Man in the Wilderness

Man in the Wilderness
File:Man in the wilderness.jpg Promotional poster for the film
Directed by	Richard C. Sarafian
Produced by	Sandy Howard
Written by	Jack DeWitt
Starring	Richard Harris John Huston Prunella Ransome Percy Herbert Henry Wilcoxon Norman Rossington Dennis Waterman
Music by	Johnny Harris
Cinematography	Gerry Fisher
Edited by	Geoffrey Foot
Release dates	1971 (1971)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Man in the Wilderness is a 1971 American film about a scout for a group of mountain men who are traversing the Northwestern United States during the 1820s. The scout is mauled by a bear and left to die by his companions. He survives and recuperates sufficiently to track his former comrades, forcing a confrontation over his abandonment. The story is loosely based on the life of Hugh Glass. It stars Richard Harris as Zachary Bass and John Huston as Captain Henry.

The expedition in the movie is notable for bringing a large boat with them, borne on wheels. Captain Henry's aim of using the boat to traverse the rivers (possibly the Missouri or the Platte) comes to naught in the final scene when the expedition finds the river has been drained.

Plot

A classic survival story, told partly through flashbacks to Zachary Bass's past. After being left for dead by his fellow trappers, he undergoes a series of trials and adventures as he slowly heals and equips himself while he tracks the expedition, apparently intent on retribution for his abandonment, while earning the respect of the Indians he encounters. However, when he finally confronts his fellow trappers and Captain Henry, he chooses not to seek revenge, but instead to focus on returning to his infant son.

Cast

• Richard Harris - Zachary Bass
• John Huston - Captain Henry
• Henry Wilcoxon - Indian Chief
• Prunella Ransome - Grace
• Percy Herbert - Fogarty
• Dennis Waterman - Lowrie
• Norman Rossington - Ferris
• James Doohan - Benoit
• Bryan Marshall - Potts
• Ben Carruthers - Longbow
• John Bindon - Coulter
• Robert Russell - Smith
• Sheila Raynor - Grace's Mother
• Judith Furse - Nurse

Production background

Man in the Wilderness is based loosely on the 1818-20 Missouri Expedition and "Capt. Henry" is likely a fictionalized Major Andrew Henry of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The film was shot near Covaleda, Province of Soria, Spain, with the terrain looking more like the Adirondack wilderness and less like the Absaroka country of the Yellowstone River. Not technically a "Spaghetti Western", Man was filmed in the rugged highlands near the desert-like Spanish terrain seen in many of Sergio Leone's Italo westerns.

See also

• List of American films of 1971
• Survival film, about the film genre, with a list of related films
• The Revenant (2015), remake

External links

• Man in the Wilderness at IMDb