MOUNTING PROBLEMS

The latest episode of our ruthless scrutiny of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the movies (remember our item on their reaction to “The Untouchables”?): Touchstone’s “The Mountain King,” which just finished shooting in British Columbia, failed to win the Mounties’ cooperation.

Spokesmountie Cpl. Pierre Belanger called to tell us that producers Daniel Petrie Jr. and Ron Silverman contacted him about cooperation on the film, which has FBI agent Sidney Poitier tracking down a wanted criminal who’s fled into the Canadian Rockies.

“We’re always glad to help,” said Belanger. “However, the script portrayed the RCMP as bungling idiots. We might have been able to live with that with some minor changes, but the fact that Poitier’s character commits a variety of illegal activities in the pursuit of the criminal was impossible for us.”

Among the acts, according to Belanger: breaking and entering, illegal search and acts of violence to extort a confession--all while in Canada with no legal jurisdiction.

Rather than offend the force, the producer’s altered the script to create the fictitious British Columbia Provincial Police.