MAN IN THE WILDERNESS

Fúria Selvagem – Brazilian title

Manden i vildmarken – Danish title

Mies erämaasta – Finnish title

Un om in salbaticie – French title

Le convoi sauvage – French title

Ein Mann in der Wildnis – German title

Apostoli aftoktonias – Greek title

Uomo bianco và col tuo Dio – Italian title

Villmarkens vold – Norwegian title

Czlowiek w dziczy – Polish title

Um Homem na Solidão – Portuguese title

Un om in salbaticie – Romanian title

Moz v divjini – Slovenian title

El hombre de una tierra salvaje – Spanish title

Mannen i vildmarken – Swedish title

Vahsi adam – Turkish title

Man in the Wilderness – U.K. title

Man in the Wilderness – U.S.A. title

A 1971 British production [Sanford Howard Limbridge (London)]

Producer: Sandy Howards

Director: Richard C. Sarafian

Story: Jack De Witt

Screenplay: Jack De Witt

Cinematography: Gerry Fisher [Technicolor, Panavision]

Music: Johnny Harris

Running time: 104 minutes

Cast:

Zachary ‘Zach’ Bass – Richard Harris

Captain Filmore Henry – John Huston

Chief Red Thorn – Henry Wilcoxon (Harry Wilcoxon)

Fogarty – Percy Herbert

Jamie Lowrie – Dennis Waterman

Grace Bass – Prunella Ransome

Henry Ferris – Norman Rossington

Benoit – James Doohan

Potts – Bryan Marshall

John Longbow – Ben Carruthers (Benito Carruthers)

Jedediah ‘Deacon’ Smith – Robert Russell

John Coulter – John Bindon

Wiser – Bruce M. Fischer

Russell – Dean Selmier

Grizzly Bear – Peggy the Bear

Grace’s mother – Sheila Raynor

Zachary Bass as a child – Manolo Landau

Schoolmaster – William Layton

Nurse – Judith Furse

Pregnant squaw – Ines Acosta

Indians – Raul Castro, Tony Cyrus, Tamara Sie

Ambushed trapper – Joaquin Solis del Cerro

Woman with trapper – Martha Tuck (Marta Tuch)

The fundamental theme of the story is the spiritual redemption of an emotionally damaged man, Zachary ‘Zach’ Bass. By using flashbacks to his childhood, the director provides the viewer the basis for Bass's emotional damage brought about by abandonment by his father and abuse by his schoolmaster.

Zach Bass is travelling with a trapping party in the Northwest Territory of the United States. Winter has come early and the group led by Captain Henry has found themselves frozen in and must pull their boat overland. While out hunting for food Bass is severely mauled by a grizzly bear. Believing he cannot live Henry tells two of his men to stay with Bass and bury him when he dies. The rest of the part leave and after three days the two trappers left behind decide it is too dangerous to remain any longer and abandoned their fellow trapper. Bass does not die but gradually recovers with his motive for survival revealed to be driven by many things, including revenge against Captain Henry, and the desire to see his young son, whom he left to be raised by his mother-in-law after his wife's death in childbirth. As it turns out, one of his comrades left a pocket Bible with Bass. It is this Bible that transforms and redeems Bass so that when he finally confronts his fellow trappers and Captain Henry, it is no longer the same hardened man that they meet. Rather, Bass has become transformed into a rational and forgiving man with no anger left in his heart.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B2VpJj0U2I