Le trappeur des grands lacs

James Fenimore Cooper's The Pathfinder has George Montgomery playing a defector after Montgomery in the title role and Jay Silverheels as Chingachgook find the Mohican tribe completely wiped out with only young Uncas left to tell the tale.

It was the Delaware tribe who have lined up with the French as the French and Indian War has started.

With Silverheels as a contact, Montgomery goes to the French and offers to be a guide. His mission is to determine their strength. He also has along with him Helena Carter who speaks French because he does not speak a word.

Routine action/adventure from Sam Katzman who was getting a bit more budget to work with since leaving Monogram.

I suppose all films adapted from Fenimore Cooper can be considered as westerns.... They are, actually, and this one is very pleasant, despite the Sam Katzman's production. Sidney Salkwow was directing and I suppose that compensated the Katzman's disability to provide enough budget and care in a costume and action movie, which gives the audiences the feeling to be taken as dumb people. Here, I did not have this feeling, or maaybe a bit less than in other Sam Katzman's productions. It is colorful, good paced, very pleasant to enjoy. Yes, I don't dislike this little film. Despite Sam Katzman's presence as the producer. Very rare indeed.

Bloodless battle scenes are interspersed with fairly well-written dialogue scenes in this inexpensive (but in good 50's color) tale of Indians, French and English conflict. George Montgomery and Jay Silverheels ("Tonto") are dashing, and the first Helena Carter is pretty and plucky. Like a TV dinner served in a tin tray, this film is pure "comfort". I haven't read the book, but I'd bet that the plot is pretty close except for the love story (in Cooper, romantic incidents are usually mental but never become physical). If you know Cooper better than I do (I've only read "Mohicans"), please add a comment.

George Montgomery is well cast as Natty Bumpo in this handsome version of James Fennimore Cooper's novel. He's off on a spying mission on French forces along with Helena Carter. Jay Silverheels is Chingachgook, Chief Yowlachie --sometimes known as Daniel Simmons, back in the day when he was an opera singer -- and Rodd Redwing make up the Amerindian contingent of the actors, although they all derived from tribes far afield from the Algonquins.

There's nothing out of the ordinary in this Sam Katzman production when it comes to scripting or acting, but Henry Freulich's Technicolor camerawork is certainly well done, showing off the French blues that all the French characters wear.

Jay Silverheels makes a far less unlikely Chingachgook than Lon Chaney in the later TV series, but gets a fraction of the screen time.

At least this perfunctory Sam Katzman production boasts Technicolor, attractive locations and the handsome Helena Carter; not that leading man George Montgomery deserves her since he's so boorish towards her, even after he's supposedly fallen in love with her.