Actors: Richard Harris, John Huston, James Doohan, Prunella Ransome
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Man in the Wilderness
A rugged expedition of hunters and trappers traveling across the American northwest early in the 1800's is using a boat on wheels pulled by horses as they collect pelts and skins from the game they kill. Leading the group is hardened, relentless, and unstable Captain Filmore Henry (Huston). When a guide for the hunting party named Zachary Bass (Harris) is savagely mauled by a bear he is left for dead. Actually he is clinging to life by a thread. Bass is able to crawl to water and then stave off a pair of wolves for the right to eat a fistful of raw buffalo meat. Stitching up his gaping wounds, he is able to fashion adequate clothing from animals he encounters and fashion a crutch to lean on.
Slowly Bass gains more strength and begins the long walk to confront the men who abandoned him. Driven in his quest for revenge Bass endures encounters with Indians, wild animals, the harsh winter weather, and a scarcity of food but relentlessly he forges on. While alone at rest his mind takes him back to the events of his prior life as a husband to Grace (Ransome) and as a father. As Bass gets close to the expedition Henry can sense that he is tracking them. When the ship on wheels is mired in the mud of a river wash, Bass approaches the crew of disbelieving men as Henry is screaming for them to shoot. The ending shows the strength of character that Bass has gained as a result of his grueling ordeal.
--David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!
Analysis of Man in the Wilderness
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie Actual chase scenes or violence - 30% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 19th century
Wilderness adventure
Yes
Plotlets:
- surviving natural elements
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- explorer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- longhair/girliemon (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- missing body parts/abilities
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- explorer
Eccentric:
Yes
- emotionally unstable
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 90%-100%
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- average (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Forest?
Yes
Prairie?
Yes
Style
Movie makes you feel...
- in awe
How many deaths in film?
- 3-4
Kind of violence:
- guns
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
Is this movie based on a
- book
