River of No Return

River of No Return (1954) is Otto Preminger's gold-rush Western, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe headline a story set in the rough Northwest of the rush days.

Ex-convict Matt Calder collects his six-year-old son from a tent camp and tries to make a quiet go of farming out in the wild. It doesn't last. A raft carries saloon singer Kay and her smooth-talking partner Harry past his cabin — Harry has just won a gold claim at cards and wants to stake it fast. He steals Matt's horse and rifle and leaves Kay behind. From there the farmer, the boy and the singer are forced onto the same raft, riding the rapids through forest and danger downriver.

Preminger shot it in CinemaScope on real Rocky Mountain locations, and the landscape carries as much weight as any character. Monroe performs a handful of numbers along the way, including the title song. It's a sturdy studio Western from Hollywood's golden run, made for anyone who prefers classics shot outdoors over a back-lot set. Stream River of No Return (1954) online on iFILM.