Jeremiah Johnson. A Film Review When this class initially started and I read the syllabus, I was very excited to be able to write a film review on one of my all-time favorite movies; Jeremiah Johnson. This is a movie I would watch with my father and brother, next to our wood burning stove in rural Southwest Missouri. I am positive we watched this movie so many times on VHS, they had to create DVD’s so we could buy a new copy. The movie, directed by Sydney Pollack, was released in 1972 and starred Robert Redford as the title character, Jeremiah Johnson. Awards for the movie after production and release were sadly few and far between. Regardless the opening lines, which are narrated, give the watcher a sense of what is about to transpire. This
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In a time when Native Americans were being pressured from all regions of the Continent, it seems that Jeremiah Johnson is allowed to live amongst them freely on several occasions. While I am sure many early mountain men had to forge alliances with native tribes just to survive, Jeremiah always seems to just barely escape death. The beginning of the movie depicts his hardships, with snow falling on his fires, problems catching fish, his horse dying and being left with only a mule, and never-ending empty traps. Thankfully Jeremiah runs into “Bear Claw” Chris Lapp who is played by Will Geer. Some training and advice goes a long way as Jeremiah is able to head out on his own again, this time better prepared for what he will encounter thanks to the grizzled old grizzly hunter Lapp. The movie weaves through several different scenes with Jeremiah picking up a young boy he names Caleb from his murdered family, and freeing a fellow trapper from being buried up to his neck, a mister Del Gue, “with an E” of course who is portrayed by Stefan Gierasch. This combination of characters successfully ambush the Indians responsible for Del Gue’s burial up to his neck, and this to me is the first scene of racial prejudice. Throughout the entire movie it seems to me that the Native Americans are portrayed as less than skilled fighters. Granted this was not the time of …show more content…
It is mentioned in the movie that his Crow attackers fear, yet respect Jeremiah, so all the confrontations are solo encounters as is the Crow custom. This is a great theme for the battles, and really interesting part of the movie to follow along with. Jeremiah goes through scene after scene beat up and exhausted, this bringing yet another nod to the ruggedness of the mountain man. Jeremiah’s strength and resolve shows the viewer that the normal man would have already cracked, he would have already left the mountains and went into the city where he could have been safe. Redford’s character sheds this trend, and continues his war of retribution against the Indians responsible for the murders at his cabin. To me this is a great character builder, and shows manliness and toughness, something very lacking by today’s standards. Jeremiah has a brief encounter with Bear Claw Chris Lapp again, and the movie starts to wind
In a time when Native Americans were being pressured from all regions of the Continent, it seems that Jeremiah Johnson is allowed to live amongst them freely on several occasions. While I am sure many early mountain men had to forge alliances with native tribes just to survive, Jeremiah always seems to just barely escape death. The beginning of the movie depicts his hardships, with snow falling on his fires, problems catching fish, his horse dying and being left with only a mule, and never-ending empty traps. Thankfully Jeremiah runs into “Bear Claw” Chris Lapp who is played by Will Geer. Some training and advice goes a long way as Jeremiah is able to head out on his own again, this time better prepared for what he will encounter thanks to the grizzled old grizzly hunter Lapp. The movie weaves through several different scenes with Jeremiah picking up a young boy he names Caleb from his murdered family, and freeing a fellow trapper from being buried up to his neck, a mister Del Gue, “with an E” of course who is portrayed by Stefan Gierasch. This combination of characters successfully ambush the Indians responsible for Del Gue’s burial up to his neck, and this to me is the first scene of racial prejudice. Throughout the entire movie it seems to me that the Native Americans are portrayed as less than skilled fighters. Granted this was not the time of …show more content…
It is mentioned in the movie that his Crow attackers fear, yet respect Jeremiah, so all the confrontations are solo encounters as is the Crow custom. This is a great theme for the battles, and really interesting part of the movie to follow along with. Jeremiah goes through scene after scene beat up and exhausted, this bringing yet another nod to the ruggedness of the mountain man. Jeremiah’s strength and resolve shows the viewer that the normal man would have already cracked, he would have already left the mountains and went into the city where he could have been safe. Redford’s character sheds this trend, and continues his war of retribution against the Indians responsible for the murders at his cabin. To me this is a great character builder, and shows manliness and toughness, something very lacking by today’s standards. Jeremiah has a brief encounter with Bear Claw Chris Lapp again, and the movie starts to wind