# Man in the Wilderness

Man in the Wilderness is a 1971 American revisionist Western film about a scout for a group of mountain men who are traversing the Northwestern United States during the 1820s. The scout is mauled by a bear and left to die by his companions. He survives and recuperates sufficiently to track his former comrades, forcing a confrontation over his abandonment. The story is loosely based on the life of Hugh Glass. It stars Richard Harris as Zachary Bass and John Huston as Captain Henry.
The expedition in the movie is notable for bringing a large boat with it, borne on wheels.

## Plot

In 1820, an expedition led by Captain Henry has completed two years of fur trapping in the unexplored Northwest territory. They are determined to reach the Missouri River before winter so they can sail south and trade their goods. Lowrie, a young trapper, hunts a deer and Zachary Bass follows after it until he is mauled by a brown bear. Too afraid to intervene, Lowrie sends for Henry and his men, who eventually kill the bear.
Zachary's flesh wounds are examined by the expedition's doctor, Ferris, who believes he will not survive the journey. Henry orders Lowrie and Fogarty, another trapper, to have Zachary buried if he is not dead by morning and have Lowrie delivery a eulogy. Both men remain at Zachary's side as the expedition departs. By the next morning, both men leave Zachary, who is still conscious, for dead as the Arikara natives approach. The natives approach him and leave without incident, as Zachary drifts in and out of consciousness. He first remembers his days as a student, and his then-pregnant wife Grace, who urges him to believe God is in him and all living things.
Within hours, Lowrie and Fogarty return to Henry's expedition and report they had left Zachary for dead. Henry decides not to return back for him, believing Zachary would want the expedition to continue. Meanwhile, Zachary, though injured, scavenges for food by consuming berries and raw bison meat. He builds himself a leg crutch and salvages wire, a knife, and a spear to kindle a fire. He traps a rabbit and uses its fur as an armpit cushion. Within days, Zachary's strength regains, and he traps and skins a cougar for its coat.
As the winter approaches, Zachary hides as a native couple approaches, and watches as the woman gives birth. This rekindles past memories of Grace, who had died in childbirth to an infant son. Fogarty, who is on the night watch, believes he sees Zachary and shoots him, but it turns out he had killed Lowrie. The next morning, the expedition arrive at a frozen river, and are forced to carry the boat for the duration of the expedition.
One morning, the natives head towards Henry's expedition, and a gunfight ensues. Zachary pushes forward to help the expedition until the native chief stops the fighting when he recognizes Zachary. The chief blesses Zachary and returns his spear to him. Zachary returns to the expedition and approaches Henry, who returns his rifle back to him. Henry fears he will be shot, but Zachary decides to return back to his son. He leaves, and the expedition follows after him.

## Cast

* Richard Harris – Zachary Bass
* John Huston – Captain Henry
* Henry Wilcoxon – Indian Chief
* Prunella Ransome – Grace
* Percy Herbert – Fogarty
* Dennis Waterman – Lowrie
* Norman Rossington – Ferris
* James Doohan – Benoit
* Bryan Marshall – Potts
* Ben Carruthers – Longbow
* John Bindon – Coulter
* Robert Russell – Smith
* Sheila Raynor – Grace's Mother
* Judith Furse – Nurse

## Production

Man in the Wilderness is based loosely on the 1818–20 Missouri Expedition and "Capt. Henry" is likely a fictionalized Major Andrew Henry of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. It was based on an original script by Jack De Witt, and bought by producer Sandy Howard. In December 1970 Howard announced that the film would star Richard Harris, who had made A Man Called Horse for Howard. Elliot Silverstein directed Horse but clashed with Harris so Richard Sarafian was brought in to direct this film. Howard said he was "convinced" that Sarafian "is going to be one of the most important directors in America very soon."
Filming took three months from April to June 1971. The film was shot near Covaleda, Province of Soria, Spain, with the terrain looking more like the Adirondack wilderness and less like the Absaroka Range country of the Yellowstone River. Not technically a "Spaghetti Western", Man was filmed in the rugged highlands where David Lean had shot some of the scenes for Doctor Zhivago in 1964.
John Huston joined the production a few days after quitting as director of the film The Last Run due to on-set fights with George C. Scott.
The bear who attacks Harris' character was called Peg. The attack sequence was filmed using a dummy.
"This movie is Genesis to me," said Harris. "It's my apocalypse. It's a very special and very personal statement about a man struggling for personal identity, looking for God and discovering Him in the wilderness, in leaves and trees. It's all the things that the young people, and we, are missing today."
Harris only had nine lines of dialogue.

## Themes

Though survival and revenge are the main themes, Christianity and religion play a significant role in the evolution of the main character, who is shown through flashbacks to be at odds with religion and God in general due to his lonely and abusive childhood involving indoctrination into Christianity.

## Release

The film was theatrically released in the United States on November 24, 1971, including New York City, New York, and Los Angeles, California.
The film was the first feature to be shown in years at the newly refurbished Princess Theatre (renamed the Klondike Theatre, at the time) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on December 25, 1971.