Challenge to Be Free (1975) User Reviews

Based on the True Mystery of the Mad Trapper

[Aglaope · 5/10 · 19 June 2006]

This is an excellent true story, one of the gems of mountain man folklore, set in 1930's Northern Canada. The story of Canada's most famous northern manhunt, the Mad Trapper of Rat River and his running gun battle with the R.C.M.P. in the winter of 1931-32.

The Mad Trapper was thought to be named Albert Johnson, complaints were received about Johnson tampering with people's traps. When the Mounties were sent to investigate one was shot and wounded in an exchange of fire. They withdrew for help and later returned to the isolated cabin with a nine man posse and 20 pounds of dynamite. Meanwhile Johnston had reinforced the cabin and dug a pit under the floor. When the Mounties threw the dynamite at the cabin it blew the cabin apart, but when they went in expecting to find a dead or wounded Johnston he fought them off.

The Mounties withdrew again, and later when they returned to the cabin they found it abandoned. After a long search of the area, they ran into Johnston again, but one of the Mounties was shot dead in the exchange and Johnston managed to slip away.

The Mounties could not catch Johnston so they called in aerial surveillance. The plane picked up Johnstons trail and directed the Mounties to his location. The outcome of the ensuing gunfight was left a mystery, did he get away. Nobody knows.

This Mike Mazurki version is a rather sterile version, of the story. Made in a style akin to an early Walt Disney movie.

It's still a passable enough version of the mystery of the "Mad Trapper". Though maybe it dwells a bit much on the large animal cast.

It definitely invites a remake. It was called Death Hunt (1981).

perfect family movie

[dav07dan02 · 7/10 · 28 June 2005]

Director: Tay Garnett, Ford Beebe, Cast: Mike Mazurki, Vic Christy, Fritz Ford, Tay Garnett.

Based on the number of comments I see on IMDb, this seems to be a forgotten movie. This seems rather ironic to me because it is actually one of the first movies that I remember. My mom took me and my little brother to see this film at The Garland theater in Spokane when it first came out in the mid 1970's and I still remember it.

I am going by memory here but I believe this move is about a trapper who was accused of a crime which he did not commit and the law goes after him. I believe it to be set in 1800's Alaska. A narrator tells the story of the trapper played by Mike Mazurki. Really, this is a very good film with a great setting. It could be compared to the 1981 film Death Hunt with Charles Bronson. The two films have a very similar story line. The main difference between the two is Death Hunt is an adult orientated film whereas Challenge is a family friendly film.

Mike Mazurki and Tay Garnett were both rather old when this movie was made which I find rather impressive when one considers that this movie was filmed on location in the wilds of Alaska. This was the last film made by Tay Garnett before he died which was just a few years later. They both had been around since the silent era.

The movie that made me who I am... sort of...

[Cale Barthold · 7/10 · 7 July 2000]

"Challenge to be Free" was one of the first films I saw as a child. It was also one of the first VHS tapes that I owned. I hadn't seen the movie in years, so yesterday I decided to stick the tape in and watch it. Wow. The story is as powerful now as it was the first time I saw it. I think now that I am older I can better apreciate the values that are implanted in the movie. (Self-reliance, The value of Freedom, and the love of nature) It is a "B" movie, to be sure, but it's one that you'll remember for years, especially if you see it as a child.

response

[ari_levy · 3 January 2009]

not sure this movie deserves the criticism above. innocent Disney-like rendering of a real-life incredible tale. also not sure that the ending was meant to convey that trapper committed suicide--listen carefully, and you'll hear that they never found a trace of him the next spring....i was led to believe (at least the kid in me was!) that he camouflaged his once-again escape.

i purchased this movie after googling it for the theme song, which has been running in my head for *31 years.* got the film and found the tune was correct!!!! wish in real life the trapper had also died free (i guess he did so, in a way, but at the end of a rifle)....

A Clear Case of Self-Defense

[Snowgo · 7/10 · 6 August 2015]

I condemn the tone of this film. At every turn, it seems the writers; Anne Bosworth, Chuck D. Keen felt it necessary to drill it into our heads that the pursuit of this gentle man was necessary and warranted. I'm wondering if it escaped any viewer's attention, the fact that Trapper was completely innocent (first shot, which wounded McIntire, was from a misfire from his over-zealous partner's gun. The second shot, which killed the over-zealous cop, was in self-defense). Who, in their right mind, would start firing into a house (or cabin), because of a theft report?

