When asked to name his favourite film of those he's starred in Redford says this one, without hesitation. Quote, 'A great American tale', is his summary in a nut shell. He plays a man disillusioned (& probably shell-shocked) from fighting in a war he does not care about, nor wants to, who embarks on the solitary life of mountain man. A life where every day is not only a battle with Nature to survive but also against hostile Indians. A beautifully made film, it is as much a journey of self discovery as it is about the brave, solitary life of the mountain men themselves. The character's joy in at long last finding company again in the form of an Indian wife & a young white boy traumatised from losing his parents to Indians, was so well done. Then, when he loses them we too can feel the grief, feel the isolation & loneliness creeping back in, such was the intensity of those scenes! The music & cinematography is superb, the scenery lending it's magic to a great film. Redford too became enchanted & built his Sundance home there in Utah. One of the few films I don't mind watching time over time.
Review of Jeremiah Johnson
Jeremiah Johnson
(1972)
One of Redford's best films, not a western, a great American tale.
29 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers