Le géant du grand nord

Set in 1870s , it deals with Yellowstone Kelly, Clint Walker , a mountain man and explorer , he lives in the Sioux territory South of Missouri . Kelly has a particular code of survival and lives in a brutal land of isolated woods and mountains and hostile Indians , he becomes part of the wilderness , eventually taking on responsability a boy and acting as a protector . He is hired by a Cavalry Major : Rhodes Reason from the army at Fort Butford .Kelly reluctantly takes on responsability as preceptor and helper an obstinate young : Edd Byrnes , but both of them run into problems with the Sioux led by two tough warriors : John Russell and Ray Danton . Troubles emerge when Kelly and the boy fall in love with the same woman, the beautiful Indian Arapahoe , Andre Martin , and the Sioux warriors arrive ro reclaim her.

It is a very nice film that could become another western worthy of any anthology . Interesting and moving screenplay by the notorious Burt Kennedy who wrote and directed several westerns .Being based on a true role , a historic figure who became a know scout and trapper in Wyoming territory. This agreeable and charming flick displays a colorful and brilliant cinematography by Carl Guthrie , adding an impressive production design by William Wallace .And pretty good musical score by Howard Jackson , full of thrilling and attractive sound . Enjoyable Indian western with adventures , thrills , noisy action , a love story , battles , and wonderful landscapes. Well developed story in leaps and bounds , strong energy , attractive roles , abundant action scenes , elegant camera movements , special dramatic pace and including a dialectic about racism .Stars Clint Walker as a trapper and Indian scout who saved the life of a Sioux chief and gives shelter to a runaway Arapahoe Indian played by the gorgeous Andre Martin and then problems emerge. The tall Clint does his own stunts and performed a lot of westerns and Tv series as Cheyenne , Yuma, White Buffalo , None but the brave, Pancho Villa, The bounty man, and Night of Grizzly also directed by Gordon Douglas .He is accompanied by the young tenderfoot Edd Byrnes who was a beefcake who made various Westerns and Spaghetti. Support cast is frankly excellent such as Claude Akins , Rhodes Reason , Warren Oates , Ray Danton and John Russell .

The motion picture was well directed by GordonDouglas, at his best , though It was supposed to be shot by the great John Ford , later on , he turned down the direction to film The horse riders , instead. Gordon was expert on adventure genre as Black arrow , Fortunes of captain Blood , both starred by Louis Hayward ; and Western , as he proved in the movies starred by Clint Walker as Fort Dobbs , Gold of Seven Saints , Yellowstone Kelly ; Gregory Peck as Only the valiant ; Rod Taylor in Chuka and Rio Conchos with Richard Boone deemed the best and upon legendary bandits as Doolins of Oklahoma , Great Missouri raid , among others.

Warner Brothers came up with a winner in this film of a fur trader who finds himself caught in the middle of a cavalry-Indian just wants to run his trap lines in Montana high country but proposed treaty-breaking by the government poses the threat of an Indian uprising. The film dwells a bit on a sub plot that has Kelly saving an Indian maiden's life as well as playing wet nurse to a tenderfoot who seeks to win the trapper's friendship and respect. There is a fine battle scene between the soldiers and the Indians, one of the best of its type and is the film's high point. John Russell, Ray Danton and Claude Akins are among the cast names that contribute greatly to fine story. Andra Martin is striking as the Arapahoe girl and a point of contention between Kelly and the Sioux warriors. Edd Byrnes is okay as Kelly's young helper. Outstanding camera work and music score make this forgotten western one of the genre's best pictures.

I like Clint Walker, I'm a fan of Gordon Douglas' movies (e.g., "Them!", "Rio Conchos", "The Detective") and I can even tolerate Edd Byrnes--in small doses--but I really wasn't expecting much from "Yellowstone Kelly" when I first saw it a few days ago. Turned out that I got a lot more than I bargained for.

First off, Walker is a hell of a screen presence. I haven't seen "Cheyenne" in many, many years, and I kind of forgot just how much he can fill up the screen, and not just physically; he has the kind of commanding presence that John Wayne has, and although Wayne's a better actor, Walker's no slouch himself. He does a first-rate job here, and Burt Kennedy's script doesn't make him the kind of stock "hero" type that many "B" westerns tend to make of their stars.

Second off, the scenery--as pointed out by other reviewers--is spectacular. It has the kind of power that John Ford brought to the screen with his Monument Valley locations yet it doesn't overwhelm the overall film, as Monument Valley tended to do. In addition, Gordon Douglas' westerns are noted for their "balls to the wall" action scenes, as in "Rio Conchos", and this film doesn't disappoint in that department. There are several of them, from bar-room brawls to full-out Indian attacks, and they're all extremely well done.

