Well, it's April 26th and I'm watching MOUNTAIN MEN again, this time from beginning to end.
I agree with whoever said it's good to see Muzzleloaders in a movie. That's part of the mysterious draw this bad movie has on me. I mean, I've seen it WELL over a dozen times, and here I am, watching again - and GLAD that I was able to catch it from the beginning! Guess that shows how starved we are for some bucksinning flick.
I can't help but think that SO MANY people started the whole HAWKEN/ Mountain Man revival around this time (1980). TC Hawken was king, the Rendevous' were prolly like the one in the movie,. glorified acts of show off barbarism by folks who never picked up a book and were all called "Griz". Chrome leather was status quo, and all kinds of "Indian lore" came into being.
I live in western Massachusetts, and there are A LOT of French Canadian folks who live in a 50 mile radius of here. I'll bet you when they got a taste of blackpowder they started claiming all kinds of family connections to Canadian tribes. I've seen this myself. An old friend of my wife's claims she's more flathead than French, and I don't even think they were IN Canada, were they? Of course all the trappings: "Dreamcatchers" hanging from the truck mirror, sweatshirts with wolves painted on them etc etc.
Most of the Indians in this movie look Italian, to tell you the truth!
So when did the pendulum swing to the Eastern Indian/Colonial/Longhunter era? It seems now that the old western Mountain man ethic is long gone, at least here in New England, and that's probably how it should be. Live local/buy local/reenact local/study local history! God knows there's plenty of it around here.
So has chrome orange buckskin finally been purged from the western movement? I'm actually thinking of reviving a 5 year old dream and gettin some brain tanned breeches and/or shirt. Apparently the breeches were used quite a bit around these parts.
Watching this movie one thing stgands out: The Wester Fur Trade was a damn sight different than the colonial period here back east. Nothingwas easy anywhere for the white settlers, but Goddam the west was tough stuff! MAN! Hats off to even the modern day buckskinners out west, it sure is a sight different - You still got LOTSA Mountains and wild forests running forever in all directions! Really test yer nerve, eh?
WOW, look at me runnin off at the mouth, I'm in for a MAJOR flame job, that's for sure! Oh well, why not, it'll pick up some lively posts and threads, hopefully!
Watch yer topknot WAARRGGHH!!!!