I have always considered this one of my favorite "rainy Saturday
afternoon" movies. The scenery is wonderful, Redford does one of his
best performances, the characters are colorful, and it is a wonderful
story of the pioneer spirit. Then, a few years ago, a good friend told me he had the book about the
real "Liver Eatin' Johnson", about whom this movie was made. He lent
me the book to read - and I highly recommend it for anyone interested
in a first- and second-hand story of the old west. The real story of Johnson is greatly removed from the movie, though
there are many parts in common as well. Most notably absent is the
fact that Johnson would remove and partially eat the liver (raw) of the
Crow braves he would kill. This was done by Johnson to scare the Crow,
who believed their soul would wander the earth forever if the body was
not buried intact. Johnson was also known to have eaten meat from the
leg of a Blackfoot indian, whose tribe had captured him to sell to the
Crow. This incident, however, appears to have been more for survival,
as Johnson had to travel for several days through snow on foot after
escaping the Blackfoot. Johnson was a well traveled man, friend to more than the movie
suggests, and finally died of old age in Los Angeles in 1899. His
actual age is subject to dispute, but he was at least 75 yeard old.
During his long life, he met up with many recognizable characters from
the old west. I leave the names for you to discover in your reading -
it is well worth the time!
