Abenteuer Gold

This film is a must see for fans of the three stars, Donald Pleasence, Kate Reid and Don Calfa. The viewer needs to avoid getting caught up some of the "low budget" production foibles that lend an amateurish feel to parts of this film. The authenticity of the British Columbia west during the 60's and 70's is spot on. The heat of the opening scene with the insects and birds competing with the river's burble is a refreshing dose of actual sound compared with the current crop of movies filmed out west whose creators can't resist adding in the screech of an eagle or the call of a loon whenever a vista comes upon the screen. Kate Reid, plump and middle aged as Gladys, an unlikely love interest or at least a winter bed warmer and companion of the endearing prospector Logan played by Pleasence. The two are locals of the spectacular Fraser Canyon in BC and the movie builds around the accidental meeting of Logan and Mazella played by Don Calfa. Logan pays for some groceries with gold dust and Mazella happens to notice, his interest piqued, the two cross paths again outside when Mazella smashes into a local Indian's car and Logan reluctantly offers a helping hand defending Mazella and taking him off to get patched up by Gladys. A simple genuine bond is immediately established at the kitchen table between the three and a plan is hatched to attempt to rediscover Logan's father's old gold mine. Notable hilarious dialog at a stop at a cabin on the way has Logan and Mazella lost in male conversation about the most trivial of detail regarding hobbies and long nights in the bush and crushing gold bearing ore,"it is a lot of work" that it cannot help but get the tight-asses laughing. Logans constant reminiscences about his father and his need to defend his honor to Gladys lends pathos that can't help but warm the heart of even the worst cynic. Calfa, Reid and Pleasence are a pleasure to watch. This is their film along with the wilderness back drop, and it should be enjoyed for all its personality and not scrutinized to heavily for production shortcomings. Films with this kind of innocence and brilliant character portrayal should be dragged back from obscurity.

Some comments on this movie are unfair, I think. It's just a goofy little comedy, nothing more. Is it perfect? Nope. But there are many moments of pleasure, one being Donald Pleasence's eccentric performance. "Bastards!" I remember seeing this on TV many times as a kid, so that's probably why I have a fondness for this. I was lucky enough to find a VHS copy on Ebay. Too bad it's not on DVD, even a cheap two-for edition.

Also good is Don Calfa, as a really out of it, seriously goofy New Yorker who is lured to British Columbia on vague dreams of striking it rich. Kate Reid holds it together as a grumpy though sane woman, in stark contrast to Donald Pleasence's barely in control character and Don Calfa's airhead one.

All in all, I'd recommend it if you can find a cheap copy on video, or if it's on TV one late night...

Donald pleasance is an extraordinary actor and this B movie deserves to be watched if only for him and the B.C. scenery. As a huge fan of Pleasance I feel his talents were never realized, as a result of the material he was given to work with. With the exception of 'The great escape' Donald's expertise were never given full shrift. unless he was watched on stage perhaps.

Dave's not here man...

Well it's a movie, a Canadian road adventure movie. Not too sure what else I could say about this movie to to use up all my IMDB characters for a full review.

First off I put it on to see some early film work from SCTV alum Dave Thomas but no matter how hard I looked I couldn't see him in any shot.

We have 3 main leads with 5 other supporting actors, 1-store clerk, 1-accident victim, and 3 native Canadians. I don't even think there was any animals to help bring to life the backgrounds.

It's mainly shot on logging roads, starts with a river shot, a shot on the highway, a sceen in a general store, then back on the road. We get to see inside a home for a bit then we end off at a little shack adjesent to a mine. Really seems like they were all the free spots to film that wouldn't cost them any money or more likely where Canada told them they could film.

But really, where's Dave man??

I was hoping for at least a decent size role which would have made it maybe funny.

Competent direction and writing are lacking for this Canadian film shot in picturesque British Columbia, featuring Donald Pleasence as a gold prospector named Logan. Of rather an unstable disposition, Logan nevertheless keeps company with a widow played by Kate Reid when he is not panning for gold with little success, and suddenly the lives of the pair are disrupted by a young man from Brooklyn, Mazella (Don Calfa). Mazella shows Logan a book that describes possible locations of untapped gold mines in the Pacific Northwest and his discussion of them stimulates Logan to search for the "Little Lemon Mine" prospected by his late father who had failed to reach its lode. The oddly mingled trio spontaneously journeys, upon Mazella's quaint three wheeled motorcycle, into a wilderness on the track of the Little Lemon for which Logan has an old map, and they have some uninspired adventures along the way. Director Gerald Potterton's script wants clarity, lacks continuity, and even a better cast could not give it harmony, as Potterton's woeful attempts at humour do not amuse. One might expect that whenever a director is responsible for a film's screenplay, he should know how to tighten the action to align a story with his perceptions in order for the cast to avoid relying upon ad libbing, but such is not the case here, where torpor prevails and competent editing is an unfulfilled requirement. Pleasence therefore resorts, with scant control from the helm, to his customary hamminess while Reid simply seems to be befuddled throughout, leaving Calfa of the three principals owning the acting laurels, although his part as written lacks definition. The most rewarding aspect to this misfire, apart from the scenery, is its interesting scoring by always effectual Howard Blake, and although it seldom is matched with action on the screen, that is not a fault of the composer, but rather of generally shabby post-production efforts.