The original title, Emperor of the North Pole , refers to a piece of hobo lore—it’s an ironic title for the "king" of the hobos because an emperor of the North Pole rules over nothing but a frozen, empty wasteland.
The Brutal Majesty of Robert Aldrich’s Emperor of the North (1973) subtitle Emperor of the North 1973
Despite being directed by the man behind The Dirty Dozen and featuring two Oscar-winning powerhouses, the film was a commercial failure upon its 1973 release. Studio executives even shortened the title to Emperor of the North mid-run, fearing audiences thought it was a Christmas movie. The original title, Emperor of the North Pole
Keith Carradine co-stars as Cigaret , a brash, untrustworthy young hobo who tries to leach off A-No. 1’s legend without putting in the work. He serves as a cynical foil to A-No. 1’s seasoned professionalism. Keith Carradine co-stars as Cigaret , a brash,
In the landscape of 1970s "tough-guy" cinema, few films are as rugged or unapologetically visceral as Robert Aldrich’s (originally titled Emperor of the North Pole ). Set in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression, this is not a sweeping historical epic, but a claustrophobic, high-stakes duel between two men who personify the clash between the desperate individual and the unyielding establishment. The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Object