Recommend me a Canadian western movie

[amor de cosmos]

American westerns seem to concern 3 things, which aren't necessarily very significant to the story: the influence of the transcontinental railroad, the Civil War, and/or the natives. I guess Canadian westerns are about the railroad (especially greedy, corrupt CPR & Grand Trunk execs!), Eastern-European immigrants, Chinese labourers, the HBC, the Metis, the gold rush & the NWMP? Can anyone list off some good *Canadian* westerns to watch? (that also don't have tasteless stereotypical bullshit like maple syrup & hockey) I'm sure there are some badass bandits & gunfights with gold prospectors coming back from the Klondike!

[SHOFEAR]

Not a movie, but try to find the TV series gold trails and ghost towns. It's two guys who tell stories about the gold rush in BC and Alberta and show a bunch of old pictures and objects. sounds lame, but it's pretty interesting.

[SpongeG]

canadians make movies?

[240glt]

Not a movie, but try to find the TV series gold trails and ghost towns. It's two guys who tell stories about the gold rush in BC and Alberta and show a bunch of old pictures and objects. sounds lame, but it's pretty interesting.

HA! I rember watching that on CHBC TV out of Kelowna wasy back in the late 80's/ early 90's.

Great series for people who are interested in BC history as it applies to settlers and early exploration. Bought my dad the box set a few years ago & he loves it

[duper]

Just released this year...


Of course, it has to have Paul Gross in it.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/Gunless_film.jpg

[Coldrsx]

If you are looking for a western canadian movie... i dare you to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgcKSCF7Hk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8GzgM1nFzY

[amor de cosmos]

& let's not forget the fenians & the underground railroad! wtf there's enough material for 500 canadian westerns there. just look at what the US has done with the 3 things listed in the op. :(

[Andy6]

American westerns seem to concern 3 things, which aren't necessarily very significant to the story: the influence of the transcontinental railroad, the Civil War, and/or the natives. I guess Canadian westerns are about the railroad (especially greedy, corrupt CPR & Grand Trunk execs!), Eastern-European immigrants, Chinese labourers, the HBC, the Metis, the gold rush & the NWMP? Can anyone list off some good *Canadian* westerns to watch? (that also don't have tasteless stereotypical bullshit like maple syrup & hockey) I'm sure there are some badass bandits & gunfights with gold prospectors coming back from the Klondike!

Why Shoot the Teacher? is a farily good serious movie about western Canada, although not a western in the shoot 'em up style. It takes place in Saskatchewan during the Depression. I don't understand why there aren't more good movies about Canada's rich history. Anything CBC-ish is always painfully politically correct, but surely there are some brave souls out there who could tell a real story well. How do you go from being next to nothing to one of the richest countries in the world, home to millions, in the space of a century and not have stories to tell?

[amor de cosmos]

If you are looking for a western canadian movie... i dare you to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgcKSCF7Hk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8GzgM1nFzY
looks like the good French-speaking-Canadian filmmakers go to Montreal, & the Anglos go to Hollywood... :P

Why Shoot the Teacher? is a farily good serious movie about western Canada, although not a western in the shoot 'em up style. It takes place in Saskatchewan during the Depression. I don't understand why there aren't more good movies about Canada's rich history. Anything CBC-ish is always painfully politically correct, but surely there are some brave souls out there who could tell a real story well. How do you go from being next to nothing to one of the richest countries in the world, home to millions, in the space of a century and not have stories to tell?
that site that has stuff says it could partly be due to cultural cringe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_cringe
If Ireland (for example) can make movies about Irish things like the IRA & whatnot I don't think Canada has any excuses.

[Xelebes]

There's also the Canadian Gothics - the old log cabin stories in the north and what not, somewhat similar to the Canadian Western.

[Xelebes]

Oh yes, anyone remember the TV show, White Fang? Takes place in the Klondike - mixes Call of the Wild with Westerns.

[SpongeG]

looks like the good French-speaking-Canadian filmmakers go to Montreal, & the Anglos go to Hollywood... :P


that site that has stuff says it could partly be due to cultural cringe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_cringe
If Ireland (for example) can make movies about Irish things like the IRA & whatnot I don't think Canada has any excuses.

Canadians can't make movies without government handouts

[MolsonExport]

men with brooms?

[brannelford]

Paperback Hero (1973)
... although it appears to have had a title change to "Last of the Big Guns" on imdb.com (which probably sounds more Western).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071966/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperback_Hero_%281973_film%29

http://scootermoviesshop.com/zencart/images/PaperbackHero.jpg

image courtesty of scootermoviesshop.com (http://scootermoviesshop.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=3369&zenid=09fe5613ee21f770de7e28dd74b24f92)

[MolsonExport]

one week ?

[Doug]

Unforgiven is technically an American western, but it is more about moral ambiguity and coming to terms with ones past. It was filmed in Southern Alberta (standing in as Wyoming), but is probably my favorite western.

