The Revenant
- Thread starter Mott the Hoople
- Start date
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
OK...first you have to explain to me how the dramatization of a actual historical event can be a rip off and if The Revenant is as God awful bad as "Man in the wilderness" was I'll be the first to criticize it. I think I'll do something in the area of common sense first. Maybe I'll just watch the damned thing first! LOL
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
Sorry Tom but I saw that movie years ago. A man named Horse was far, far, far better than this movie and quite historically accurate as well as authentic in how it represented Sioux culture and Richard Harris performance in that movie was Oscar caliber. Man in the wilderness was "meh". If "The Revenant" is of the caliber of "A man called horse" I will be very pleased.I have seen Man in the Wilderness a couple of times and it is a terrific film. It is pretty obvious that you haven't otherwise you wouldn't be such an insufferable dick, well actually you probably would as that's your nature. I mean ffs, what does the box office have to do with anything anyway, there are many fine films that were financial flops, so what?
Both movies were inspired by the real-life story of 19th Century trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass. Pictured: A scene from Harris's movie Man In The Wilderness
In addition if "The Revenant" is a rip off of "Man in the wilderness" than "Man in the wilderness" is a rip off of the "Hugh Glass Meets The Bear"episode of Death Valley Days in 1966.
Like I said Tom, and I forgive you for not being read on American frontier history. I can see where it might not interest you but the Story of Hugh Glass surviving a bear attack is a famous in our frontier history as Daniel Boone's rescuing his daughters from the Shawnee and Simon Kenton's running the gauntlet. It has been told and retold many times.
By the way, if you ever seen "Last of the Mohicans" with Daniel Day Lewis the generals daughters he attempts to rescue was a fictionalized account, written by James Fenimore Cooper, about Daniel Boones attempt to rescue his daughters from the Shawnee. Except the true story of Boones rescue of his daughters ended better for the daughters. Boone succeeded.
cancel2 2022
Canceled
I read the Last of the Mohicans when I was around 10 and I've seen the Daniel Day Lewis film several times. I won't be going out of my way to see the Revenant as I suspect that this Guardian columnist has got it about right! I have also seen the the Man Called Horse films as well, it's pretty hard to forget him being suspended from flesh hooks.
Your opinion of the The Man from the Wilderness is noted but not shared by me, the cinematography is just breathtaking and even if one could wish that it went deeper into the psyche of the main characters, maybe you just can't, maybe things are more simple than our techno-psychological outlook of modern society hides from us. That is what makes it an incredible film, in my humble opinion, it's plain crazy and believable, with both the pinnacle of human spirit and and its utter loathsomeness.
http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...caprio-violent-meaningless-glorification-pain
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Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
Well I'm going to be a little more open minded about it and find out for myself. It will be interesting to see how they present the Arikara.
Yeah. It is.
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
Well I went and saw it last night. Fantastic. Best frontier movie since Jeremiah Johnson. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular not to mention the authenticity on the movie. It amazed me how it held the audience rapt attention throughout the movie.
I did have some criticisms though. The winter back drop made no sense, though it gave the movie a stark beauty it would not have otherwise had, as beaver trappers always headed down river after winter when the beavers molt and thus their pelts were worthless. Same with the central event of the story. The bear attack. A sow bear likely would have still been in her den with her cubs at the season presented in the movie and the ending, which I won't describe, made no sense at all.
On the whole though it blows any recent frontier or western movies made recently out of the water. Far better than Dances with Wolves.
I did have some criticisms though. The winter back drop made no sense, though it gave the movie a stark beauty it would not have otherwise had, as beaver trappers always headed down river after winter when the beavers molt and thus their pelts were worthless. Same with the central event of the story. The bear attack. A sow bear likely would have still been in her den with her cubs at the season presented in the movie and the ending, which I won't describe, made no sense at all.
On the whole though it blows any recent frontier or western movies made recently out of the water. Far better than Dances with Wolves.
If they had used the actual ending would have made even less. Just go with breathtaking visually.
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
I don't think so but can't really discuss that without a spoiler alert.
Thanks, I've been looking for something to read and bored with my usual genre.
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
check out "The Frontiersman" by Eckert. It's the first in the series. It's biographical about the lives of Simon Kenton and Techumseh. The running joke about Kenton is that he actually did what legend says Daniel Boone did.
What's unique about Eckerts book is that it is not typical historical fiction like Michener. He writes about the actual historical events and the people involved using the elements of a novel where he creates the dialogue between characters by referencing original source material that he footnotes and which your constantly flipping to too verify. His intent was to make an attempt at telling history that maintained and enjoyable narrative pace and not being a dry academic paper.
