Riel (film)

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

Riel
Genre	Biography Drama War
Written by	Roy Moore
Directed by	George Bloomfield
Starring	Raymond Cloutier Christopher Plummer Roger Blay Lloyd Bochner James Bradford
Theme music composer	William McCauley
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Stanley Colbert
Producer	John Trent
Cinematography	Vic Sarin
Editor	Myrtle Virgo
Running time	150 minutes
Original release
Network	CBC
Release	April 15, 1979 (1979-04-15)

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.

External links

• Riel at IMDb