[niwell]

Unfortunately (well in this case) the best Canadian movies seem to be inline with post-modernism a la the late 80s and 90s with some modern inroads. I'm thinking Cronenberg et al here.

But yeah, I would watch the hell out of a modern unbiased view of something like the FLQ crisis.

[Distill3d]

Unforgiven is technically an American western, but it is more about moral ambiguity and coming to terms with ones past. It was filmed in Southern Alberta (standing in as Wyoming), but is probably my favorite western.

If we're going to include American Westerns filmed in Canada, lets not forget Legends of the Fall, Open Range, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Lonesome Dove (TV). All of which were filmed here, but set in the States. :yes:

[freeweed]

If we're going to include American Westerns filmed in Canada, lets not forget Legends of the Fall, Open Range, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Lonesome Dove (TV). All of which were filmed here, but set in the States. :yes:

Brokeback!

[Bassic Lab]

If we're going to include American Westerns filmed in Canada, lets not forget Legends of the Fall, Open Range, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Lonesome Dove (TV). All of which were filmed here, but set in the States. :yes:

Well part of Legends of the Fall takes place here and Medicine Hat is mentioned in Unforgiven...

[feepa]

not sure why this thread made me think of these 2 tv show... but anyone remember them?

q-m5J10e2Rg

FteZimbz59I

[Distill3d]

Brokeback!

Damnit! I forgot about that one! Ang Lee is a huge Flames fan too! :tup:

[Distill3d]

not sure why this thread made me think of these 2 tv show... but anyone remember them?

q-m5J10e2Rg

I forgot Donnely Rhodes was in that show. I remember him more from the Da Vinci franchise:

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Probably the best Canadian made series set in Canada.

OH! I was just reminded of another Canadian Western:

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(it IS set in Saskatchewan)

[freeweed]

Damnit! I forgot about that one! Ang Lee is a huge Flamer fan too! :tup:

Fixed that for ya'. :P

I wonder if folks are having reading comprehension issues here. The title of the thread is "Canadian Western movie" not "Western Canadian movie".

Corner Gas is not, has never been, and will never be considered a Western. :haha:

[Distill3d]

Fixed that for ya'. :P

I wonder if folks are having reading comprehension issues here. The title of the thread is "Canadian Western movie" not "Western Canadian movie".

Corner Gas is not, has never been, and will never be considered a Western. :haha:

:haha: I know. I just had to...

[amor de cosmos]

Not a movie, but try to find the TV series gold trails and ghost towns. It's two guys who tell stories about the gold rush in BC and Alberta and show a bunch of old pictures and objects. sounds lame, but it's pretty interesting.

heres 1/3 of one episode:
qNiF5Ajqd7g
:eek: :cheers:

& a channel about ghost towns
http://www.youtube.com/user/BCghostTownsDOTcom

like these ones:
hIFGlX2-_os

HvpcLJr75x8

it would be funny to see a western that has forests, mountains & cougars instead of red rock country or monument valley :D

[drew]

^ I watched that show every now and again. Pretty interesting.

I think they still show re-runs on a Cdn. based cable channel..?

[xzmattzx]

If I may add some questions and comments, American Westerns were made en masse because Americans liked to watch them in the 1940s, 1950s, and into the 1960s. Did Canadians likewise watch westerns as much as reailty shows have been watched in the past 10 years? If not, then one would expect that considerably less Canadian westerns were made since demand was lower.

[Mister F]

Canadians can't make movies without government handouts
Every country funds its movie industry. The only possible exception is the US.

[Xelebes]

If I may add some questions and comments, American Westerns were made en masse because Americans liked to watch them in the 1940s, 1950s, and into the 1960s. Did Canadians likewise watch westerns as much as reailty shows have been watched in the past 10 years? If not, then one would expect that considerably less Canadian westerns were made since demand was lower.

American Western, the genre, began as penny dreadfuls about the intrigue that happened out west and the genre has mostly remained stuck at the advent of the genre (1885-1900) with rare breaks into the modern times.. When film came about, they were made into the B-List movies that the film studios came out with. The closest Canada has is the Frontiers which never had a historic basis for the stories and most nowadays are in fact written in present day Far North. Not many movies though, though there are some.

[Mister F]

Part of it is that Canada never really had a wild west. Sure we had the odd rebellion or skirmish, but for the most part law and order went west before settlers. In the US it was the other way around.

[amor de cosmos]

Part of it is that Canada never really had a wild west. Sure we had the odd rebellion or skirmish, but for the most part law and order went west before settlers. In the US it was the other way around.

yale was reputedly the largest city/town north of san francisco & west of chicago (or maybe Barkerville was) & mostly populated by gamblers, murderers, prospectors, alcoholics & others. there were fights over the border since at that time it wasn't set in stone at all.

just check this clip out
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