490:, one of the most costly movies ever made in this country, was a project of epic potential and lofty ambition. That the final result falls short of the mark can't help but be a disappointment. Making director Claude Fournier's shortfall all the more unhappy are the sparkles of depth and brilliance that do occur, sparkles suggesting that within the film he's offered us is a really great picture struggling to get out.
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The RCMP, which had seen the film as a centrepiece of its 1973 centennial celebrations, withdrew its backing and asked that its name not be used in any promotional materials. Sutherland stated that
Fournier’s direction of the movie was "wretched". However, one critic noted that many of the script
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451:
The film was originally scheduled for a premiere in
Montreal in the fall of 1973. The RCMP is said to have asked that the premiere not occur during their centennial year. Instead, the film had a simultaneous release in four Saskatchewan cities in March 1974:
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The film was one of the most expensive produced in Canada at that time, with a cost of $ 1.5 million (approximately $ 9,245,000 in 2024). An historically accurate reproduction of the town of Duck Lake was built as one of the film sets. The
406:, a noted Saskatchewan author. However, as filming progressed and changes were made at the request of Sutherland, he asked that his name not be used on the finished version. He was reported to have said: "It’s just not mine anymore."
509:
is ultimately a film about
Mounties and settlers; as sympathetic as it may be to the Cree, they are, as the native peoples of the Americas tend to be in Westerns, reduced to supporting players in their own story."
299:) under desperate circumstances. Candy then spends two years hunting for Almighty Voice, but becomes disenchanted with the excessive force used by the NWMP. The film ends in a shoot-out near the town of
306:
Part of the tension of the film is the relationship between Grant and Candy. Grant shows the stereotype of the
Mounties, upright and scrupulously fair, similar to portrayals of the Mounties in earlier
471:
The film was not a financial success. "Suspense is lacking and characters are generally underdeveloped, as is the tension between the
Mounties and the Indians.", stated Natalie Edwards for
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Walsh criticised
Sutherland's acting in the movie, stating that Sutherland needed a stronger director to keep him on track. Walsh also criticised Sutherland's changes to the script.
436:. During filming, Sutherland hired a local woman who ran a coffee shop in Bellevue to cook for him during the production, as there were few options for eating out in the small town.
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Sutherland and
Racette met on the filming of the movie. They married after the completion of the movie.
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changes were apparently made by
Sutherland, which contributed to the uneven nature of the story.
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A retrospective review in 2019 found that "Though it laudably uses
Indigenous (and principally
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585:""Blood on the Poplars: ALIEN THUNDER (1974) and the Story of Almighty Voice""
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643:" 'To her, he was a hero' – Donald Sutherland remembered by Sask. family"
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656:"Quebec filmmaker Claude Fournier adapted Gabrielle Roy's the Tin Flute"
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The film was criticised upon release. Michael Walsh, film critic for
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Canadian Film and Video: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature
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The film was also released in the United States, under the name
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provided officers and horses for a cavalry charge in the film.
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plays the role of Sounding Sky, the father of Almighty Voice.
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719:is available for free viewing and download at the
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367:Jack Creley as Arthur Ballentyne – Indian Agent
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267:The movie is based on a true story from the
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287:in his first film role) is arrested by the
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562:, 24 July 2014; originally published in
255:. Its original screenplay was written by
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801:Films set in the Northwest Territories
144:Ambassador Film Distributors (Canada)
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630:Bank of Canada Inflation Calculator
619:, March 1974, vol. 4, no. 3, p. 27.
776:English-language independent films
303:, where Almighty Voice is killed.
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786:Films directed by Claude Fournier
673:Lerner, Loren R. (January 1997).
645:, Regina / 980 CJME, 28 June 2024
791:Films scored by Georges Delerue
771:English-language Canadian films
679:. University of Toronto Press.
583:Conway, Alana; Leeder, Murray.
147:American International Pictures
766:Canadian Western (genre) films
420:was filmed in Saskatchewan at
388:Sarain Stump as Napoleon Royal
382:Ernestine Gamble as Small Face
152:Cinerama Releasing Corporation
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412:Royal Canadian Mounted Police
385:Vincent Daniels as Many Birds
379:Lenny George as Rolling Grass
756:1970s English-language films
613:"Onyx Film A Disappointment"
16:1974 Canadian Northern film
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761:Canadian independent films
166:22 February 1974
501:) actors and some of the
376:as Cpl. Harold Bellringer
289:North-West Mounted Police
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483:in Vancouver, wrote:
430:St. Isidore de Bellevue
370:James O'Shea as Edouard
271:in the 1890s after the
806:Northern (genre) films
796:Films set in the 1890s
746:1974 independent films
568:, 5 and 16 March 1974.
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358:as Inspector Brisebois
269:North-West Territories
352:as Sgt. Malcolm Grant
227:) is a 1974 Canadian
751:1970s Canadian films
273:North-West Rebellion
617:Saskatchewan Indian
660:The Globe and Mail
65:Marie-José Raymond
340:as Almighty Voice
334:as Sgt. Dan Candy
332:Donald Sutherland
293:Donald Sutherland
237:Donald Sutherland
231:film directed by
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75:Donald Sutherland
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741:1974 drama films
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241:Gordon Tootoosis
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592:. Retrieved
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565:The Province
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560:Reeling Back
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182:Running time
159:Release date
91:Jean Duceppe
55:George Malko
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609:Joan Beatty
374:John Boylan
275:. A young
210:$ 1,500,000
61:Produced by
41:Directed by
35:Video cover
736:1974 films
730:Categories
594:7 December
521:References
466:Battleford
422:Battleford
394:Production
279:man named
277:Woods Cree
186:93 minutes
170:1974-02-22
135:Onyx Films
128:Production
51:Written by
462:Moose Jaw
458:Saskatoon
434:Saskatoon
426:Duck Lake
309:Northerns
301:Duck Lake
107:Edited by
263:Synopsis
229:Northern
199:Language
117:Music by
71:Starring
443:Release
202:English
191:Country
168: (
130:company
683:
464:, and
454:Regina
432:, and
251:, and
207:Budget
194:Canada
710:IMDb
681:ISBN
596:2019
499:Cree
325:Cast
708:at
247:,
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283:(
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
