The Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle The Revenant has gotten a lot of buzz—but is it actually any good?

There were a lot of varying opinions regarding this on the most recent episode of Dark Discussions, which is up now: http://www.darkdiscussions.com/Pages/podcast_216.html.

My late father was extremely interested in the Mountain Men and this period in American History spawned by the explorations of Lewis and Clark, so I went into this film with a little bit of knowledge – mostly, though, about keelboats and beaver conservation, to be honest. I’ve chosen what I’d consider reputable resources in case you’d like to know a little more about this fascinating era; perhaps just reading a little bit will whet the appetite.

BOOKS

 A Majority of Scoundrels: An Informal History of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, by Don Berry (Oregon State University Press, 2006) http://amzn.com/0870710893

The Keelboat Age on Western Waters, by Leland Dewitt Baldwin (University of Pittsburgh Press,1941) http://amzn.com/B0006APA6I

The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man, by John Myers Myers (Bison Books, 1976) http://amzn.com/0803258348

WEBSITES

Hugh Glass

http://hughglass.org/

Everything you need to know about the real Hugh Glass. Seriously, ignore all the ‘real story’ internet articles and start here. There are even extensive lists of resources and further reading.

Museum of the Fur Trade

http://www.furtrade.org/

Museum of the Mountain Man

http://museumofthemountainman.com/

DOCUMENTARY

The Mountain Men (1999)

Provides a pretty decent overview of that period in history. Great if you want a general background; 92 minutes. https://youtu.be/8MYIItApGPA

FICTION

The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, by Michael Punke (Picador 2015 re-edition; originally published in 2002) http://amzn.com/1250072689

This is the novel the film was based on.

♦

Man in the Wilderness, by Jack DeWitt (1971) http://amzn.com/B000VO2JM2

This one is tough to find, but it, too, tells pretty much the same story as Punke’s book and was made into a film. If you’re desperate, keep your eyes open at library book sales. I’ve seen copies show up there plenty of times because it’s usually a movie tie-in edition and people tend to dump those.

OTHER FILM

Man in the Wilderness (1971), starring Richard Harris and John Huston (yes, that John Huston).

Instantly Stream on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B000NZX4JQ

DVD (part of a double feature): http://amzn.com/B00132D7Y0

FILM-RELATED

Architectural Digest: “Step Inside Leonardo DiCaprio’s New Movie, The Revenant,” by Elizabeth Stamp

Stunning photographs by the film’s production designer Jack Fisk (and a couple of others). Be sure to read the captions – this is fascinating stuff.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/revenant-set-design

♦

The Daily Mail: “Walk on the wild side: The breath-taking real-life landscapes used in the Oscar-nominated Revenant (including the forest where the infamous bear attack was shot),” by Becky Pemberton

This article does a beautiful job of detailing every single shooting location of pretty much every scene in the film.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3406510/Walk-wild-breath-taking-real-life-landscapes-used-Oscar-nominated-Revenant-including-forest-infamous-bear-attack-shot.html

♦

The Telegraph Interview: “’Raw bison liver is good to eat’: Ray Mears fact-checks The Revenant,” by Rupert Hawksley

Survivalist Ray Mears talks about the film’s level of realism.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/the-revenant/ray-mears-bison-liver-facts-truth/