"The Revenant" VS "The Man in the Wilderness"

Okay.  I finally saw "The Revenant" which has been nominated for at least 12 Academy Awards.  I liked it.  I probably haven't read everything about this movie, but of the reviews or columns I did read none mentioned that the film is a remake of the 1971 film "The Man in the Wilderness," directed by Richard Zarafian.  I came across it surfing movie channels on broadcast HDTV some months ago, so when "Revenant" came out, I thought it seemed familiar.  "Man" stars the British actor Richard Harris in the Leonardo DiCaprio role, Hugh Glass, but who, in "Man" is called Zachary Bass.   It features flashbacks into Bass's past to show how he came to became a trapper who ends up in the extreme North American wilderness.

Richard Harris as Zachary Bass

It appears that in "Revenant" director Alejandro Iñárritu conflated the role's of Fitzgerald (Hardy) and Captain Henry (John Huston).  The Fitzgerald character does not appear in "Man."  There is a Captain Andrew Henry, however, played by Domnhall Gleeson in "Revenant," who is just that, a captain with an agenda.  In "Man" the late, great John Huston plays Captain Henry.  The major difference between the two films is that of the Hardy and Huston characters.  In "Revenant," Hardy as Fitzgerald is plain down and dirty, and evil.  In "Man," Huston's Captain Henry is larger than life, almost mystical, godlike, yet paranoid and ruthless, as well.

The premise is the same- based on a true story and partly adapted from the book by Michael Punke- fur trappers in the wilderness try to get back to civilization with their haul after being attacked by natives, and before a blizzard hits.  The guide is  viciously mauled by a bear who's protecting her cubs.  Seriously injured, he is left behind with a couple of trackers assigned to give him a Christian burial when he dies.  Believing he won't survive they abandon him to follow the others back home.  Glass (or Bass) slowly recovers despite his wounds and the unforgiving environment (Glass with the help of a native shaman).  The spectacular cinematography was shot by Emmanual Lubeski.

Leonardo DiCaprio is unrecognizable: bearded, with stringy, dank hair, and filthy; he mostly grunts and groans with pain throughout most of the film which is over two hours long. (Richard Harris undergoes the same in "Man").  Glass employs his knowledge of wilderness survival: using the carcass of a dead horse and the skin of the bear who attacked him, and cauterizing a wound in his throat with the fiery end of a branch.   Knowing the territory, he makes it back.  As does Safarian for "Man," Iñárritu splices into his film Glass's backstory of marrying a native with whom had a son, now a teen, who is traveling with him and the trappers.  He meets his end at the hand of Fitzgerald, adding heightened reason for Glass to exact revenge.

John Huston

There is an unforgettable, haunting, mysterious, surreal vibe in "Man," especially when Bass gains on his betrayers.  Huston, a towering figure as Captain Henry, rides atop a lurching juggernaut of a wagon, spouting nonsensical rants.  Wearing a battered white top-hat, he appears to loom high above all as he travels across a vast wasteland of melting ice and marshland, while his men straggle behind.  Way, way in the background we glimpse Bass, trudging along determinedly. Credit Gerry Fisher for his breathtaking cinematography.

Both films end well, the bad guys get their just desserts and the good guys prevail.


The directors of the films cast Canadian and American natives in major roles.  "Revenant" was shot mainly in various Canadian locations as well as in Argentina, Mexico, and Montana.  "Man" was  shot in Arizona, Mexico, and Spain.

You can stream "Man" through Amazon and other means.  "Revenant" is currently playing in a theatre near you!