Man in the Wilderness

"He was left for dead. He would not forget."

1971 1h 44m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 104

WesternAdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the early 1800s, a group of fur trappers and Indian traders are returning with their goods to civilization 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.

“He was left for dead. He would not forget.”

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Cast

Richard Harris
Zachary Bass
John Huston
Captain Filmore Henry
Henry Wilcoxon
Indian Chief
Percy Herbert
Fogarty
Prunella Ransome
Grace
Dennis Waterman
Lowrie
Sheila Raynor
Grace's Mother
Norman Rossington
Ferris

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Writers: Jack DeWitt
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard C. Sarafian, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johnny Harris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Geoffrey Foot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Richard Harris and John Huston and Henry Wilcoxon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He was left for dead. He would not forget.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0067388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard C. Sarafian directs. Gerry Fisher behind the camera. Johnny Harris scores. Geoffrey Foot cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Richard C. Sarafian, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Johnny Harris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Geoffrey Foot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Richard Harris and John Huston and Henry Wilcoxon carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "He was left for dead. He would not forget.".
7IMDB entry: tt0067388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "expedition", "wilderness", "native american", "based on true story".
9Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerry Fisher
Original score: Johnny Harris
Editing: Geoffrey Foot
Production design: Dennis Lynton Clark
Costume design: Dennis Lynton Clark
Makeup / hair: Lisa Shields
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Man in the Wilderness (1971)

Also by

Richard C. Sarafian

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Community reviews

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John Chard2014-09-25
★ 7/10
God Made The World! Man in the Wilderness is directed by Richard C. Sarafian and written by Jack DeWitt. It stars Richard Harris, John Huston, Prunella Ransome, Percy Herbert, Henry Wilcoxon, Norman Rossington and Dennis Waterman. Music is by Johnny Harris and cinematography by Gerry Fisher. "1820. The Captain Henry Expedition has completed two years of fur trapping in the unexplored Northwest territory. Determined to reach the Missouri River before the winter snows, the trappers and their boat, towed by 22 mules, struggled through the wilderness. Once on the Missouri they could sail south to the trading posts and sell their precious cargo. What occurred on this expedition is historically true." He was left for dead. He would not forget. Essentially, Man in the Wilderness is the redemptive tale of Zachary Bass (Harris). Left for dead by his unfeeling Captain (Huston) after being savaged by a grizzly bear, Bass survives the wilds of nature and the threat of man with revenge firmly on his mind. But as he recuperates and adjusts to the spiritualisation that the surrounds brings him, he looks back at his life and beliefs. It is undeniably a very slow picture, with dialogue appropriately in short supply, but the atmosphere created is perfect for the unfolding events. Strikingly the film also has a surreal quality that really cloaks the story with considerable impact, where deft touches of imagery land firmly in the conscious. The makers slot in some "bloody" moments, backed with tension, such as the well constructed sequences involving the bear attack and a time when Bass has to scare away two snarling wolves so he "also" can feast off of a stricken Bison. The presence of Indian attacks is handled with care by the director, and in fact helps the finale get away with the expected outcome. While strong moments such as two separate incidents involving rabbits really show the makers to have the best of intentions to tell a valid and interesting story. Especially when it's scenes of just Bass and nature at war. Narratively, however, it is a bit hit and miss. The pertinent question of faith and the use of flashbacks are an uneasy alliance, mostly because the former drapes the film in predictability, and the latter takes you out of the whole "man in the wilderness" struggle that Bass is luring us into. It renders the film far from flawless which is a shame because it has much to recommend a viewing. The Almería, Andalucía location is used to good effect to pass as the Northwest of America, where quite often Gerry Fisher's photography neatly shifts between beauty and the harshness of mother nature. Harris could do this type of role in his sleep, he isn't asked to stretch himself but still leaves a very favourable impression. Huston is up to scratch, but again he doesn't have to do much, while everybody else are giving performances that any other working actor of the time could have given. A movie of rewards and frustrations for sure, and it's no Jeremiah Johnson, but this is definitely worth a spin for anyone interested in the "Man Vs Nature" sub-genre of period films. 7/10

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