The Hudsons Bay Company, an English corporation, is tightening its monopoly on the lucrative fur-trading business in western Canada in the late 1800s by driving independent French-Canadian trappers out of business. The French-Canadians counter with an uprising led by Leo Limoux, played by Franco Fantasia. Trapper Victor DeFrois (George Martin) resists joining the rebels until his brother is executed for robbery and murder on charges fabricated by the ruthless Hudson's Bay trading-post manager, Sullivan. When that happens, Victor throws in with the resistance. At Limoux's direction, the young trapper kidnaps Sullivan's daughter Anne and holds her at a remote cabin for ransom. Predictably they fall for each other ...
Hudson River Massacre is another spaghetti western featuring Canadian Mounties ( the other being Kitosch, the Man Who Came from the North) and it is more of an adventure/swashbuckler than a western - there's some energetic fistfights (there's an exciting one in the rapids), gun battles, great forest scenery and a top drawer villain. The narrative is strong, gliding forward like knife through butter- 80 minutes running time is utilised efficiently with enough action, drama and romance to keep you glued to the screen. The scene where outnumbered rebels clash with a troop of Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the shadow of snow-capped Spanish peaks standing in for the Canadian Rockies is quite large scale, well-staged and fairly gritty with knife piercing the throat, sabres slicing across faces, etc. Surprisingly, the Mounties are Sullivan's malleable dupes instead of the brave, do-gooders as usually portrayed (definitely miles away from Sergeant Preston of the Yukon!) George Martin makes a good hero, is quite athletic, Giulia Rubini as his captive is beautiful and suitably snooty before her heart thaws but it's the alluring Pamela Tudor as Rebel leader's girlfriend who steals the scene. She's a feisty action heroine who hardly flutters her cute little eyelids. She has a tussle with Diana Lorys, who plays a a French-Canadian saloon girl whose unrequited devotion to Victor causes her to turn turncoat, and pays for her treachery.
