This is a departure from the traditional Western. It is a 1970's nature film produced by top Hollywood talent. If you put yourself in the right frame of mind while watching, you will find yourself anticipating a Uhl Gibbons commercial. The film is set in the mid-1800s, and Redford is an ex-soldier who turns his back on civilization, heads into the Rockies and sets out to become a Mountain Man. He does, and in the process they become as much a part of him as he of them. This movie is well photographed and very atmospheric and the Rockies themselves are probably the primary character in the film.
This is a journey and coming-of-age film in which we slowly witness one man's transformation. It is a Western in which the Indians -- here Crow and Blackfeet -- significantly outnumber the few whites, and one must become somewhat like them and of them in order to survive. For all the moments of solitude, the movie is well-paced and introduces a variety of interesting characters. With its story line of a character immersed in another culture, Jeremiah Johnson lies somewhere between Little Big Man and Dances with Wolves, and in no way pales in comparison to either one. Without a doubt, this unusual Western is a Good View.
Cast:
- Robert Redford.... Jeremiah Johnson
- Will Geer.... Bear Claw Chris Lapp
- Delle Bolton.... Swan
- Josh Albee.... Caleb
- Joaquín Martínez.... Paints His Shirt Red
- Allyn Ann McLerie....Crazy Woman
- Stefan Gierasch.... Del Gue
- Richard Angarola.... Flathead Chief Two-Tongues Lebeaux
- Paul Benedict....Reverend Lindquist
- Charles Tyner....Robidoux
- Jack Colvin.... Lt. Mulvey Third Cavalry