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Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
7/17
7/17:
Here's a forgotten film by Robert Redford: Jeremiah Johnson.
It was a surprise box-office hit in 1972, placing in the top ten. I think I can see why. It's either the concept
of survivalism, building a commune, or going back to the basics that piqued the viewers' interest.
Hey, you know...I'm perfectly satisfied with shopping for groceries a few miles away and having tons of time doing
things for fun during the rest of the day. It sure beats spending all day hunting and skinning animals, foraging for
berries and nuts, washing clothes, fixing stuff, etc., every single day. And it's damn nice to have a refrigerator, a
real house, a washing machine and a dryer, and a car, among other things.
Jeremiah Johnson says he wants to escape civilization by becoming a mountain man. Um, why? In the process, he turns into
a great Indian killer for over twenty years. Now, this is somebody who's not worth celebrating. There are many myths
espoused by the film of what it's like to be a mountain man.
One, they didn't grow long beards. The reason why is lice. The other is it wasn't in fashion...at least not yet. Although
mountain men rarely took baths, they shaved their faces regularly to keep lice away, especially during mealtimes.
Two, Robert Redford can't possibly look so beautiful and handsome all the time. No mountain men did; they
stank and rarely brushed their teeth.
Three, mountain men didn't carry Hawken rifles. In fact, it was hardly known during the 1830's. They usually
carried Lancaster or English rifles. Northwest trade guns were used as well.
Four, mountain men rarely traveled alone. They always went in groups of 50's or 100's which were called brigades.
Five, grizzly bears don't appear in the winter. They hibernate for five to seven months. Amazingly enough,
grizzly bears never eat, drink, defecate, or urinate during hibernation.
Six, Thoreau never sucked "out all the marrow of life." Hardly isolated from civilization, he
was only less than a mile away from his mother's house and had his laundry sent there regularly. Moreover, Thoreau
was in and out of town all the time and received visits from friends.
Seven, mountain men didn't do this for fun. They hunted and trapped to make a living.
Eight, being a trapper wasn't without prohibitive costs. Many became company men, working off their debt to pay for the
equipment.
Nine, Jeremiah Johnson is never seen visiting towns to resupply his needs.
Ten, his name wasn't Jeremiah Johnson but John "Liver-Eating" Johnson. How his sobriquet came to be is he
often ate livers of his Indian victims. So, why is this left out in the film? Political correctness, hm?
Eleven, there's no such thing as a Canada flag in the 1830's. The dominion was still under the control of Great Britain;
hence, the correct flag should've been the Union Jack. Canada wasn't officially formed as the country it is today.
Twelve, mountain men usually lasted a couple of years because starvation was a frequent problem. How can anyone eat
animal parts all the time? Also, there's the need for a balanced diet.
Thirteen, as the movie takes place during the 1830's, the Mexican-American War didn't occur until 1846.
All in all, although it's interesting at times, Jeremiah Johnson is a boring movie to sit through.