Man in the Wilderness (1971)

Left for dead after a bear attack, a fur-trapper exacts revenge on his fellow companions who abandoned him in dangerous Indian territory.

Director:

Richard C. Sarafian

Writer:

Jack DeWitt (as Jack De Witt)

Stars:

Richard Harris, John Huston, Henry Wilcoxon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Harris	...	Zachary Bass
John Huston	...	Captain Henry
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Indian Chief
Percy Herbert	...	Fogarty
Dennis Waterman	...	Lowrie
Prunella Ransome	...	Grace
Sheila Raynor	...	Grace's Mother
Norman Rossington	...	Ferris
James Doohan	...	Benoit
Bryan Marshall	...	Potts
Ben Carruthers	...	Longbow
Robert Russell	...	Smith
John Bindon	...	Coulter
Bruce M. Fischer	...	Wiser
Dean Selmier	...	Russell

Storyline

In the early 1800's, a group of fur trappers and Indian traders are returning with their goods to civilisation and are making a desperate attempt to beat the oncoming winter. When guide Zachary Bass is injured in a bear attack, they decide he's a goner and leave him behind to die. When he recovers instead, he swears revenge on them and tracks them and their paranoiac expedition leader down.

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Plot Keywords:

tracks | fur | fur trapper | winter | 1800s | 

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Taglines:

The savagery of nature against the will of one man.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1972 (France)

Also Known As:

Le convoi sauvage

Filming Locations:

Coconino National Forest, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Limbridge,Wilderness Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pat Nye was on the short list for the nurse role, which ultimately ended up going to Judith Furse.

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Goofs

There is a closeup (two, possibly) of the younger of the two men who were left with Zach Bass. They are hiding from the Indians, before Bass is left for dead. He is looking down the barrel of his flintlock musket (or rifle) and there is no flint in the cock, which would make it impossible for the arm to fire.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Zachary Bass: I believe that's my gun. I've got a son out there. I'm going to find him. I'm going home.

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Connections

Referenced in All in the Sex Family (1973)

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Soundtracks

Zach Bass Theme
Composed by Johnny Harris
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

User Reviews

Fascinating outdoors and Richard Harris fighting enemies and wildlife

The movie narrates how Richard Harris is attacked by a bear and is abandoned by his mates who are carrying a boat with furs to civilization . The misfit group is commanded by the paranoid John Huston and they are pursued by Indians . Harris survives and will face down lots of risks , dangers and adventures and he then sets off in pursuit his previous colleagues , trying to execute his revenge .

In the picture there is western action , thrills , tension , spectacular struggles and riveting landscapes . The movie belongs to the Western sub-genre that had been made during the 70s as central theme 'the fight of a man against natural environment' , such as : ¨Jeremiah Johnson (by Sidney Pollack)¨, ¨The man called horse (by Eliott Silverstein and also starred by Richard Harris)¨ and ¨Return of a man called Horse (Irwin Keshner)¨. Harris' character is based on actual mountain man Hugh Glass , one of the two men left behind to await Glass' death was a very young Jim Bridger . The highlights of the movie are the surrealist trip of the ship amongst the snowy land with a mast in cross-shape under an impressive musical background by Johnny Harris and the survival fight , facing off wolves , bear and Indians . Interpretation of actors is top notch , but especially John Huston is frankly well . The supporting cast is formed by important secondaries as the veteran Henry Wilcoxon (The Crusades) , James Dooham (Star Trek) , Percy Herbert (Tobruk) , Dennis Waterman (Sweeney) and Prunella Ramsome (Island of the damned) , among others .

Gerry Fisher cinematography is awesome , like are marvelously reflected on the glimmer and breathtaking scenarios . Wonderful production design by Dennis Clark , being filmed on location in Almeria , Andalucia , Spain , where in the fifties and sixties had been shot a lot of Spaghetti/Paella Western . The picture was well produced by Sandy Howard and compellingly directed by Richard C. Sarafian . The flick will appeal to natural sets enthusiasts and Richard Harris fans . Rating: 6,5 . Good , worthwhile seeing.