River of No Return

UPC: 024543261100

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Suitable for Children]

Summary: Director Otto Preminger's only western, River of No Return is set in Canada during the 19th century Gold Rush. Farmer Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) is released from prison after serving a sentence for shooting a man in the back to protect a friend. He arrives in a small town to retrieve his young son, Mark (Tommy Rettig), who has befriended a sultry saloon singer, Kay (Marilyn Monroe). Matt is also friendly with Kay, and thanks her profusely for looking after Mark, but distrusts her paramour, Harry Weston (Rory Calhoun)- a gambler with the morals of an alley cat. Matt and Mark return to their rural homestead, but soon glimpse Kay and Harry on a sinking raft, apparently en route to make good on a gold claim; Matt rescues the two of them, but doesn't count on Harry doing an about face, beating him up, and stealing his horse and gun; Kay stays behind to look after Matt. Meanwhile, the Indians go on the warpath, and the defenseless trio decides to seek refuge by fleeing the farm and sailing down the river on a raft. En route, the son - thanks to Kay's doing - is unexpectedly disillusioned about the father's original crime. Moreover, as Matt approaches town, he begins to plot a decisive revenge against Harry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Western

Features: Restoration comparison
Still gallery
Theatrical trailer
Anamorphic widescreen (aspect ratio 2.55:1)
Audio: English 4.0 Dolby Surround, French Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

River of No Return

Format: DVD

Release Date: 05/14/2002

Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1 2.55:1

Audio: DS Dolby Surround (4.0), DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 95 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Main Titles
2. Looking for My Son
3. One Silver Dollar
4. Calder and Son [1:58]
5. Kay
6. I'm Gonna File My Claim
7. Harry's Claim
8. The Calder Home
9. Trouble on the River
10. Skin Deep
11. Down in the Meadow
12. A Gun and a Horse
13. Time to Leave
14. Rapids
15. Looking for Food
16. Going After Harry
17. Matt's Secret
18. Point of No Return
19. The Cave
20. Kay's Apology
21. Food
22. Laws
23. Not So Tough
24. Benson and Colby
25. Getting Someplace
26. Indians
27. Rough Waters
28. Council City
29. Kay's Plea
30. No Other Way
31. The River of No Return
32. Going Home

Craig Butler

Not a career highpoint for either its stars or its director, River of No Return is a moderately enjoyable western (by way of genre, not geography). As is often the case, the script is the main culprit here. The story seems to be cobbled together from here and there, with little depth or realistic motivation for the characters; too often, it seems these people are behaving in this way merely to service the plot. However, there have been many better films crafted from scripts that were no better, and had director Otto Preminger been working at the top of his form, River might have been something special. Not that Preminger is asleep at the wheel -- many of the action sequences are thrilling (if sometimes too obviously faked), and a lot of viewers will bite one or two nails along the way. In addition, the director takes full advantage of his CinemaScope and stereophonic sound to create a lushly beautiful visual and aural picture. But he too often seems to have left the actors (and their characters) to fend for themselves. Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum are fine (although they've both done much better work elsewhere), but there's little chemistry between them. Many will find Monroe, cast somewhat against type, out of her element here, but she pulls it off quite respectfully -- and she gets to work some of her curious vocal magic on four songs, bringing them off very well. Equally as important, Preminger photographs her unnatural beauty as carefully as he does the scenery. Despite its flaws, River has enough entertainment value to make it worth watching. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Claire André  Actor 
Mitchell Kowal  Actor 
John Patrick Veitch  Actor 
John Doucette  Actor 
Paul Newlan  Actor 
John Cliff  Actor 
Ann McCrea  Actor 
Harry Seymour  Actor 
Harry Monty  Actor 
Jarma Lewis  Actor 
Ralph Sanford  Actor 
Geneva Gray  Actor 
Ed Hinton  Actor 
Barbara Nichols  Actor 
Larry Chance  Actor 
Arthur Shields  Actor 
Jack Mather  Actor 
Edmund Cobb  Actor 
Fay Morley  Actor 
Cyril Mockridge  Composer (Music Score) 
Otto Preminger  Director 
Stanley Crea Rubin  Producer 
Frank Fenton  Screenwriter 
Robert Mitchum  Actor 
Marilyn Monroe  Actor 
Rory Calhoun  Actor 
Tommy Rettig  Actor 
Murvyn Vye  Actor 
Douglas Spencer  Actor 
Don Beddoe  Actor 
Will Wright  Actor 
Hal Baylor  Actor 

Country: USA