Many of the B-westerns were filmed in TruColor or Cinecolor in the 1950s. This is because it was a very inexpensive color-like process that cost about the same as black & white cinematography. True Technicolor, on the other hand was quite a bit more expensive...and B-movies were made cheaply, so you'd never see a true color look to them. So what is the down-side of TruColor and Cinecolor? Well, they weren't exactly true colors and this is because instead of being made up of three colors, they were two color processes. As a result, you got colors that were heavy on sedia-orange and greenish-blue. And, as the films degraded over time, these odd color blends usually intensified....making for a very muddy looking color film. So, as you watch, this would explain the odd look of the movie.
This later Roy Rogers film is similar to many others of the period....it's really NOT a western and features Rogers as a do-gooder and not a cowboy despite his clothing. Generally, I dislike these film, as they tend to be a bit too nice and lack an edge....and "North of the Great Divide" is no exception.
The story begins with Roy hanging out with his Native American friends. He apparently is an Indian agent for the US government. But things go from great to lousy very quickly when a new salmon cannery is built along the river. Now there isn't enough food for the locals and the newcomers have no problem depleting all the fish...all in the name of money. But these greedy folks now have decided to destroy the other cannery on the Canadian side of the border. In the process, they end up killing a Mountie...and soon the local tribesmen are blamed. Can Roy straighten all this out and stop these mad men?
Apart from seeing Roy fight a whip fight, there isn't a ton about this one to love. Gordon Jones is less a sidekick, and more an idiot. All in all, a disappointing film in most ways...and a film that relies too often on grainy stock footage.
This later Roy Rogers film is similar to many others of the period....it's really NOT a western and features Rogers as a do-gooder and not a cowboy despite his clothing. Generally, I dislike these film, as they tend to be a bit too nice and lack an edge....and "North of the Great Divide" is no exception.
The story begins with Roy hanging out with his Native American friends. He apparently is an Indian agent for the US government. But things go from great to lousy very quickly when a new salmon cannery is built along the river. Now there isn't enough food for the locals and the newcomers have no problem depleting all the fish...all in the name of money. But these greedy folks now have decided to destroy the other cannery on the Canadian side of the border. In the process, they end up killing a Mountie...and soon the local tribesmen are blamed. Can Roy straighten all this out and stop these mad men?
Apart from seeing Roy fight a whip fight, there isn't a ton about this one to love. Gordon Jones is less a sidekick, and more an idiot. All in all, a disappointing film in most ways...and a film that relies too often on grainy stock footage.