I am appalled that McIntire was hired to narrate the story, and was actually paid to recount the murder of an innocent man. In the context of the slew of shooting deaths by police, recently, in many areas of the U.S., Trapper's story is a warning of what could happen if we do not change our priorities, and restore our rights as citizens.

Shooting someone in the back is NEVER legal...ESPECIALLY when it is done by those who are sworn to serve and protect. This film is a story of a travesty, sugar-coated to seem legitimate. Mr. McIntire should be ashamed of himself.., and should be arrested.

It was great to see Mazurki as Trapper, though. Trapper seemed a righteous man.

A Classic Feel Good Murder Suicide Family Film

[webmaster-261 · 7/10 · 7 April 2007]

This was on odd film. I liked the adventure of it though it seems to be aimed at children. (SPOILER AHEAD) Ironically, the main character murders a federal official. Then he's a fugitive on the run. They later blow up his house and then he finally commits suicide. Seems like they should have just made it a film for a more mature audience or made it more family friendly.

This was on odd film. I liked the adventure of it though it seems to be aimed at children. (SPOILER AHEAD) Ironically, the main character murders a federal official. Then he's a fugitive on the run. They later blow up his house and then he finally commits suicide. Seems like they should have just made it a film for a more mature audience or made it more family friendly.

Colorful tall tale version of a real life mountain legend.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 10 June 2023]

Shots of some beautiful wildlife and gorgeous scenery aides this semi-documentary tale of someone named Albert Johnson, played by veteran character actor Mike Mazurki whose raspy voice was familiar to movie fans for decades and could play a variety of dimwitted galoots on both sides of the law. Known as the mad mountain man, Johnson may have avoided being captures back in the 30's, but the legend has been altered here to give a loosely based account of his escapades, simply a character referred to as only the trapper.

With Mazurki on camera most of the time, he's quite commanding in his part, but shots of various wild animals going about their daily lives, some friendly with him because of his gentility in spite of his size. The narrator is John McIntire who sounds like the man who narrated many Disney true life adventures and other nature based movies. But this was made independently of the mouse and is quite original on its own. Not a great film, but fans of films dealing with nature will really enjoy it for the humor, scenery and presence of friendly moose, a loving family of wolves, curious deer and hunting bear.

Challenge To Be Free

[dukeakasmudge · 2/10 · 4 September 2016]

After reading the description I thought this is a movie I have to see.I searched it on the internet & found out it was based on the same story Death Hunt was based on which made me want to see it even more.Let me tell you straight away, if you're expecting another Death Hunt, forget about it.This movie version is the complete opposite of what Death Hunt was.After watching it or what I was able to watch of it, I'd say skip this movie & watch Death Hunt instead.Challenge To Be Free reminded me of some of the Disney movies I was forced to watch as a kid (I don't know why but at the time I HATED Disney movies) I watched about 35 minutes & after nodding off a bunch of times,I gave up & let sleep take over.Normally I'd fight sleep but this time I just did not care.If you want to watch the family friendly version of the story, watch Challenge To Be Free.If you want to watch the adult version, watch Death Hunt.I don't know about you but I prefer Death Hunt myself

In that land he knew so well, he disappeared and legends tell...

[Mad_Trapper · 9/10 · 25 July 2006]

This story has held a special place in my heart for the last thirty-one years. As a boy, I enjoyed stories of mountain men and the wilderness. Books like "Call of the Wild", "White Fang", "The Frontiersman" and "My Side Of the Mountain", influenced me tremendously. I wanted so much to live like a mountain man, but nothing inspired me more to do so, than when I saw this movie on television in 1975. I wanted to be just like "Trapper". However, as I got older I found I was just too domesticated to live like that. Nonetheless, I still romanticize about living that kind of life. I agree with some other reviews of this movie that the storyline has the simplicity that is quite prevalent in "Disneyisque" type movies, but if you can look past the mechanics in which it was made and see the heart of the story, the true themes, then I think you find yourself pleasantly touched. I make it a point to watch this movie once a year. After thirty-one years, I still get a chill running through me when I see torrent of snow rushing down the mountainside and hear the echoing, haunting laugh of the Trapper.

