Jeremiah Johnson is NOT a great narrative, instead it is a beautiful foray into the mind of the frontier. Rather than simply tell a story about men who live precarious existences on the far-flung frontiers of human habitation, it tries to show us what those men were like. This is not a perfect film, it has flaws... but it is a beautiful film and one that should be seen.
Perhaps Robert Redford was not the perfect choice to play Jeremiah, perhaps his soft good-looks do not complement what we would like to see in this semi-mythic character, perhaps he undermines just a tad of our credibility... but irregardless, he comes to embody Johnson. I find his gradual transformation from inexperienced explorer into savage force of nature to be entirely beleivable, if perhaps a bit strained.
Ultimately, the real problem lies in the film's narrative structure... it tends to meander too much and to never resolve itself in a meaningful manner. The story turns violent, but we don't really get a sense of why this violence is significant, or germaine to the plot. There are too many false endings, and the movie seems to end abruptly and without real closure.
However, even with all of these problems in mind, Jeremiah Johnson is an experience. It may not be a film that you want to rent with a bunch of friends, but rather a film to watch by yourself, when you are in sort of a contemplative mood. This is a film to relax to, to allow to happen rather than to actively engage it. There are a lot of things to think about and to reflect on, and the film is truly beautiful to watch. This may not be a film that you will watch often, but it is a film that you will value having watched.
Perhaps Robert Redford was not the perfect choice to play Jeremiah, perhaps his soft good-looks do not complement what we would like to see in this semi-mythic character, perhaps he undermines just a tad of our credibility... but irregardless, he comes to embody Johnson. I find his gradual transformation from inexperienced explorer into savage force of nature to be entirely beleivable, if perhaps a bit strained.
Ultimately, the real problem lies in the film's narrative structure... it tends to meander too much and to never resolve itself in a meaningful manner. The story turns violent, but we don't really get a sense of why this violence is significant, or germaine to the plot. There are too many false endings, and the movie seems to end abruptly and without real closure.
However, even with all of these problems in mind, Jeremiah Johnson is an experience. It may not be a film that you want to rent with a bunch of friends, but rather a film to watch by yourself, when you are in sort of a contemplative mood. This is a film to relax to, to allow to happen rather than to actively engage it. There are a lot of things to think about and to reflect on, and the film is truly beautiful to watch. This may not be a film that you will watch often, but it is a film that you will value having watched.