Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue
Directed by Harold French
Produced by Perce Pearce
Walt Disney
Written by Lawrence Edward Watkin
Starring Richard Todd
Glynis Johns
James Robertson Justice
Michael Gough
Finlay Currie
Geoffrey Keen
Music by Cedric Thorpe Davie
Cinematography Guy Green
Edited by Geoffrey Foot
Production
company
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • 26 October 1953 (1953-10-26) (Premiere-London)[1]
  • 4 February 1954 (1954-02-04) (US)[1]
Running time
 81 minutes
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Budget $1.8 million[2]

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue is a 1953 British-American action film, made by Walt Disney Productions.[3] This film is about Rob Roy MacGregor, and it is also the final Disney film released through RKO Radio Pictures.[4]

Plot

The film begins in the early 18th century with Rob Roy leading his McGregor clansmen against King George I's forces commanded by the Scottish Duke of Argyll. While determined to establish order in the Highlands, Argyll is sympathetic to "the bonny blue bonnets" whom he is fighting, even refusing to unleash German mercenaries against them. A final charge by royal dragoons scatters the clansmen but honour appears satisfied and Rob Roy returns to his village to wed his beloved Helen. The wedding celebrations are interrupted by fencibles – the private army of the Duke of Montrose who has been appointed as the King's Secretary of State for Scotland and who lacks Argyll's regard for the highlanders. All clans involved in the rising of 1715 are pardoned except for the McGregors.

Rob Roy is arrested and the Clan McGregor is deprived of the right to use its name. Rob Roy escapes, leaping a waterfall and subsequently leads McGregor opposition to the increasingly repressive regime imposed by Montrose through his agent Killearn. A fort is stormed by the clan and its garrison of English soldiers taken prisoner.

The Duke of Argyll goes to King George to plead the case for leniency for the Clan McGregor, who have been forced into rebellion. At a crucial point Rob Roy appears at the royal court, heralded by a piper. Rob Roy's self-evident qualities quickly convince the king to pardon him and his clan. After an exchange of compliments: "Rob Roy – you are a great rogue"; "and you sire are a great king", the McGregor returns to his people and his wife.

Cast

Production

Disney had enjoyed success with its first live action movie, Treasure Island, shot in England. He followed it up with two more costume adventure tales, The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men and The Sword and the Rose both directed by Ken Annakin and starring Richard Todd. In November 1952 Disney announced Todd would star in a film about Rob Roy.[5] He was considering making a film about King Arthur afterwards.[6] Todd's fee was £15,000.[7]

When the Rank Organisation refused to loan Annakin out to Disney again, Disney chose Harold French who had worked with Annakin on some Somerset Maugham portmanteau films to direct the film which was filmed just as Sword and the Rose was released.[8]

Glynis Johns' casting was announced in March 1953.[9] Rob Roy was shot on location in Scotland.[10] Richard Todd related in his autobiography that the extras were soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had just returned from the Korean War.[11] Todd said as well as providing thrilling battle scenes for the viewers, the soldiers used the opportunity to enthusiastically get back at their non-commissioned officers.[12] Todd also sheepishly admitted that his first scene leading a charge led to an injury when he stepped in a rabbit hole.[12] The soldiers only received their normal pay.[13][14] Filming took place near Aberfoyle.

Reception

In The New York Times, Bosley Crowther described it as "a fine lot of fighting among the hills, shooting of rifles, banging of claymores, skirling of pipes and buzzing of burrs, filmed and recorded in color on the actual Scottish countryside. And while Mr. Todd is not precisely the Rob Roy that history records, he is indeed a satisfactory fabrication until a better Rob Roy comes along."[15]

Disney later admitted that the box office returns of this and The Sword in the Rose were "not up to expectations" in the US but they performed better in other countries.[16] He then pulled back on making costume pictures as a result.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  2. ↑ HOWARD THOMPSON (7 Sep 1952). "NEWS NOTES ON PICTURES AND PEOPLE". New York Times. p. X5.
  3. ↑ "Rob Roy the Highland Rogue (1954)".
  4. ↑ "Rob Roy the Highland Rogue (1954) - Notes - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  5. ↑ "RICHARD TODD WILL STAR IN A NEW DISNEY ADVENTURE FILM". The Argus (33, 141). Melbourne. 21 November 1952. p. 14. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Films". The World's News (2660). New South Wales, Australia. 13 December 1952. p. 29. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Dick Todd's a rich man". The Sun (2620). Sydney. 12 July 1953. p. 53. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue". TVGuide.com.
  9. ↑ "Glynis to play Scottish role". The Mail. 42 (2, 129). Adelaide. 28 March 1953. p. 7 (SUNDAY MAGAZINE). Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ Hopper, Hedda (26 July 1953). "DISNEY—MASTER OF MOVIE MOODS: DISNEY". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. g8.
  11. ↑ "Highlanders fight again in Disney's Rob Roy". The World's News (2707). New South Wales, Australia. 7 November 1953. p. 27. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. 1 2 Todd, Richard. Caught in the Act, Hutchinson, 1986.
  13. ↑ "PEOPLE in the news". The Argus (33, 254). Melbourne. 2 April 1953. p. 7. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "No Extra Pay To Fight Film 'Battles'". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (23, 864). New South Wales, Australia. 2 April 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (February 4, 1954). "ROB ROY' OPENS AT CRITERION; Walt Disney Drama Moves in Angry Pursuits Among the Misty Scottish Hills". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  16. ↑ "Disney Reports Income Gain". Los Angeles Times. 4 June 1954. p. A7.
  17. ↑ Webster, David Kenyon (13 July 1954). "Film Fare: Hollywood Producers Concentrate on Fewer, More Lavish Pictures Theatre Owners Complain". Wall Street Journal. p. 1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.