-Good luck old-timer and stay free-

PS If you want to read more about the true story, I found this link on the Mad Trapper of Rat River:

http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/NWT/madtrapper.htm

fine for kids in the '70s, alas no more

[tshary17 · 3/10 · 8 April 2013]

I really enjoyed this film when I saw it at the Saturday matinée during its release, and remember that experience vividly, but watching it now nearly 40 years later, I can appreciate that it has not aged well at all. This was clearly re-packaged to capitalize on the mountain adventure movies of the time, and to that end it has some gorgeous photography, but the story-- and especially the ham-fisted narration-- are just too hackneyed to bear. Even if it's based on truth, which the film clearly asks you to question, especially with its grossly fake documentary stylings, I can't imagine kids today would enjoy its slow pacing, stiff acting, and real animals. If you want to study it as an artifact of truly typical fare for the '70s, it does have its curiosities-- and for that matter, you could look at the "Benji" films too. But there's a reason why the "Benji" films are not considered classics, which is that they were simply bad. So is this.

There are far better films from the era to enjoy, even for children.

Good family movie

[mikebridges · 8/10 · 14 April 2013]

Like a lot of reviewers here I saw this as a boy. I was sick from school for about a week & watched this on HBO probably 50 times that week. I loved it and always wondered if it was a true story. This movie is mostly narration with a lot of animal interaction. It does have a Disney feel to it. Now at 42 years old (I saw this when I was about 11) it is a little dated but my wife & I were looking for movie on Encore and I saw this. She had never seen it and enjoyed it as much as me and felt sorry for Trapper & Old Timer. It had been 30 yrs since I saw this & the theme song has always been in my mind (even if its outdated by today's standards). Not sure if our kids would like this or not. I'm going to burn it to DVD since this movie is not available. For those interested in the real story look up The Mad Trapper on wiki. Glad to be reacquainted with this movie, Trapper & Old Timer.

Just read the true story instead

[maccas-56367 · 2/10 · 13 March 2021]

About as good as you'd expect a low-budget film of this type from the 70s to be - that is, not good at all.

There was a lot of promise here but gets squandered by its "cheapness" and ridiculous scenes, questionable acting.

It had a Jeremiah Johnson feel to it at first, which drew me in. I enjoyed the way this Trapper bloke was towards animals - handfeeding chipmunks, becoming friends with wolf cubs, playing games with bears. It made me smile and laugh.

But then things go downhill. Way too much animal cruelty takes place and this god damn awful fake laugh of Mike Mazurki's takes over. It goes from weird Disney-esque 70s documentary, to poorly made manhunt movie in the wilderness.

Dead dogs, brutalised mountain goats, suffering wolves and an annoying main character all helped destroy things and make me question why I bothered giving this a go.

Just read the true story instead.

Supreme wilderness adventure epic, with a lot of heart.

[Idiot-Deluxe · 10/10 · 26 May 2016]

I simply love this movie and have seen it many times over the years.

Challenge To Be Free is one of the best titles of the wilderness adventure movies genre and is a film that's overflowing with gritty and rustic characters, exciting animal interactions and many breath-taking vistas; all of which adds up to one incredibly entertaining and rousing adventure film.

The lead character "Trapper" is charismatically played by veteran supporting actor Mike Mazurki, a huge, hulking, rough-looking fellow of Polish decent, who's distinctively coarse and craggy mug adds much to the credibility of his character. In fact so much so that it's absolutely impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Upon first viewing if there's one thing you'll notice about Trapper is that for someone well into his 60's, he sure could still get around and as you'll see in his adventures he goes ALL OVER the Yukon. The main antagonist is a fellow outdoorsman and fur-trapper, a guy by the name of "Frenchy" and in light of their often hilarious encounters he and Trapper share together (and because of his name), FRENCHY is one of my all-time favorite movie villains. Watch out for those snares Frenchy! Watch with glee during the scene near the end, were Trapper gives Frenchy a cold-shave with his hatchet, while hanging upside from yet another of Trappers snares.

