Alien Thunder
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| Alien Thunder | |
|---|---|
 Video cover | |
| Directed by | Claude Fournier |
| Written by | George Malko |
| Produced by | Marie-José Raymond |
| Starring | Donald Sutherland Gordon Tootoosis Chief Dan George Kevin McCarthy Jean Duceppe |
| Cinematography | Claude Fournier |
| Edited by | Yves Langlois |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
Production company | Onyx Films |
| Distributed by | Ambassador Film Distributors (Canada) American International Pictures (USA release) Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date | February 22, 1974 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,500,000 |
Alien Thunder (also known as Dan Candy's Law) is a 1974 Canadian western film directed by Claude Fournier and starring Donald Sutherland. Its original screenplay was written by W.O. Mitchell but Mitchell removed his name from the final release due to changes that were made.[1]
Synopsis
Set in 1880s Saskatchewan at the time of the North-West Rebellion, Alien Thunder is based on a true story about a Woods Cree (Gordon Tootoosis in his first film role) who kills a North-West Mounted Police sergeant (Kevin McCarthy) under desperate circumstances. Hunted for two years by the sergeant's resolute partner (Donald Sutherland), the ending brings tragedy for all those involved.
Cast
- Donald Sutherland as Sgt. Dan Candy
- Gordon Tootoosis as Almighty Voice
- Chief Dan George as Sounding Sky
- Kevin McCarthy as Sgt. Malcolm Grant
- Jean Duceppe as Inspector Brisebois
- Francine Racette as Emilie Grant
- Jack Creley as Arthur Ballentyne - Indian Agent
- James O'Shea as Edouard
- John Boylan as Cpl. Harold Bellringer
- Lenny George as Rolling Grass
- Ernestine Gamble as Small Face
- Vincent Daniels as Many Birds
- Sarain Stump as Napoleon Royal
Production
Alien Thunder was filmed in Saskatchewan's Battleford, Duck Lake, and Saskatoon.
Release
The film was not a financial success.[2] "Suspense is lacking and characters are generally underdeveloped, as is the tension between the Mounties and the Indians." – Natalie Edwards, Cinema Canada
References
- ^ Conway, Alana. ""Blood on the Poplars: ALIEN THUNDER (1974) and the Story of Almighty Voice"". Luna Quarterly. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ Lerner, Loren R. (January 1997). Canadian Film and Video: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature. ISBN 9780802029881.
External links
- Alien Thunder at IMDb
- Alien Thunder is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
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 | This 1970s Western film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Canadian films
- 1974 films
- Canadian Western (genre) drama films
- English-language films
- 1970s Western (genre) drama films
- Canadian independent films
- Troma Entertainment films
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police in fiction
- Films set in Saskatchewan
- Western (genre) films based on actual events
- Northern films
- Films scored by Georges Delerue
- Films directed by Claude Fournier
- 1974 independent films
- 1974 drama films
- 1970s Canadian film stubs
- 1970s Western (genre) film stubs