Then there's Andra Martin. She's not given much to do, actually, but she is one of the most strikingly and exotically beautiful women to have ever graced the screen, and she does the most here with what she's given, and she's actually quite good.

A good supporting cast--Claude Akins and Warren Oates stand out, and even Edd Byrnes is far less annoying than he usually is--helps greatly. If there's any downside to this picture, it's the casting of white actors in Indian roles. John Russell and Ray Danton are good actors, but they don't even come close to being convincing as Indians and, as this practice usually does, actually hurt the picture.

Overall, though, I was more than pleasantly surprised with "Yellowstone Kelly". Walker turns in a first-rate performance, the scenery is beautiful, the action is well done, and on top of everything else there's Andra Martin. A very good combination. Walker made another western that I haven't seen, "Fort Dobbs", and if it's half as good as this one was, I'll have to check it out.

Magnificent locations, a pleasant adventure: "Yellowstone Kelly" is a typical nice western movie of the 1950s and, in my personal opinion, it is a relevant instance of a better way of making cinema (better than the current one, I mean).

The movie has merits and defects. Among the merits (apart the already quoted beauty of the photography): the fast-pace of the narration; a number of well-elaborated action scenes; the presence of Andra Martin as the Arapaho girl Wahleeah. In fact, beautiful Martin manages to create, with few but skillful touches, a soft erotic atmosphere rather unusual in western movies of that epoch. However, it should be noted that her (splendid) blue eyes are a relevant clumsiness of the movie. Clint Walker, in the role of the trapper Yellowstone Kelly, is a nice guy, though certainly not a great actor. As always in mature 1950's westerns, the war between whites and Indians is provoked by either hot-heads or rogues, in the present case a stupid ambitious cavalry officer: this remark is just intended to contradict the false common-place that in those years Indians were always represented as blood-thirsty savage assassins.

The story is placed around the Wyoming-Montana border: however the final part was evidently filmed in the wonderful area of Sedona, Arizona. I'm not able to decide whether this could be considered a defect of the movie: probably not. The worst flaw in the film is the fact that all Sioux perfectly understand and speak English (?). There are several other inaccuracies. For instance: I may be wrong, but I bet that the Blue Soldiers had never been equipped with Winchester carabines.

I saw "Yellowstone Kelly" at the theatre, when I was a kid: the pleasant impressions I retained have been confirmed by my recent new view at the TV. I recommend this movie, especially to people nostalgic of good old western flicks.

This unpretentious and well-paced film min my judgment almost redefines the 'B' movie. It uses the talents of solid-plot novelist Clay Fisher, action director Gordon Douglas's skills, script additions by Burt Kennedy, lucid cinematography by Carl Guthrie, costumes by Marjorie Best, set decorations by William Wallace and a good cast of supporting actors. The storyline is a very simple one. Luther Kelloey has saved the life of a Sioux chief, Gall. Because of this during the troubles in their country, he is still allowed to set his traplines. After some trouble with toughs at a fort, he enlists young tenderfoot Anse Harper as his helper--before discovering he is hopeless at everything; then Kelley heads upcountry. Once there, they save an Arapaho woman fleeing her enemies. Answe worships her; she falls in love with Kelley, but he fights the urge as he nurses her back to health. Then all discover that it is the Sioux chief who wants her back. Anse dies; and finally he has to lead soldiers against the Sioux to save the ill-led patrol; and he kills Gall's nephew, the real troublemaker in the situation, in battle. He then advises the Sioux chief to leave the Yellowstone country, telling him it no longer smiles on them; and they follow his advice. The film stars popular and very large Clint Walker, in the best of several western he was allowed to make in the 1950s, as who did not; Anse is well-done by Edd Byrnes, John Russell is the Sioux chief, Ray Danton the deadly nephew and Andra Martin the lovely Arapaho woman. Claude Akins as a skeptical sergeant, Rex Reason, Gary Vinson and Warren Oates are also featured. This is a very authentic western, physically-beautiful. The viewer learns a lot about what it takes to survive in the West through the very Eastern eyes of Anse; also, Kelley's very sound advice is doubted, not heeded or contradicted by soldiers, with the result that they need him to save their hides. This is not a great picture; but I suggest as a writer its authors gave it clear motivations, a solid story line for its under-budgeted producers to realize. The dialogue is above average, terse, never show; and Douglas's camera has quite a bit to work with in the way of interior dialogue exchanges, action scenes and angry confrontations. The highlight comes when Martin tells Walker, "You have LOOKED AT ME." From that moment, we know he likes her, she wants him--and all they have to do is fight a major battle against angry Sioux warriors to win their future...Many viewers have found this to be a very unpretentious and entertaining 'B' effort.