The first 25 minutes of the film play out like a very wholesome Disney-ish wilderness flick, constantly showing Trapper interacting with his animal friends and showing off his general "love for the land". It's when Frenchy enters the fray that thing's go bad for Trapper, specifically, a trap-line dispute is what ultimately gets the law involved. Two deputies are dispatched to Trappers cabin and due to stupidity on the part of "Officer Cabot" a hot-tempered rookie, his rifle discharges, prompting Trapper to blindly return fire through the cabin door "What about Cabot? - He's dead, he was hit in the head and chest with both barrels of buckshot - he was blasted 12 feet". It's this fateful encounter that forces Trapper to go on the run and an epic chase/cat-and-mouse game begins. "To become the longest of it's kind in history", says the narrator. That reminds me, the movie is narrated from start to finish by another veteran actor, John McIntire. After watching the film I think you'll agree McIntire proved to be the -perfect- choice for narrator. He's every bit as good in this, as Waylon Jennings was in The Dukes of Hazzard. Both were first-class narrators with the "perfect voice".

The chase is a long drawn-out affair, Trapper is pursued by a dog-sled propelled posse of about 10 men, led "Backtrack Kelly" and Frenchy. Trapper manages to out-run and out-smart them the entire way, him and his pet wolf "Old Timer" for this epic journey is indeed THEIR challenge to be free. Special mention of Trappers laugh must be made, he belly-laughs with the best of them and he laughs or rather bellows a LOT, a most memorable laugh.

Filmed on location in the Yukon territory on what looks like a pretty modest budget, yet at the end of the day, it doesn't under-funded, nor does it look lavish. This feature whether it's on VHS or DVD is always presented in the 1.33.1 full-screen ratio, the telecasts too. If it exists, I'd kill to see a wide-screen print of this, that and in these modern times, seeing it at long last in 1080p HD would be particularly schweet.

And lastly... to any uptight parental hero's or moral crusader's out there, -Challenge To Be Free- is certainly suitable for any age group. Indeed it's a very wholesome feature, suitable for the easily offended crowd.

Excellent movie for the entire family! :)

[gilligan1965 · 9/10 · 5 May 2017]

This movie, although produced by an independent company, was made in the same tradition as all of those wonderful "Disney" nature documentary-movies that showcase beautiful landscapes and wildlife at their very best. Also, like a Disney docu-movie, it's narrated and has very little in the way of a written/spoken script for the actors.

I've loved this movie since I was a child of nine when it first came out...and, I still love it now. Movies like this will never lose their luster because nature, and, all it envelops, will always be pure and easy. Nature will always be the escape for everyone who wishes to just get away from other people and enjoy what is, will be, and, always has been.

After making a career of being a thug, tough-guy, and, gangster, it's nice and refreshing to see Mike Mazurki in a role as a jovial, nature-loving teddy bear (kinda like seeing Robert De Niro crying in "Analyze This;" and, Clint Eastwood singing in "Paint Your Wagon."). It gives you the feeling that "WOW! These guys really do have feelings!"

I'd considered giving this movie 10 Stars, but, due to the circumstances of an innocent man being pursued for defending himself against a rookie king-sh*t bully cop banging at his door and accidentally shooting first (everyone knows not to pound on something with a chambered and cocked gun!?);and, the cruel trapper (Frenchy) who immorally started all of this trouble, then, uses the law to back-up his cowardly deed...I give it 9 Stars.

Very similar to this 1975 G-Rated movie is the 1981 R-Rated "Death Hunt" starring Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin. In this movie, too, lies were told to the authorities, and, it unnecessarily escalated from there. Using the law for unlawful purposes boils my blood! A lot of good cops, and, good people in general, can, and, have, gotten hurt or dead because of some idiot doing this.

I'm just hoping that people who watch this movie (and, "Death Hunt") are smart enough to realize that this man (in both movies) was unjustly flushed from his house, home, and, territory, for simply having a good heart and saving an animal from the cruelty of an unethical and lying pr*ck who then used the law as a tool for his own vengeance. It's like the little neighborhood idiot who starts a fight with you, loses, then, has his big brother confront you.

A great movie on 'almost' every level...'Frenchy' should have died a cruel and slow death...preferably by the wolf, 'Old Timer,' that he was so cruel and slow to! Rookie-creep-cop got exactly what was coming to him due to his bad-badge-power sh*t attitude!