Une femme dans le grand Nord

First of all, Sgt. Mike Flannagan was a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman who was over 6' tall and when I saw the movie, with Dick Powell playing the role....well, he just didn't fill the boots! As has been said before by others, the movie glosses over the hardships Kathy Flannagan went through and the true pioneer spirit of a woman who grew up in Boston and was not prepared for the rigors of living in the Canadian wilderness. I would not give this movie more than a 2. Lois Z. a.k.a Rusty T. clown.

I love the book and have read it probably 50 times. Kathy and Mike Flannigan's life in the far north of Canada - dealing with the indiginous peoples and interesting people of all ilks, plus the sisterhood of the strong women who faced so many hardships, are fascinating story-telling. And the Sargeant, trained but still having to do things like dentistry by reading books, is a wonderful testimony to the RCMP dedication to the country. This movie has none of the depth or pathos of the book; and it's actually seriously missing much of the romance as well. They made it a vehicle for Powell (who was too old and heavy for this role) without any regard for the actual story of real people facing real hardships and finding unexpected joy in harsh conditions. If you don't know that Kathy and Mike lost BOTH their children to diptheria, then you have no real understanding of their lives.

Mrs. Mike is a lovely and enjoyable movie which is well worth the hour and a half or so to watch. It is a magnificent portrayal of life and the struggles that come along with it in northern Canada about the turn of the twentieth century. The standards of 1949 special effects and the 1940's less-than-accurate portrayal of the natives are a setback, but, like all great movies, it is the story that is the treasure and wins the audience's heart.

Evelyn Keyes gives a stunning performance as the often rash but lovable Katherine O'Fallon Flannigan, better known to her friends and neighbors as Mrs. Mike, and Dick Powell gives an admirable portrayal of the resourceful Mountie and family man, Sgt. Mike Flannigan.

The story is both heart-warming and heart-breaking, although it does not closely adhere to the original story so delightfully recounted in the novel with the same name written by Benedict and Nancy Freedman, and thus, if you have read the book, some of the magic is lost. I suggest the novel above the movie, but the movie is very good and is both entertaining and sweet. A stunning performance!

Other than the fact that Dick Powell sometimes wears the drill sergeant hat that we expect from Royal Canadian Mounted Police and that wasn't adapted into well in the last century, Mrs. Mike is an engrossing drama of the real life work of a member of that acclaimed force. American audiences expect Mounties to have that hat and this was an American made film.

It's a good story, possibly a Canadian production would do it better justice and they sure would get the details right. Still I don't think there's too much cause for complaint.

Powell narrates and stars in this story about a Mountie and his marriage serving in the Northwest Territories at the turn of the last century. Powell is not a relentless pursuer of fugitives nor is he fighting gangs of outlaws or Indians. In fact his main job is looking for people who get lost up in the frozen north. Sometimes he finds them alive and sometimes he doesn't.

To the wilderness Powell has brought Evelyn Keyes who's an American girl from Boston who thinks she's dealt with snow before. The film covers the first years of their marriage as much from her point of view as his. When he's at his headquarters, she's as much a member of the RCMP as he is for all she does.

I guess to make sure people didn't forget he was a singer Powell sang The Rose Of Tralee, the first time he sang on the screen in five years. He's not the piping tenor of his younger days, he's dropped into a semi-baritone in his range.

The climax of the film is a diphtheria epidemic where Powell and Keyes help doctor Will Wright fight the epidemic and it costs them dear.

Mrs. Mike, other than Powell's hat, is a good engrossing drama of the real life of a Mountie and his Missus shot quite realistically at Big Bear Lake in California looking very much like the frozen Northwest Territory. Perhaps a Canadian producer might consider this film as a good candidate for remake.

If this movie was to stand alone in it's on right it could be consider at least good. However seeing as it is based on a book it is hard to judge without comparing them to each other. The book created strong relationship and bond between the people and the land. It did not clean relationships and problem up simply to please the reader that is one of the book's most endearing qualities. The movie however simplifies the complexity of the emotions, characters, and story line that the book so richly builds. The other point I think they lost sight of was this wasn't just a love story it was a story of truth, human kindness, growing up, and survival. I also believe the movie down play Kathy incredible strength and stubbornness. By the end of the book you understand that Kathy has matured and that the decision she made is final and purposeful. The movie however lacks in the sense you know she made said decision, but there is no substantial evidence that make you believe she will not change her mind. If you have the choice read the book it is far superior to the movie.