Given the history of Alaska you'll enjoy it. Obviously to those of us from Kentucky and Ohio who are familiar with the geography and the place names of the towns and cities it makes it an even better read.
I will warn you, don't read it if you have a weak stomach.
I don't when I'm reading, or watching a movie. Thanks
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
It would have been scary indeed to have been in the wilderness and be on the bad side of a man like Kenton. He was one bad assed dude. In his prime he was about the size and fitness of an NFL line backer. He was around 6'4" and 250 lbs, which made him a giant by the standards of those days. Some of the things he did beggar the imagination.
One story about him was when Boonesborough was being seiged by the Shawnee led by Blackfish. They were running out of food and Kenton would sneak out at night with the fort surrounded by Shawnee and go hunting. First he would have to evade the Shawnee, find a suitable hunting ground. Shoot and kill a deer, dress the deer, heft the dressed deer over his shoulders and then evade the Shawnee to get back into the fort. There were stories where the Shawnee heard his shots, found him and gave chase and how Kenton would run for miles with the deer over his shoulders and the Shawnee warriors were still unable to run him down.
One story about him was when Boonesborough was being seiged by the Shawnee led by Blackfish. They were running out of food and Kenton would sneak out at night with the fort surrounded by Shawnee and go hunting. First he would have to evade the Shawnee, find a suitable hunting ground. Shoot and kill a deer, dress the deer, heft the dressed deer over his shoulders and then evade the Shawnee to get back into the fort. There were stories where the Shawnee heard his shots, found him and gave chase and how Kenton would run for miles with the deer over his shoulders and the Shawnee warriors were still unable to run him down.
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
So ... fictitious ending with fictitious characters (Glass never had a son or a wife )depicted at the completely impossible time of the year for it to have occured.
But pretty pictures with lots of authentic gore.
Lovely film.
Oscar material fer sure.
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
I think American Frontier history is important to study. Understanding the historical forces, the peoples, their cultures the geography and the events that occurred are particularly pertinent to our recent modern history. Particularly with the recent insurgent wars we have been involved with in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan and what is currently happening in Syria and Iraq.
There are important lessons to be learned on how the early Americans fought a counter insurgency war against native tribal peoples who had a far greater understanding of the land and it's environment and were incredible guerilla warriors. The eastern Indian wars, particularly in the central areas of conflict in the Ohio river valley in Kentucky and Ohio and the earlier conflicts in New York's Hudson and Mohawk river valley's. These Indian wars were of a far different nature than what occurred against the western Indian tribes that most Americans are familiar with.
There are important lessons to be learned on how the early Americans fought a counter insurgency war against native tribal peoples who had a far greater understanding of the land and it's environment and were incredible guerilla warriors. The eastern Indian wars, particularly in the central areas of conflict in the Ohio river valley in Kentucky and Ohio and the earlier conflicts in New York's Hudson and Mohawk river valley's. These Indian wars were of a far different nature than what occurred against the western Indian tribes that most Americans are familiar with.
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
I think so and I also understand that what works for a novel or a story doesn't always work when making a movie so a large amount of poetic license is expected. Still and all, the general theme of the incredible ordeal of this mans survival, which is largely true and the breath taking cinematography, not to mention that DiCaprio and Hardy's acting is brilliant. I felt kinda bad for DiCaprio. He must have went through physical hell filming this. Though nothing compared to what Hugh Glass actually survived.
If you're serious into American history and you did into some of the great American historians who preserved a great reservoir of actual frontier source material with his interviews of the actual people who were involved in these events you just run across so many frontier survival stories like these that are just amazing examples of the human will and determination to survive extreme adversity.
PostmodernProphet
fully immersed in faith..
I do regret one recent trend of video realism.....I don't need to be reminded that the dental hygiene of the era meant teeth that hadn't been brushed since their fourth birthday.....
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
It seemed to me they spent an inordinate amount of time in the water for a winter survival tale. Getting wet in winter in the wilderness would likely have been a death sentence for even a healthy individual. But Dicaprio seemed to jump into icy waters at the drop of a hat even when it could have easily been avoided.
Water always makes a great action sequence though. I guess we need to check our logic and common sense at the ticket window, eh?
Minister of Truth
Practically Perfect
DiCaprio has a long film history of jumping into icy waters. 
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
DiCaprio has a long film history of jumping into icy waters.
In Titanic his fictional character more realistically died of hypothermia.