Product Description

A PAIR OF GRIZZLED FRONTIERSMEN FIGHT INDIANS, GUZZLE LIQUOR, AND STEAL SQUAWS IN THEIR SEARCH FOR A LEGENDARY VALLEY 'SO FULL OF BEAVER THAT THEY JUMP RIGHT INTO YOUR TRAPS' IN THIS FANCIFUL ADVENTURE.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4826 in DVD
• Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
• Released on: 2002-06-18
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Customer Reviews

"Sit down, flatlander."
Hawken muzzle loaders. Plugs of chewing tobacco the size of your fist. Buffalo robes. Beaver pelts. Jugs of whiskey.

But enough about last night's party.

Director Richard Lang's THE MOUNTAIN MEN is a rough-and-tumble yarn depicting the fur trapping industry's final days in the pristine splendor of the northern Rockies. Even in such a remote region, the demand back East for top hats made of beaver skin resulted in the virtual extinction of the buck-toothed rodents in their mountain habitats; on top of that, silk hats were rapidly becoming the fashion craze, creating even more of a hardship on the gritty mountain men who trapped along countless streams and rivers, searching for what remained of the elusive beaver population.

It was a hard life, predicated on an individual's ability to survive in a harsh environment based on his wits and his bare hands. Interaction with other people was rare--the need to get along with neighboring Indian tribes a must. And infrequently, perhaps once every two or three years, the trappers would unite at a "rendezvous" to trade their pelts for cash and let off a little steam. To say that such a gathering was rowdy and violent is kind of like saying turtles have shells.

Charlton Heston "shines" (a little mountain man lingo, there) as fur trapper Bill Tyler, a quiet man who only wishes to be left alone so he can find that last valley just teeming with beaver. But there's a problem: while fighting off a band of Blackfoot bent on stealing his horses and supplies he attracts the company of a young squaw (Victoria Racimo) who happens to be married to a chief with a very serious attitude (Stephen Macht). Thus Tyler and his new companion are forced to run, and run, and run some more to escape the warrior's wrath.

While Heston is solid in his role, Brian Keith absolutely steals the show as crusty Henry Frapp. Henry, a friend of Tyler's, is a cantankerous, foul-mouthed, fun-loving old coot who vividly breathes life into the mountain man persona. Keith dominates every scene he's in, and he's fun to watch.

Heck, THE MOUNTAIN MEN is fun to watch. The screenplay, incidentally, was written by Heston's son, Fraser, who obviously did his homework concerning this fascinating aspect of the Old West. Grab a plug of tobacco and enjoy.
--D. Mikels

Shining Times
I've always felt that this was an underrated film. In my opinion it ranks as one of the best of the mountain man/Native American genre. It is also as good a film as Charlton Heston was ever a part of.

What's so good about it? Well, first of all it has no glaring historical inaccuracies- those always drive me nuts. The costumes and props are as accurate as I've seen. The scenery is absolutely magnificent and you feel like you are there- it always reminds me of my own times in the Central Rockies. As for the acting, well, you actually start caring about the characters, and thats a pretty good sign of good acting in my book. The dialog is also among the most consistently humorous and clever that I've heard- there's nothing phoney or forced about it. Heston and Keith play off of each other perfectly. Not least of all, the Indian peoples are treated with the dignity and complexity that they deserve- no stereotypes here.

I don't buy every DVD that comes along, but I had to have this one for my personal collection. It just makes me feel good to watch it when the modern world starts to get me down....

Poetry is sometimes truer than history.
This film captures the spirit and much of the feel of the period. I could not disagree more with Maltin's review. Before he criticizes, he should know of what he speaks. If anything, the movie glosses over the enormous physical and mental demends placed on the people who lived like this--and loved it. What the movie lacks in historical accuracy (in terms of what happened, where and when--costuming is excellent) it more than makes up for in capturing the human element.

Indeed, that is the one area where the film suffers. Had it been longer, there would be more time for character develpment. Heston (Bill Tyler) turns in an excellent performance, but he is almost upstaged by Keith (Henry Prapp.) At the moment, the name of the actor who gives a very fine portrayal of Heavy Eagle escapes me. Considering the limited time avaliable to him, his development of the character is remarkable. One of the great things about the film is that even the villain (Heavy Eagle) comes across as very human. He arouses both revulsion and compassion. One understands him, and, by understanding, is compelled to respect.

Another thing I liked was the protrayal of the aboriginal people: there is no "noble savage" or "bloodthirsty redskin" here. These are people, no more and no less, of a different (and to European eyes, alien) culture. They have human frailties, human strengths, and human dignity. (When they lack dignity, anybody would lack dignity.)

Yes, the film is a little raw-boned, but so were the times and the lives of the people in them. This really shines!