Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35651 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-04-20
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
• Format: NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Running time: 95 minutes

From Amazon.com
The dew of new stardom was still visible on Marilyn Monroe when she ventured up to Canada to shoot this sturdily entertaining CinemaScope Western. Although director Otto Preminger later claimed little interest in the picture, he couldn't help but bring his even-handed visual style to the widescreen process. The location shooting (in Alberta) is eye filling, and that river really does look alarming. Best of all, Marilyn, fresh and vital, had a costar to match her magnetism but not humor her sometimes-scattered approach to acting: Robert Mitchum, as a homesteader with a dark past. He's weighty enough to stand next to MM's bright flame without giving any ground; they should have worked together again. Since Marilyn plays a saloon singer, she gets to sling some tunes in her inimitable style, with as much glamour as the gold rush-era trappings will allow, giving "I'm Going to File My Claim" various meanings. --Robert Horton

Review
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, All Movie Guide

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

Customer Reviews

Marilyn Monroe and the Canadian Rockies!
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While this is certainly far from Marilyn Monroe's best performance, it is nonetheless an interesting film to watch.

Amazingly, the somewhat artificial beauty of Marilyn Monroe shown floating on a raft down the "river of no return" with a backdrop of the Canadian Rockies can capture one's imagination and make you forget what a truly awful film this is.

Marilyn steals your attention in every scene, and the sheer beauty of her presence more than makes up for the ridiculousness of the plot.

MM sings a couple of numbers in her dance-hall girl phase of the film, most notably, "I'm Gonna File My Claim", about a gold-digger during the gold rush days.

Any Marilyn fan would have to see this movie just for Marilyn's sake. Anyone else can probably skip it.

MMMmmmarvelous Marilyn!

Sometimes it's peaceful, sometimes wild and free
Marilyn Monroe described this movie as a grade-Z cowboy movie where the acting finished third to the scenery and Cinemascope. Okay, the Canadian Rockies and the rapids were utilized to its best for 1950's film-making, and MM's second film in Cinemascope must have made quite an impression in the theatres for the new aspect ratio.

It's 1875 in the wild Northwest. Matt Calder is reunited with his young son Mark in a saloon town and rather than go the usual route of prospecting, start a new life on a farm bordering the River of No Return. Their life is instantly disrupted by two events. One, gambler Harry Weston, who's one a gold claim under dubious circumstances, is eager to file the claim in Council City to prevent the loser from beating him to it. To that end, he steals Calder's horse and rifle, a capital offense in the codes of the West. Second, a group of Native Americans on the warpath descend on the farm. Both Calders and Kay, Weston's moll who stays behind to look after the injured Calder and his son, flee in time in the raft Weston and Kay arrived in.

From then on, it's a struggle to survive the rapids without any weapons, food, and constantly being drenched by that river whenever it's "wild and free." As Calder tells Kay, "The Indians call this the River of No Return. From here on, you'll find out why." He is so dead set on getting his hands on Weston, he'll risk anything, all the time looking after his two charges.

Conflicts arrive in many forms, the primary two are Kay's torn loyalties between Harry and Matt. She doesn't want Matt to kill Harry once the two meet up, and performs acts that range from desperate to being a seductive vamp, yet she realizes in their travails that he is thoughtful and unselfish, as demonstrated in the scene where he looks after her following her collapse from exhaustion. The other involves the circumstances where Matt had to leave young Mark in the saloon town for five years, and while it's justified, there is a certain amount of stigma in it.

Marilyn gets to sing four songs here, the acoustic guitar tune "One Silver Dollar" and the piano bar tune "I'm Gonna File My Claim", "Down In The Meadow", and one of the best songs she's ever sung, the title ballad. Her costumes aren't bad either, from the garish red dress she wears for the first song, the long green dress for the second tune, and the white blouse and anachronistic Levi's jeans she wears throughout the film. And this is the longest her hair has been in films, albeit it being a blonde wig, of course.

Despite the costumes, it's not a Western in the traditional sense of the word, but River Of No Return pales to others in the genre it's purported to be because it's more drama than action. Granted, this is not one of Marilyn's best films, nor is it that of Robert Mitchum's, Rory Calhoun's, or director Otto Preminger for that matter. Monroe would have to wait until The Seven Year Itch for her next biggest hit. However, both Mitchum and Monroe come off well despite the latter's dismissal of it.

Some of MARILYN'S best acting!! And MITCHUM's superb!
Marilyn doesn't play a dolly-girl in this film. She plays a very human female who has seen hardships and goes through many in the film, and takes it like a toughened woman. I've never seen her quite like this in any of her other films. I love all of her films, but this is a stand-out and unique. I wouldn't rate it as one of her best films, but she IS super in it. It's a Level 2 Marilyn film, not quite up there with How to Marry a Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch, but still pretty darn good!
Robert Mitchum is, as always, superb, and there is a good chemistry between the two. A definite must on DVD for any Marilyn fan. If only somewhat interested get the VHS, but Marilyn fans and Western fans will want the Widescreen DVD.