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Writer's pictureStephen Burckhardt

Monday Movie Madness: Jeremiah Johnson



Hello Posse!


There was so much happening for me this weekend. You will not believe what finally happened . . .


Drumroll please . . .


I finally finished my rough edits on Into the West: Most Wanted! I was so excited I could hardly sleep last night!


Right now, the book is in the hands of my beta reader (a.k.a. mom) and my editor, Greg. I am looking at a June release so I can have time to build up a little interest, come up with a fun contest, and maybe design a few tie-in freebies. I don't what all I will come up with, you will just have to keep watching my social media to find out.


In the mean time . . .


Todays movie is considered an American Revisionist western, Jeremiah Johnson. This movie was directed by Sydney Pollack and stars Robert Redford. It was released in 1972 by Warner Bros.


The movie is based in part on the legend of a mountain man, John Jeremiah Johnson, who's exploits were chronicled in books by Vardis Fisher (Mountain Man) and Robert Bunker and Raymond Thorp (Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson). John Milius and Edward Anhalt wrote the script. The movie was shot in numerous locations around Utah and in 1972 it was submitted to the Cannes Film Festival.


This movie stars Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson, Will Geer as Bear Claw Chris Lapp, Stefan Gierasch as Del Gue, Delle Bolton as Swan, Josh Albee as Caleb, Joaquín Martínez as Paints-His-Shirt-Red, Allyn Ann McLerie as the Crazy Woman, Paul Benedict as Reverend Lindquist, Jack Colvin as Lieutenant Mulvey, Matt Clark as Qualen, Richard Angarola as Chief Two-Tongues Lebreaux, Charles Tyner as Robidoux. While you may not recognize many of these names, I guarantee that if you spent any time watching movies or TV shows from the 70s, you will recognize the faces.


The film follows war veteran, Jeremiah Johnson (Redford), who decides to become a mountain man. He moves to the Rocky Mountains to take up the life of a trapper. His first year in the wilderness is not an easy one. He has a run-in with a chief of the Crow tribe, Paints-His-Shirt-Red. Later, he accidentally botches a bear hunt of Chris "Bear Claw" Lapp (Geer), an elderly, eccentric mountain man who later mentors Johnson on how to survive as a mountain man.


Johnson eventually sets off on his own and meets a woman crazed with grief (McLerie) who's family had been attacked by Blackfeet. She forces Johnson to take her son, who he names Caleb (Albee), and they set out together. They meet up with another mountain man, Del Gue (Gierasch) who would end up being a blessing and a curse to Johnson.


Del Gue and Johnson end up killing a band of Blackfeet while attempting to recover Del Gue's stolen property. Del Gue steals the natives' horses and takes scalps. Later, when the pair meet up with a band of Flatheads, Johnson accidentally places their chief in his debt. To save his honor, the chief must now either kill Johnson or give him a gift of more value. The chief decides to give Johnson his daughter, Swan (Bolton), for his wife.


Now, having acquired a wife and son against his will, Johnson decides to take his new family into the wilderness. They build a cabin and set up a home together. Surprisingly, the odd group slowly bond and become a loving family. About this time a troop of U.S. Calvary come through searching for a missing wagon train. The commanding officer, Lt. Mulvey (Colvin), coerces Johnson into helping them track down the lost settlers.


When they come upon a sacred Crow Burial ground, the soldiers ignore Johnson's warnings and force him to lead them through the sacred area instead of going around. When Johnson leaves the soldiers to return home, he goes back the same way. He notices the graves have been decorates with items that belong to his bride, Swan.


Johnson rushes back to his family and what he finds ends up being the beginning of the feud between Johnson and the Blackfeet. It is the continued encounters between him and the native warriors that truly builds the legend of Jeremiah Johnson and must be seen to really understand the unique blend of contempt, hatred, and, oddly enough, mutual respect that builds in this part of the movie. It is an intense western that is defiantly a classic and really should be seen at least once by any western fan . . . at least, in my humble opinion.


Now, it is time to go check out my Facebook page (<--- click here) for this weeks movie snack recipe. For this movie, I have chosen to pair with it with Crazy for Crust's, Peanut Butter Mountain (Man) Bars. For those of you who are like me and are sensitive, or just straight out allergic, to peanut butter, I always substitute almond butter and chopped almonds for the peanuts.


So, grab your snacks and sit back for an emotional, intense ride with Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson!


Enjoy!

Stephen


Quarantine Boredom Buster

DIY Notebooks!


CremedelaCraft.com has a wonderful and easy (click here --->) DIY project to create your own mini notebook from a cereal box. This is a great family project that not only recycles items you probably already have in your house and saves them from adding to the landfills, but it also gives you something useful for your home. Be sure to check out all the other great projects on their website.

 

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