{"id":26169,"date":"2012-06-13T13:55:52","date_gmt":"2012-06-13T20:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26169"},"modified":"2021-01-01T16:22:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-01T23:22:03","slug":"river-of-no-return-1954","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26169","title":{"rendered":"River of No Return (1954)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;He didn&#8217;t treat me like a tramp; he treated me like a woman!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Poster-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-26170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Poster-300x235.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Poster-128x100.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Poster.jpg 535w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA gambler (Rory Calhoun) engaged to a saloon singer (Marilyn Monroe) steals a horse and rifle belonging to a farmer (Robert Mitchum), and heads to town to stake a claim he recently won. Meanwhile, when Indians raid Mitchum&#8217;s farm, he flees with Monroe and his son (Tommy Rettig) by steering a raft down a notoriously deathly river, hoping to confront Calhoun if they make it safely to town.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Marilyn Monroe Films<\/li>\n<li>Otto Preminger Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Mitchum Films<\/li>\n<li>Survival<\/li>\n<li>Westerns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nOtto Preminger&#8217;s directorial career was nothing if not highly varied, with entries ranging from <em>noir<\/em>-tinged detective flicks like <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6718\"><em>Laura<\/em> (1944)<\/a> to somber political expos\u00e9s &#8212; i.e. <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15706\"><em>Advise &#038; Consent<\/em> (1962)<\/a> &#8212; to the truly surreal counter-culture misfire <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15685\"><em>Skidoo<\/em> (1969)<\/a>. <em>River of No Return<\/em> was his first attempt at helming a western, and while he was purportedly pleased with the script &#8212; which was inspired by Vittorio De Sica&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32382\"><em>The Bicycle Thief<\/em><\/a> &#8212; the overall production experience was <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/River_of_No_Return\">less than ideal for all involved<\/a>. The final product comes across as a patchily successful affair, with the benefit of a compellingly urgent storyline, and fine performances by both Tommy Rettig (of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3064\"><em>The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.<\/em><\/a> fame) as Mitchum&#8217;s estranged son:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-1024x461.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-1024x461.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-300x135.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-128x58.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-768x346.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-1536x692.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig-599x270.png 599w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rettig.png 1813w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and Rory Calhoun as Monroe&#8217;s slippery lover. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-1024x453.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"283\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-1024x453.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-300x133.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-128x57.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-768x340.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-1536x680.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1-604x267.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun4-1.png 1805w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, while the outdoor CinemaScope cinematography is stunning:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-1024x451.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"282\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-1024x451.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-300x132.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-128x56.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-768x338.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-1536x677.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5-604x266.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Landscape5.png 1831w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>much less successful is the use of rear-screen projection, which makes it patently obvious that the actors are rocking about on a sound stage rather than on the rapids themselves. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2-1024x457.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"286\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2-1024x457.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2-300x134.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2-128x57.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2-768x343.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2-604x270.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Rearview2.png 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, a disturbing near-rape scene between Mitchum and Monroe is poorly resolved, leaving a bitter taste in one&#8217;s mouth. Fortunately, the final resolution between Calhoun and Mitchum is smartly scripted, bringing the story full-circle, and leaving one feeling at least partially satisfied. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine use of Technicolor CinemaScope<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-1024x440.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"275\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-1024x440.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-768x330.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-1536x660.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3-604x259.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun-Monroe3.png 1823w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-1024x454.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"284\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-1024x454.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-300x133.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-128x57.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-768x340.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-1536x681.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing-604x268.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Monroe-Singing.png 1803w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Rory Calhoun as Harry Weston<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-1024x449.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"281\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-1024x449.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-300x132.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-128x56.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-768x337.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-1536x674.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8-604x265.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/River-of-No-Return-Calhoun8.png 1821w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; this one is only must-see for Monroe completists. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0047422\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/rivernoret.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=2900&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitallyobsessed.com\/displaylegacy.php?ID=3459\">Digitally Obsessed Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?res=9D01E3DB1131E53BBC4953DFB366838F649EDE\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/vhZmmeFCPHE\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;He didn&#8217;t treat me like a tramp; he treated me like a woman!&#8221; Synopsis: A gambler (Rory Calhoun) engaged to a saloon singer (Marilyn Monroe) steals a horse and rifle belonging to a farmer (Robert Mitchum), and heads to town to stake a claim he recently won. Meanwhile, when Indians raid Mitchum&#8217;s farm, he flees with Monroe and his son (Tommy Rettig) by steering a raft down a notoriously deathly river, hoping to confront Calhoun if they make it safely&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26169\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26169"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61110,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26169\/revisions\/61110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}