Jeremiah Johnson an eye-opener. There are moments of genuine emotional majesty in Jeremiah Johnson, a relatively little-known 1972 American western directed by then relative unknown Sydney Pollack and starring a young Robert Redford. Redford plays the title character, a jaded veteran of the 1846-48 U.S.-Mexican War who seeks solace and refuge by becoming a recluse in the Rocky Mountains, sustaining himself as a fur trapper and occasional guide-for-hire through the snow-choked mountain passes.
On one level, Jeremiah Johnson may seem old and faded today: It played in theatres during a time when the western had fallen on hard times. The classic westerns of John Ford and John Wayne were a fading memory, replaced by the more cynical, stylish westerns of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood.
Seeing Jeremiah Johnson today is as much an eye-opener now as it was then. It is traditional movie storytelling, but it has a restless, almost Coenlike spirit. (AMC -5 & 7:30 p.m.)
Source : http://www.vancouversun.com
