Canadian Wilderness (1965)

George Martin is Victor DeFrois, a half-breed Canadian whose brother is framed by fur trader James Sullivan, then executed by the Royal Mounted Police.

He wants revenge and figures the best way to get it is to join revolutionary leader Leo Limoux (Franco Fantasia), a man tired of watching native Canadians being treated as slaves and servants under English rule.

But freedom for all Canadians is Limoux’s goal, not revenge. And he’d rather kidnap Sullivan in order to advance his cause rather than satisfy DeFrois’ quest for vengeance.

DeFrois winds up leading the expedition to capture Sullivan. When the rebels discover he isn’t home, they taken his pretty daughter Ann (Giulia Rubini) captive instead.

Then DeFrois draws the assignment of watching over the bigoted Ann while Limoux and the rest of the rebels cut off the fur trade in order to force the English to negotiate.

Little goes right after that. Limoux and his men are lured into a trap devised by Mountie commander Capt. Robert Doyle.

But back at the remote cabin, DeFrois and Ann are growing closer, proving at least to them that the English who rule Canada and the natives who reside there should be able to live in peace.

George Martin as Victor DeFrois, realizing he’ll have James Sullivan’s daughter as his captive in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Santiago Rivero as James Sullivan taking aim at his prey in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Review:

A lovely looking piece of melodramatic fluff that benefits from the presence of three lovely ladies.

In addition to Giulia Rubini as the captured trader’s daughter, Diana Lorys and Pamela Tudor are on hand.

The former plays the woman in love with Victor DeFrois, forever hoping he’ll stop thinking about fighting and settle down to raise a family with her.

Tudor is the toyboyish rebel Soir, no less in love with Limoux, but determined to fight by his side and face every danger he does.

Lorys and Tudor engage in a lively catfight at one point, but the action scene viewers are most likely to remember involves that trap set by the rebels.

Most of Limoux’s men are caught in it, forced to fight to the death with a river lined by regulars behind them and a battalion of mounted Mounties in front of them.

Giulia Rubini as Ann Sullivan, wondering if she’ll be safe in the hands of Victor DeFrois in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Pamela Tudor as female rebel Soir, reminding Leo Limoux (Franco Fantasia) that happily ever after might not be their future in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Directed by:
Amando de Ossorio

Cast:
George Martin … Victor DeFrois
Giulia Rubini … Ann Sullivan
Diana Lorys … Nina
Santiago Rivero … James Sullivan
Pamela Tudor … Soir
Luis Marin … Grant Crawford
Franco Fantasia … Leo Limoux
Rafael Hernandez … Gaston
Mirko Ellis … Capt. Robert Doyle
Simon Arriaga … Butler
Raf Baldassarre … Trapper
as Ralph Baldwyn
Francisco Nieto … Jacob
Giovanni Petti … Milton
Guillermo Mendez … Capt. Farrell

Also with: Jose Bastida, Aurelio Trevino, Pedro Fenollar, Manuel Granada, Maria del Carmen de la Torre, Jose Luis Lluch, Joaquin Parra, Albert Lockwood, Lisa Warner

Runtime: 98 min.

aka:
I tre del Colorado
Hudson River Massacre
Rebels in Canada
Revolution in Canada
Three from Colorado

Music: Carlo Savina

Mirko Ellis as Capt. Robert Doyle, being prodded to execute three suspected rebels by James Sullivan (Santiago Rivero) in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Diana Lorys as Nina, wishing she could convince Victor DeFrois to settle down in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Memorable lines:

Ann Sullivan: “It’s impossible to believe these half-breeds could endanger the English. Nor that my father could be wrong in the way he chooses to handle them.”
Capt. Doyle: “Well, I would be wrong then.”
Ann: “Yes, you would be. After all, it’s only a year that you’ve been here. My father for 15.”

Victor DeFrois to Ann Sullivan: “Tell your father that Victor DeFrois will give him what’s coming to him even if he runs and hides under the skirts of the queen of England.”

Soir of Ann Sullivan: “She’s frightened to death. She’s weak, a coward and proud, just like all her people. Take care of her, Victor.”
Victor DeFrois: “What are you saying?”
Soir: “Her father killed your brother. And now she’s in your power. Eye for eye. Humiliate her. Make her yours!”

Victor DeFrois: “Here, we’re all alone, Miss Sullivan. Your distinguished English blood is worth as much as mine as a half-breed.”

George Martin as Victor DeFrois, being asked to chose between rebellion and revenge by Leo Limoux (Franco Fantasia) in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Mirko Ellis as Capt. Robert Doyle trying to romance Ann Sullivan (Giulia Rubini) in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Trivia:

* Best known for his horror films in the early 1970s, director Amando de Ossorio also helmed the 1964 Euro Western “Tomb of the Pistolero.”

* Giulia Rubini probably isn’t as familiar to Spaghetti fans as her female co-stars in this film. But she enjoyed a film career that started in the 1950s and ended with appearances in a number of Euro Westerns. They also included “Sign of the Coyote” (1963), “Bullets Don’t Argue” (1964), “Ringo and His Golden Pistol” (1966), “Seven Pistols for a Massacre” (1967) and “A Stranger in Paso Bravo.” That marked her final film before she retired to raise a family.

George Martin as Victor DeFrois reacts to his brother’s execution while being restrained by a fellow trapper (Raf Baldassarre) in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Pamela Tudor as female rebel Soir, knocked down in a catfight with Nina in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

Diana Lorys as Nina, entertaining the trappers at the trading post with her song in Canadian Wilderness (1965)

George Martin as Victor DeFrois and Giulia Rubini as Ann Sullivan, fleeing and outnumbered in Canadian Wilderness (1965)