Man in the Wilderness/The Deadly Trackers (1973)

He s taking the law and a gun into his own hands. Richard Harris (who played English Bob in Unforgiven and Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films) brings bullet-hard ferocity to these tales of vengeance. He s a pacifist turned manhunter in The Deadly Trackers [Side A], aiming to settle a score with the killers of his wife and son. In Man in the Wilderness [Side B], Harris tackles a signature survivalist role reminiscent of his heroics in A Man Called Horse. He portrays Zachary Bass, given up for dead and fighting man and nature during his 600-mile Northwest Territory trek to avenge himself against the fellow trappers who abandoned him. Beware, two-faced friends. Bass is alive...and closing ground. Product Description

Man in the Wilderness

Man in the Wilderness is a neglected and underrated film, only now released, and little short of a masterpiece. Beautiful cinematography and good direction are at its center. Superb meditative images lead one into the thoughts of a trapper critically wounded by a bear and abandoned by the trapping company he was a part of. Flashbacks acquaint us with the trapper's youth and young manhood, and frame and complement his actions in the story's present. If it has a fault it would be the ending, which seemss a bit too neat, but it must be allowed that it is carefully prepared for, and the direction is otherwise very sure. This ranks with Ridley Scott's "The Duelists" as one of the most beautifully photographed films of its period. I had truly despaired of its ever being released, and to me, this issue is a cause for celebration. August 28, 2008

wish I could get a refund and give this minus-5 stars

I wasted my money on a fictional work that claims to be factual. It opens with grossly incorrect information: "The year is 1820. The Captain Henry Expedition has completed two years of fur trapping in the unexplored Northwest region." (Then it displays that the expedition is heading back east, etc. I need not address that.) "What occurred on this expedition is historically true."

The statements above are preposterous and thus they are not "historically true." Why are they not "historically true"? Since there are so many errors, I'll start and finish at the beginning of the movie.

(1) The expedition that it refers to did not leave from the St. Louis area until 1822-23, yet they are returning from said expedition in 1820 after having trapped for 2 years. Unless they were capable of time-travel, that statement is preposterous. Glass was attacked in 1823 and he is left to die in 1820? Please...

(2) Major Henry, in the movie, tells Bridger and Fitzgerald that if Glass were not dead by the following morning, they were to kill him. In reality, Bridger and Fitzgerald volunteered to stay (for extra money, apparently) and were with Glass for at least 5 days. This is a obvious error to one that has studied that incident and the trappers in general, thus to claim it is "historically true" is to be ignorant of history.

(3) In the movie, they do not kill him because Indians, which they can see, will hear the gunshot. One is to presume that either the Indians could hear it if they killed Glass with a knife or that Bridger and Fitzgerald were too stupid to use a knife. In reality, Henry did not tell anyone to "kill" Glass. Indeed, that command by Henry is so outlandish that is is patently laughable. Basic common sense dictates that had he made that statement he would have lost both the respect and, more importantly, the loyalty of the other trappers. They would not be loyal and trust a leader that might command that they be killed (unless they were insane). It is absurd to claim that is true.

There are so many more errors that it would be foolish to list them, yet the above 3, which are undeniable, are ample to prove the movie is fiction.

Perhaps an accurate movie will be made about the bear attack that Glass suffered at Grand River (in present-day South Dakota) in August of 1823.

Basing a movie on "Hugh Glass" (by Bradley) and "The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man" (by Myers) would be of little help, for in my opinion based upon years of study, both books are built on truth that became fables. I have read both of those fictional accounts and enjoyed them both.

Research the so-called "true" story if you choose to do so. You shall see the glaring errors, as did I. You will see that the movie is not "historically true," as did I.

Refund, please? Calling Amazon? Oh, well...

August 23, 2008

AN ABSOLUTE WESTERN CLASSIC

I recall the first time I ever saw MAN IN THE WILDERNESS. I had stayed up late to watch the weekly feature on the local station's weekly Western. And there it was, MAN IN THE WILDERNESS, a tale about a mountain man who is left for dead after a brutal grizzly mauling and not only lives to carry on but finds his real life in the process.

First, throw away any misconceptions that this is a historical account. Yes, there are fictionalizations of historical characters. Zach Bass, himself, is loosely based on Hugh Glass. But who cares? The drama here, the sweeping panoramas, the gritty cinematography combine to offer a movie experience the likes of which are just not available anymore.

Richard Harris stars as Zach Bass, a stowaway who became a mountain man, thrust into the West during the 1820's. His mentor, Captain Henry, played masterfully by the inimitable John Huston--one of Hollywood's greatest legends--a man demonized by his past on the sea while being locked within mountains and valleys and pursued by Indians. After leaving Bass for dead, his crazed mind adds Bass's specter to his tormenters.

In the end, this one is a classic tale of obsession, of survival, of priorities and of forgiveness, all set in the rugged grandeur of the frontier. An absolute Western classic.

And, as this DVD is a double feature, forget about the flipside of this one and stick with MAN IN THE WILDERNESS.

THE HORSEMAN
July 7, 2008

IS IT BASS? WELL.....IS IT BASS !!??

"MAN IN THE WILDERNESS" has always been a personal favorite of mine since its release back in 1971. Historical inaccuracies aside, this is a story about a man who is left for dead in the northwest territory, but...more than that, it is the story of man lost inside himself. In his fight to survive he learns a little more about the hard cruel world around him and comes to appreciate that he is not the only human being to have suffered. His near death experience becomes (in the end) a sort of rebirth...a renwal of spirit and hope which, until the mauling, was a complete mystery to him. The images and music in this production have always touched and impressed me. It is not typical of the usual formulaic bilge Hollywood cranks out...and for that you will be grateful. This is a motion picture well worth your time and money. The actors do a fine job in all their portrayals and it is fun to see James Doohan, John Huston and Percy Herbert in their supporting rolls. For me this is one of Richard Harris's finest performances...better even than "A MAN CALLED HORSE". Richard Sarafian (the director of credit) had a small part in the Wachowski Brothers "BOUND" (1996) as a mob boss.
As for the DVD quality, it looks fine considering the time the movie was made and the no frills approach to this release. The print is far better than that of the VHS and is finally shown in the proper aspect ratio. The sound is monoural and the dialog a tad shrill in parts, but that is how I remember it...even in the theatrical release, which I went to see many times.
As for "THE DEADLY TRACKERS"...it is generally a waste of time. It is a sloppily made and heavy handed film of vengence that yields little (if any) satisfaction by story's end.
Whatever you pay for this release will be money well spent for "MAN IN THE WILDERNESS" alone. *** ENJOY ***
June 5, 2008

Double feature

DEADLY TRACKERS is a violent tale of revenge as Richard Harris pursues Rod Taylor and his band of killers after a botched bank robbery results in the death of his wife and son. Taylor is fine as a really bad guy and in a small part, B-Movie Legend William Smith as one of his men, "School-Boy" -- a violent semi-retard with one side of his face scarred and a drooping eye who kills a man with a knife to take his bowler. They just don't make appealing characters like anymore! Unfortunately, the Billster is killed early on and the film looses all appeal for me. MAN IN THE WILDERNESS is the better of the two, based on mountain man Hugh Glass, who was attacked by a grizzly and left for dead by his companions. They should have made sure he really was dead! May 30, 2008

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