Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Movies like 1972’s Jeremiah Johnson is why I love 70’s cinema….and cinema in general. The movie is a contemplative, visceral work of art. I noticed many films from the 70’s experimented with different ways of storytelling. Some movies, such as this particular film, does not focus too much on a strong narrative. This western relies upon imagery, music, and legendary mythos that defines the “Mountain Man” era. The movie requires patience because the story is told at a slow pace on purpose. I promise that you will be rewarded for your patience!

The movie reunites director Sydney Pollack and star Robert Redford. In the span of their respective careers, they worked together nine times! This was their second feature after 1966’s This Property Is Condemned. This movie originally paired Clint Eastwood and Sam Peckinpah, but the duo did not get along so they pursued other projects. Warner Brothers casted Redford in the lead role without anyone in the director’s chair. Eager to work with Pollack again, Redford convinced him to sign on to the picture. The film is beautifully shot on location in the Utah mountains near Zion National Park and near Redford’s home in Sundance (home to the famous film festival). After bad weather threatening to ruin production, Warner Brothers wanted to shoot the film in the studio’s backlot. Pollack refused and dished out his own money in order to film the movie on location. The gorgeous scenery is part of why the film worked so well.

The film was written by John Milius and adapted off two books, Crow Killer and Mountain Man: A Novel of Man and Female. The mythology of the “mountain man” always fascinated me and this movie tackles that mythology very well and might be the best one to do so, actually. In reality, Jeremiah Johnson was known as “liver-eating Johnson” due to his cannibalistic tendencies. However, Pollock scrapped that part out of the story and mainly focused on a story about a man’s survival in the unforgiving wilderness.

After serving the United States military in the Mexican War, Jeremiah Johnson (Robert Redford) decides to retreat from society into the Rocky Mountains wilderness. His idea was to live with nature in a world of peace and solitude, but it does not turn out entirely that way. He is taught survival methods under the guidance of bear trapper, Bear Claw (Will Geer). He encounters a community destroyed by an Indian raiding party and he adopts the only survivor’s son Caleb (Josh Albee) and he is given a wife from the friendly Flathead Indians because he gave them the scalps of their enemies. Together, Jeremiah, Caleb, and Swan (Delle Bolton) live together in peace until the arrival of the United States Cavalry destroys the peace.

One of things I like about 70’s cinema is that movie stars are not necessarily important to make a high impactful movie. This movie has one star in Robert Redford and that was mostly it. Another reason why the film worked was because of Redford’s amazing acting. He had the entire film on his back and not once did he let go. Any lesser actor would have affected the film’s quality. Redford doesn’t have much dialogue, but he really doesn’t need to. It is his looks, his actions that do most of the speaking.

Honestly, this film affected me in many ways. As a nature-loving person and as someone who explores the mythology of the mountain man, I wanted to become one for a split second. Living in the wild with the beauty of nature and away from society would be cleansing for the soul. Anyhow, Jeremiah Johnson is a wonder to behold. From the adventurous John Milius script, to the sure-handed direction of Sydney Pollack, the intense acting of Robert Redford, the picturesque cinematography from Duke Callaghan, the folksy music from Tim McIntire and John Rubenstein, this is an amazing film to say the least. It is a story told through imagery and it needs your patience! I will end the review on one more fun fact. This is the first Western to ever be in competition at Cannes Festival!

My Grade: A