Jeremiah Johnson

Remembering Robert Redford

Robert Redford frequently mentioned this film as a favorite of his, and it’s not hard to see why. Shot entirely on location in his adopted home state of Utah, the film is a valentine to the rugged landscape and the people who try to live in concert with it.

Starring Redford as the title character (but you knew that), the film follows him as he attempts to become a mountain man, from neophyte to legend. Along the way he meets an eccentric trapper, takes a wife and child, deals with the U.S. Cavalry (boo), has encounters both good and bad with Crow and Blackfeet warriors, and learns to live as part of the land.

Originally intended as a Clint Eastwood movie directed by Sam Peckinpah (they did not get along, which is not hard to imagine), Redford talked his frequent partner Sydney Pollack into directing, and the movie was a surprise hit, earning great reviews and solid box office.

Editing took nearly eight months. Pollack explained in an interview: “It was a film where you’d watch the dailies and everybody would fall asleep, because all you had were these big shots of a guy walking his horse through the snow… It’s a picture made out of rhythms and moods and wonderful performances.”

We agree with Sydney.

You may also like the following events from Vermont International Film Festival:

• This Friday, 3rd October, 07:00 pm, Between the Lines in Burlington
• Next Friday, 10th October, 07:00 pm, Black Box Diaries in Burlington
• This month, 22nd October, 07:00 pm, “Female Trouble” with Director John Waters In Person with a Live Commentary in Burlington

Also check out other Entertainment events in Burlington, Concerts in Burlington, Music events in Burlington.