The Emperor of the North
1973's THE EMPEROR OF THE NORTH could easily be taken as a straight action film - in Depression era Oregon, a sadistic railway conductor, infamous for killing any hobo who dares cop a ride on his train, battles a quietly confident drifter who is certain he'll be the first to succeed. The film was directed by Robert Aldrich, known for muscular entertainments like THE DIRTY DOZEN and THE LONGEST YARD, and who oversees some vivid fight sequences, as well as a harrowing near collision between two locomotives. The film lives and breathes the dirty existence of tramps who sleep huddled in camps, making a few pennies at some back breaking job. The humor is of the rough house variety and sometimes just plain corny.
But Christopher Knopf's screenplay (based on a Jack London short story) is undoubtedly rife with allusion and metaphor. The dreaded character of Shack (Ernest Borgnine) resembles the cold, sturdy machinery he guides down the tracks. "A No. 1" (Lee Marvin) could be viewed as the very embodiment of American can-do, the human spirit. The man fighting The Man. Maybe the beaten down soul who seeks freedom against a fascistic despot who rules with an iron fist (and a hammer which lands on unfortunates' heads when they make the fatal mistake of boarding Train 19).
THE EMPEROR OF THE NORTH is a good, not great motion picture. The premise is fascinating, the location photography by Joseph F. Biroc is gorgeous (aside from a lengthy fog sequence), and the actors are perfectly cast. I mean, Borgnine going head to head with Marvin? Who could resist? Keith Carradine is also fine as Cigaret, a wet behind the ears, obnoxious youth who seeks to become "emperor of the North Pole" (the film's original title) himself, tagging along with A No. 1 in an attempt to emulate the wizened old S.O.B.'s methodology.
If you want to take the political interpretation to perhaps an absurd extreme - consider the finale, the final fight between Shack and A. No. 1, as Cigaret stands by, not intervening. Is he representative of an American who doesn't fight for his freedom? A country that piggybacks as the U.S.A. protects them?
As with some of Aldrich's other '70s movies, the tone is confused. This should entirely be a lean and mean, down and dirty expedition and while it does play that way at times, too much silliness pervades. Like the baptism scene, or the scene with the cop as he is forced to down hard liquor. Additionally, EMPEROR OF THE NORTH features another bizarre Frank De Vol score, one that is all peppy and saccharine, feeling like it belongs on an episode of Little House on the Prairie. It skips along even during grim moments, which makes no sense (or is some misguided attempt at black humor). Every other element of the picture is just right (save Carradine's hair, which is too styled, appearing as if he just walked out of a Supercuts), and Aldrich again mounts an exciting, thought provoking adventure.
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