Man in the Wilderness (1971)

Absolutely brilliant

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Man in the Wilderness is directed by Richard C. Sarafian and written by Jack DeWitt. It stars Richard Harris, John Huston, Prunella Ransome, Percy Herbert, Henry Wilcoxon, Norman Rossington and Dennis Waterman. Music is by Johnny Harris and cinematography by Gerry Fisher."1820. The Captain Henry Expedition has completed two years of fur trapping in the unexplored Northwest territory. Determined to reach the Missouri River before the winter snows, the trappers and their boat, towed by 22 mules, struggled through the wilderness. Once on the Missouri they could sail south to the trading posts and sell their precious cargo. What occurred on this expedition is historically true."He was left for dead. He would not forget. Essentially, Man in the Wilderness is the redemptive tale of Zachary Bass (Harris). Left for dead by his unfeeling Captain (Huston) after being savaged by a grizzly bear, Bass survives the wilds of nature and the threat of man with revenge firmly on his mind. But as he recuperates and adjusts to the spiritualisation that the surrounds brings him, he looks back at his life and beliefs.It is undeniably a very slow picture, with dialogue appropriately in short supply, but the atmosphere created is perfect for the unfolding events. Strikingly the film also has a surreal quality that really cloaks the story with considerable impact, where deft touches of imagery land firmly in the conscious. The makers slot in some "bloody" moments, backed with tension, such as the well constructed sequences involving the bear attack and a time when Bass has to scare away two snarling wolves so he "also" can feast off of a stricken Bison. The presence of Indian attacks is handled with care by the director, and in fact helps the finale get away with the expected outcome. While strong moments such as two separate incidents involving rabbits really show the makers to have the best of intentions to tell a valid and interesting story. Especially when it's scenes of just Bass and nature at war.Narratively, however, it is a bit hit and miss. The pertinent question of faith and the use of flashbacks are an uneasy alliance, mostly because the former drapes the film in predictability, and the latter takes you out of the whole "man in the wilderness" struggle that Bass is luring us into. It renders the film far from flawless which is a shame because it has much to recommend a viewing. The Almería, Andalucía location is used to good effect to pass as the Northwest of America, where quite often Gerry Fisher's photography neatly shifts between beauty and the harshness of mother nature. Harris could do this type of role in his sleep, he isn't asked to stretch himself but still leaves a very favourable impression. Huston is up to scratch, but again he doesn't have to do much, while everybody else are giving performances that any other working actor of the time could have given.A movie of rewards and frustrations for sure, and it's no Jeremiah Johnson, but this is definitely worth a spin for anyone interested in the "Man Vs Nature" sub-genre of period films. 7/10

If you liked Jeremiah Johnson, you'll like this. Classic story of the fur trappers. Good period Garb, great acting by Harris and Huston. Moving plot. One of my all time favorite "Western America" movies. Harris, (Zach Bass) starts out as a veteran Scout for a Fur trading company heading West. Bass is attacked by a Grizzly Bear while hunting for meat for the Fur trading company. He is mauled and seems fatally wounded. Huston(Capt Henry) decides to leave him behind , with two guards, until he dies. Then the Indians get involved, the guards flee in fear of being killed, and Bass is left to fend for himself. The rest , I cannot tell. It is an inspiring movie, with Bass going back to childhood and his young adult years in dreams. Old Americana it is. and a great period movie. SEE IT!

While I did enjoy seeing Richard Harris and John Houston, there really isn't much more to like about this movie.To its credit, I must say that it does a fine job illustrating the brutal relationship between man and nature that still exists today, though most are blissfully unaware.To its detriment, pretty much everything else about it. The story plods along at a naggingly slow pace, in which a string of unbelievable incidents play out before the mostly crippled protagonist. There are a few scenes in which live animals appear to have been mutilated for your viewing pleasure. The one with the buffalo being the most obvious, and in my opinion unforgivable.The movie is described as the protagonists journey towards revenge, and most of the reviews you will read here repeat that, but I don't feel that the movie itself really bothers to illustrate that he had revenge on his mind much at all.This movie could be of educational value to a generation that has no idea what life was like before now. But for everyone else, I feel it's a bit of a disappointment, considering it has earned such high ratings in the reviews.

This movie depicts a true-life adventure and recounts the incredible, nay, fantastic story of famed mountain man Huge Glass, who in 1822 became part of a hundred man expedition originally led by general William Ashley to 'assend the great Missouri'. In the film " Man in The Wilderness " Richard Harris plays Zachary Bass, who is part of a scouting/hunting party for the over all expedition. Accompanying Bass are a young Jim Bridger and experienced hunter John Fitzgerald. Trailing an elk, Bass unfortunately surprises a mother Grizzly, who fearing for her cubs, attacks Bass who instinctual fires two shots at her. It then escalated into hand to hand combat with Bass stabbing her with several deep knife wounds before the bear succumbs and dies, but not before leaving Bass nearly dead and torn asunder in a bloody mess. Consequencly, the men who accompany Bass decide due to the sever loss of blood, gashes and deep wounds, is not expected to live and bury him in a shallow grave. John Huston is the expedition's Captain Filmore Henry, who makes the decision to leave Bass behind. Henry Wilcoxon is impressive as the Indian Chief and James Doohan (of star trek fame) plays Benoit. The harrowing challenge for Bass is remarkable as he struggles to get help from a frontier post in the dead of winter, nearly two hundred miles away. The movie is to say the least incredible, but being it's Richard Harris, we conclude his acting efforts have created a Classic. Well done! ****