The Last Rifleman now streaming via Sky Cinema and NOW
The new Pierce Brosnan film The Last Rifleman premiered on Sky Cinema and NOW in the UK and parts of Europe yesterday.
The film is based on the true story of Bernard Jordan, an 89-year-old British retiree who left his care home one day in 2014, hopped on various modes of transportation, including a ferry across the English Channel, to get to France.
Once there, Jordan headed to Normandy to join the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
In The Last Rifleman, it is 93-year-old Artie Crawford who escapes his care home and heads to France to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, but the results are very much the same.
The film is nicely written and filmed, Brosnan’s performance is touching and lovely, and the sentimental movie even comes with a few quirky pieces of music on its soundtrack — including Gene Autry’s ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘.
That song was played on The Last Rifleman as Artie has escaped the care home by hiding in a laundry van, and is being driven into town.
Gene Autry’s ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘ is not a British standard
Not a British standard, ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘ is one of American singer Gene Autry’s most famous songs, as well as somewhat of an American anthem.
It was written by Cole Porter, along with help from Robert Fletcher with the lyrics, and is still thought of today as a song that perfectly expresses the American spirit.
The idea of not wanting to be tied down, not wanting to be told what to do or how to behave by anyone, including our own government.
Autry was not the first person to record and release the song, however, as that honor went to Roy Rogers who was the first one to sing the song in 1944 in the film Hollywood Canteen.
Since then, ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘ has been recorded by the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Labrinth, James Brown, Clint Eastwood, Harry Connick Jr., the American rock band The Killers and Willie Nelson.
Gene Autry’s cover version of ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘ came out in December, 1944, soon after the Roy Rogers’ version, with the song ‘Gonna Build A Big Fence Around Texas’ on its B-side.
The laid-back western-style track went on to rank at #4 on the American singles chart.
Listen to Gene Autry’s ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘ as heard on The Last Rifleman in the video, and via Spotify.