River of No Return (1954)

Best movie ever!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Would you believe, there are really some movie fans who don't like River of No Return? I'll admit the additional footage written by Darryl F. Zanuck and polished by Frank Fenton and then directed by Jean Negulesco, is a bit of a pain. It's both clichéd and unnecessary—especially all that tedious stuff in the cave where Zanuch and Fentron contrive to have Marilyn remove her wet clothing and wrap herself in a Mother Hubbard blanket. The movie would be much pacier and deliver a much greater impact without this interruption. On the other hand, all the Otto Preminger material is marvelous, right from the very start through to the stunning conclusion. Although Preminger himself regarded the assignment as one of his lesser directorial efforts, the thorough professionalism of his work, with its imaginative staging in fluid takes, its powerful visuals enhanced by splendid work from the players, plus the emotionally charged editing cut to the beat of Lionel Newman's haunting music score, has ensured the movie continues to rate highly with viewers over sixty years later. Marilyn Monroe contributes a wholly convincing, memorable and sympathetic performance. She is cleverly matched every inch of the way by Bob Mitchum who just seems so effortlessly in character, we are not surprised to read that Marilyn found it difficult to keep up with him. Mitch has the uncanny ability to dominate a scene even if he stands in the background, but Preminger and company have astutely compensated for this by handing Marilyn four songs. Two additional factors that keep our eyes riveted to the screen, are the boy, winningly played by Tommy Rettig, who brings the two principals together, and the "other man", played with an appropriately nasty bravado by Rory Calhoun (in a rare, unsympathetic role) who does his utmost to keep them apart.

If you seriously think that teaming up 2 of Hollywood's biggest, most bankable and hottest stars of the 1950s together in the same picture would totally ignite sparks of pure ecstasy flying this way, and that, then think again.Unfortunately for us all - In "River Of No Return", any on-screen chemistry that was generated between Mitchum & Monroe amounted to being nothing more than a complete fizzle, and that was about all.I'd say that a lot of this picture's glaring faults rested squarely on the shoulders of its demanding director, Otto Preminger, who obviously understood nothing about the advantage and benefit of filming its dynamically attractive stars in close-ups. In my opinion, close-ups are a vitally important part of producing a real quality picture.Another serious problem that plagued this film's story was that way-way too many of its scenes set in the beautiful outdoors were actually shot in front of back-projection screens. This, to me, was a sure-fire way of thoroughly sabotaging an adventure film that featured such grand and majestic scenery as this one did.Set in the year 1875 - River Of No Return was something of a "Father & Son" tale where Mitchum feigns toughness, Monroe lip-syncs her songs, and Tommy Rettig (as Mitchum's on-screen boy) actually steals the show in this film's climatic finale.*Note Of Interest* - All of the exterior scenes for River Of No Return were shot in the Canadian Rockies, which included Banff National Park, as well.Anyways - Considering all of the high-potential that clearly prevailed in River Of No Return, if you ask me, this picture certainly could have (and should have) been a helluva lot better than it was.

The greed of a reckless gambler who has won a mining claim in a poker game forces three people, a farmer named Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum), his son and the gambler's wife, Kay (Marilyn Monroe), into an adventure down the river and through the wilderness from which they may never return.Robert Mitchum never fails, but Marilyn Monroe I have always found to be overrated. She is not as attractive as she is made out to be, and her acting typically revolved around her being a "dumb blonde" character. This was thankfully a rare exception -- in this film, I learned that Monroe can act (but still not sing, and was dubbed).Monroe and director Otto Preminger were allegedly pressured into making this film by the studio because of their contracts. This might lead you to think they did not put their hearts in it. And maybe they did not, but it still comes across as a better than average western... why has no one heard of it?

Average western which again proved that Marilyn Monroe could not act. Here, she attempted to strum on a guitar, as a dance hall queen in love with gold prospector Rory Calhoun. Coming off his successful airplane pilot two years before in the smash-hit, "With A Song in My Heart," Calhoun, as the evil person here, comes off rather calmly.Robert Mitchum, as the jailed man, who picks up his son in a camp where Monroe is singing and Tommy Rettig, of television's "Lassie Fame," steal the film here.Rettig learns that his father was jailed when he shot someone in the back. Ironically, he will learn that cruel lesson once again at picture's end. Exploring the relationship that develops while rafting with Mitchum and Monroe forms the basis of the film. It's only partially successful at best.