN MILLER STORY" and "REAR WINDOW"... now...as the Stranger with a Gun, driven by restless longings, challenging the Klondike's snow and sin and greed, where gold was the lure and the fanciest woman in Dawson, his for the taking!

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 1955 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Je suis un aventurier

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,500,000, 31 December 1954

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Finnish title of this film is "Seikkailijoiden luvattu maa", meaning "The Promised Land of Adventurers" in English.

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Goofs

It was impossible to drive cattle overland from Alaska to Dawson City. There was no route over the mountains that cattle could follow.

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Quotes

Official at Scales: Eighty-five - you're fifteen pounds light.
Bearded Miner: But I can get by on eighty-five. I don't eat much - hardly nothin'!
Skagway Sheriff Gannon: You'll eat - and when you run short you'll go killin and stealin' what belongs to somebody else on account of you won't have enough. Now get in there and buy another fifteen pounds of food.

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Crazy Credits

After "The End" a title card reads: We gratefully acknowledge the splendid cooperation extended to "The Far Country" cast and crew by all concerned at Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #32.5 (2004)

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Soundtracks

PRETTY LITTLE PRIMROSE
(uncredited)
Music by Milton Rosen
Lyrics by Frederick Herbert
Performed by Connie Gilchrist, Kathleen Freeman and Connie Van

User Reviews

Another Great Jimmy Stewart/Anthony Mann Western

Cowboys James Stewart and Walter Brennan take their herd from Seattle to Alaska and on into Canada to stake a claim. Once there, they have to contend with seductive, shifty businesswoman Ruth Roman and ice-cold, happy-go-lucky villain James McIntire.

John Wayne may get talked about more, but his good pal Stewart made some excellent, hard-edged westerns too, some with the great director Anthony Mann. Frankly, I'd take this, with it's sturdy action sequences and fine melodrama, over North To Alaska any day!

The Far Country features some breathtaking scenery and cinematography that should definitely have been shot in widescreen.

Also, there's some strong support by the always reliable Brennan, Roman (who's great), the incredibly cute Corrine Calvet, and James McIntire, who plays one of my favorite types of bad guy, the kind that doesn't take himself too seriously.

This would make a great double-bill with another highly recommended Mann/Stewart northwest-set western, Bend Of The River.