Hudson's Bay

1/3/19411h 35m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ A FABULOUS FIGURE WHO SAVED A NEW WORLD-FOR THE RULER WHO HAD ORDERED HIM HANGED! ~

Overview:

Highly fictionalized early history of Canada. Trapper/explorer Radisson imagines an empire around Hudson's Bay. He befriends the Indians, fights the French, and convinces King Charles II to sponsor an expedition of conquest.

Director:

Irving Pichel

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

canada
fur trapping
historical fiction
18th century
fur trade

Cast

Paul Muni

~ as ~

Pierre Esprit Radisson

John Sutton

~ as ~

Lord Edward Crewe

Laird Cregar

~ as ~

Gooseberry

Gene Tierney

~ as ~

Barbara Hall

Vincent Price

~ as ~

King Charles II

Nigel Bruce

~ as ~

Prince Rupert

Virginia Field

~ as ~

Nell Gwyn

Morton Lowry

~ as ~

Gerald Hall

Robert Greig

~ as ~

Sir Robert

Chief Thundercloud

~ as ~

Orimha

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
7
This is quite a fun pioneering romp through the pages of the early history of the British in Canada. Centred around the exploits of Pierre Radisson (Paul Muni), his larger than life sidekick "Gooseberry" (Laird Cregar) and the somewhat discredited Lord Crewe (John Sutton), the story depicts their efforts to export hundreds of thousands of extremely valuable pelts to Europe, Muni is on great form as the intrepid entrepreneur who manages to fall in and out with just about everyone from the locals, the French and finally King Charles II (Vincent Price) in London - who grants them a charter to form the now legendary Hudson's Bay Trading Company. The dialogue is quickly paced and quite funny at times, though a bit on the wordy side, and the three gents manage to keep the action coming thick and past - with (perhaps only a scant) nod to history as they go. Gene Tierney only fleetingly provides the love interest for Crewe and Virginia Field is also on hand to demonstrate that Nell Gwynn had more than a little influence on her Sovereign. The photography is suitably grand in the wilderness and sumptuous at King Charles' court, and Alfred Newman's score helps this adventure story to entertain.