Riel (film) explained

Genre:	Biography Drama War
Director:	George Bloomfield
Starring:	Raymond Cloutier Christopher Plummer Roger Blay Lloyd Bochner James Bradford
Theme Music Composer:	William McCauley
Country:	Canada
Language:	English
Producer:	John Trent
Executive Producer:	Stanley Colbert
Editor:	Myrtle Virgo
Cinematography:	Vic Sarin
Runtime:	150 minutes
Network:	CBC

Riel is a 1979 Canadian made-for-television biographical film about Métis leader Louis Riel.^[1]

Plot

• Louis Riel (Cloutier) leads the Red River and North-West Rebellions against the Canadian government's expansionist ideas.
• The first was a successful rebellion in which created the Province of Manitoba and a later more violent and unsuccessful one in Saskatchewan in 1885 which led to his capture, trial and eventual execution

Cast

• Raymond Cloutier as Louis Riel
• Christopher Plummer as Prime Minister John A. Macdonald
• Roger Blay as Gabriel Dumont
• Maury Chaykin as Howard
• Barry Morse as MacTavish
• Leslie Nielsen as Major Crozier
• Dave Thomas as Militia Captain
• William Shatner as The Barker
• Don Harron as Donald Smith
• Chris Wiggins as General Middleton
• John Neville as General Wolseley
• Lloyd Bochner as Dr. Schultz
• James Bradford as Captain Bra
• Brenda Donohue as Mrs. Schultz
• Marcel Sabourin as Joseph-Noël Ritchot
• Gary Reineke as Thomas Scott
• Fern Henry as Maguerite Riel
• Tony Robinow as Lemieux

Filming

• Shot at Cinespace Film Studios in Kleinburg, Ontario, with additional photography at Ottawa, Ontario.
• The production utilized the local community to fulfill extra roles and stunt riders. Community members like Jim Naish, and others, earned a spot with his shooting and riding abilities.

Notes and References

1. [Gerald Pratley]