Jeremiah Johnson (1972) Rated: PG. Runtime: 116 mins. Director: Sydney Pollack Writer: Vardis Fisher (novel Mountain Man); Raymond W. Thorp (story Crow Killer) and Robert Bunker (story Crow Killer) Cast: Robert Redford; Will Geer...complete cast Genre: Western
Tagline: His Mountain. His Peace. His Great Hunts. His Young Bride. With All That, It Should Have Been Different. Memorable quote: "Do you know where I can find beaver, bear, and other critters that are worth cash money when skint?"
Reel rating:
5/5
Frank's Reel commentary:...While Jeremiah Johnson is a simple story about a man's struggle to survive, it is the impression left by such graceful and eloquent filmmaking that makes Jeremiah Johnson an unforgettable film.......full review
1972's Jeremiah Johnson was one of the many films made during the '70s and '80s that combined the talents of director Sydney Pollack with actor Robert Redford. Among such memorable classics as the Electric Horseman, Three Days of the Condor, The Way We Were and Out of Africa, Jeremiah Johnson stands out as the pair's greatest accomplishment. While the film could stand alone on Redford's acting and Pollack's direction, it is the presence of the grandiose environment and breathtaking cinematography that become the true stars of this show. In a move that held true to Redford's love of and care for the environment, he convinced Pollack to film the movie entirely on location in the Rockies of Utah, giving Jeremiah Johnson an unmatched beauty and cinematic appeal.
Loosely Based upon Vardis Fisher's novel Mountain Man, Jeremiah Johnson opens as we join Johnson (Robert Redford), a young, handsome soldier recently discharged from military service in the mid 1800s. Disillusioned by man's expanding westward expansion, he heads to the mountains for a life of trapping, hunting and living off the land. While I think we've all entertained thoughts, even if only briefly, of leaving behind the grinds of society, what drives a man to actually follow through with such a drastic plan? While the story doesn't address the question with any amount of detail, the point quickly loses it significance as the wonderful legend begins to unfold.
Jeremiah's plans of a peaceful coexistence with nature come under constant challenges as he encounters setbacks and hardships that school him in the ways of the wild and ultimately seal his mythical legend in the lore of the Rocky Mountains. He faces a constant barrage of harsh winters, empty traps, hungry grizzlies and hostile natives before finally meeting seasoned trapper Bear Claw Chris Lapp (Will Geer) who teaches him useful hunting and trapping techniques.
Johnson reluctantly forms a small family after he marries Swan (Delle Bolton), the beautiful daughter of a Flathead Indian Chief. In what will become the film's only semblance of a plot, and as non-imposing as it is, the family finds itself on the receiving end of savage attacks from Crow Indian tribes. Ironically, it was the inhumanity of his fellow man that caused Johnson to turn to such a lifestyle, but he finds himself struggling to survive against the flaws and impurities of the untamed wilderness.
Jeremiah Johnson is a sweeping legendary tale about the great American wilderness told in grand cinematic style. Like something right out of a Jack London novel we are immediately engrossed in a tale of man versus nature. Yet we are never force-fed a heavy-handed message about the iniquity of man's westward expansion nor about the savage brutality of nature. While Jeremiah Johnson is a simple story about a man's struggle to survive, it is the impression left by such graceful and eloquent filmmaking that makes Jeremiah Johnson an unforgettable film. Frank Wilkins
Language and Sound: English: Remastered Dolby Digital 5.1; French: Dolby Digital Mono.
Subtitles: English; French, Spanish.
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; trailer. An excellent DVD with a first-rate 16:9 widescreen transfer (and a less effective full-screen transfer on the flip side). Everything has been handled well, from image to sound.
Menu features include production notes with some background information on the locations and the real mountain men of the 1800s.
Warner has also included a theatrical trailer
10 minute production featurette: "The Saga of Jeremiah Johnson".
