Posted on July 27, 2022
With films and shows like GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, THE LAST OF US and UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN rolling all over our great province, it’s hard to deny that it has been an incredible couple of years for Alberta’s screen industry. Luckily for us, these big-budget productions are not just being produced in Alberta, but by Albertans. This has been made possible partly thanks to people like this month's Movie Night With CIFF guest, Tom Benz. Tom has been one of our most prolific Production Managers since the 1980s, bringing over 40 years of experience managing dozens of projects in Alberta with up to 8-figure budgets.
In honour of his appearance on the latest episode of our, if I may say so myself, fabulous podcast, we've compiled a list of equally fabulous homegrown films from throughout the years. To add a touch of provincial pride, we've chosen to focus on the genre good old 'berta is best known for, Westerns!
Let us put the yup in your giddy-up, as you marvel at these incredible, western-themed films and shows made right here in Alberta.
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
Locations: Heritage Park, Fort Edmonton Park and The Fairmont Palliser
*CIFF 2007 SELECTION*
This film delves into the private life and public exploits of America's most notorious outlaw. As the charismatic and unpredictable Jesse James (Brad Pitt) plans his next great robbery, he wages war on his enemies, who are trying to collect the reward money - and the glory - riding on his capture. But the greatest threat to his life may ultimately come from those he trusts the most.
UNFORGIVEN
Locations: Brooks, Longview, High River, Calgary, Drumheller.
When prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) is disfigured by a pair of cowboys in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, her fellow brothel workers post a reward for their murder, much to the displeasure of sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman). Two groups of gunfighters, one led by aging former bandit William Munny (Clint Eastwood), the other by the florid English Bob (Richard Harris), come to collect the reward, clashing with each other and the sheriff.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Locations: Goat Creek, Upper Kananaskis Lake, Elbow Falls, Cowley, Fort MacLeod and Calgary
*CIFF 2005 SELECTION*
Set against the sweeping vistas of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, this film tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.
LET HIM GO
Locations: Fort MacLeod, High River, Red Deer and Drumheller
Following the loss of their son, a retired sheriff (Kevin Costner) and his wife (Diane Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas.
LEGENDS OF THE FALL
Locations: Morley, Banff and Ghost River
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) lives in the wilderness with his sons, Tristan (Brad Pitt), Alfred (Aidan Quinn) and Samuel (Henry Thomas). The unconventional family encounters tragedy when Samuel is killed in World War I. Tristan and Alfred survive their tours of duty, but, soon after they return home, both men fall for Samuel's gorgeous fiancée, Susannah (Julia Ormond), and their intense rivalry begins to destroy the family.
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN
Locations: Calgary and Carstairs
Detectives Jeb Pyre and Bill Taba investigate the brutal, sinister murders of an LDS woman, Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter in Utah’s typically serene Salt Lake Valley in 1984.
SHANGHAI NOON
Locations: Drumheller, Exshaw and Cochrane
The classic western gets a kick in the pants when an Imperial Guard travels to the Wild West to rescue a kidnapped princess. After teaming up with a train robber, the unlikely duo takes on a Chinese traitor and his corrupt boss.
DAYS OF HEAVEN
Locations: Heritage Park
A story of Love and Murder told through the jaded voice of a child and expressive images of nature. Bill, a fugitive from the slums of Chicago, finds himself pitted against a shy, rich Texan for the love of Abby.
THE REVENANT
*CIFF 2015 SELECTION*
Locations: Kananaskis, Fortress Mountain
While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) sustains life-threatening injuries from a brutal bear attack. When a member (Tom Hardy) of his hunting team kills his young son (Forrest Goodluck) and leaves him for dead, Glass must utilize his survival skills to find a way back to civilization. Grief-stricken and fueled by vengeance, the legendary fur trapper treks through the snowy terrain to track down the man who betrayed him.
FARGO
Locations: Calgary, Strathmore, Beiseker and High River
In this anthology series inspired by the 1996 film, each season follows a mostly new cast of characters who get involved with murder investigations in different Midwestern towns, with seemingly unrelated crimes sometimes being connected in some way.
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