The Trap

Lush Canadian scenery that stretches as far as can be imagined, and yet this film manages to convey claustrophobia on the part of a traumatized girl compelled to wed a brutish-seeming fur trapper. The two leads play off each other very well. Miss Tushingham cannot speak yet shows powerful emotions in her facial expressions and body language. Mr. Reed gives a bravuro performance as a rough man trying to show his underdeveloped tender side. The plot is tight, the cinematography excellent, and the acting first-rate. One comment to those who wonder why Eve didn't use sign language or write: In frontier, fur-trapping Canada, when this film is set, most folks were illiterate and no universal sign language system had yet been developed. And sorry the Indians weren't acted by real ones, but that seems a minor point in light of the job the cast and crew did on an obviously limited budget. Flaws aside, this was a gripping love story.

Interesting Western based on a story and screenplay by David Osborn . A fur trapper nicknamed La Bete or The beast (Oliver Reed) arrives in a Canadian village after three winters in the snow ; having missing annual auction , he takes a mute girl (Rita Tusingham who does not utter a single word in the entire film) as his unwilling wife to live with him in his remote cabin in the woods . The picture narrates the odyssey of an adventurer that dreary of civilization lives in nature becoming into mountain man , a young who is part of the wildlife of the landscape , he is an expert hunter who shoots efficiently his preys and turning into a feared new myth named ¨La Bete¨ . Meanwhile , the girl early develops his senses from his first feeble and failed attempts at survival to become a skillful trapper .

Solid frontier western with exciting events , violent fights , emotions , thrills and spectacular outdoors . From the initiation until the final are proceeded continuous battles against nature and a survival fighting versus wintry wilderness , savage Indians , wildlife such as wolves and bear , among others . The story is a crossover of various films , the battle against nature of ¨Adventures of Jeremiah Johnson¨ and ¨Man of a wilderness land¨ along with ¨Taming of the shrew¨ theme , as well as the obstinacy and stubbornness of a misfit couple who discusses and contends with no rest . The magnificent cast is starred by an excellent Oliver Reed , a simple , brute man with violent tendencies and Rita Tushingam who plays a perfect role as an agreeable and sensitive mute young girl . Splendid cinematography in Panavision and glimmer color by Robert Krasker (expert cameraman on super-productions as The Cid , Fall of Roman Empire , Heroes of Telemark and The third man) as is reflected on spectacular outdoors filmed in sighting , rousing natural parks and filmed on location in Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada (village) , Hollyburn Film Studios, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Pinewood Studios, England . However , being necessary a right remastering because of the film-copy is washed-out . Special mention to a lively and evocative musical score by Ron Goodwin , the piece of music used as Oliver Reed canoes down river is now used by UK broadcaster The BBC for its coverage of The London Marathon.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Sidney Hayers . He entered cinema world in the early 1940s and began his directing career with ¨Violent Moment¨ in 1958 and carried out second-unit directing labors on epic films like ¨A night to remember¨ (1958) and ¨A bridge too far¨(1977). The journeyman director's roster of credits also includes episodic TV on both sides of the Atlantic , a multitude of TV movies and episodes such as A team , Baywatch , Knight Rider , T.J. Hooker , Hunter , Remington Steele , Magnum P.I . Furthermore , he directed acceptable films such as ¨Night of eagle¨, ¨Circus of horrors¨, ¨Assault¨ , ¨Finders keepers¨, ¨The Southern star¨ and of course ¨The trappers¨ .

Like many other reviewers I remember this film from the late 60's on late night tv. It was the era of kung fu films and blaxploitation movies which we all watched avidly. Films like 'the Trap' held no interest for us but it held our attention and fascination in an absorbing way. The slowly changing relationship between the trapper and his mute wife/slave transfixed us in its humanity and fragility. The story centres around these two mismatched ndividuals, both handicapped in their own way as they struggle to make a life together in the canadian wilderness. From initial brutality to tolerance to interdependence and finally the eventual outcome at the end. Both Reed and Tushingham give strong performances here, especially Oliver. When he wasnt getting soaked he could turn out some amazing work.Sadly he is no longer with us and is no doubt propping up another bar somewhere in shakespeares heaven.He will be missed. I hope they repeat this on tv or release it on video again soon.It is a truly outstanding work.

I saw this movie on TV when I was probably about 11 years old (35 years ago!)--and I still remember it very well. There was a local station which, for one solid week, aired it every day--and I watched it every single day! Unfortunately, I haven't seen it since and I don't think it's available on VHS but I remember it being visually beautiful and plot-wise, simply spellbinding, full of action, poignancy and suspense. Rita Tushingham and Oliver Reed are amazing in this. It's such a shame that no one aside from real film buffs have ever heard of this movie. It's a little lost gem that seems to have gotten buried somewhere in the Canadian snow--but if you ever get a chance to see it, please do!! It'll be time well spent.

I fell in love with Oliver Reed when I was a mere a slip of a girl. That's what this movie is -- a teenage fantasy. Performances are great for the era and the script. Surprisingly NOT overdone, though it's a melodrama to beat all melodramas. Pretty neat that most of the action is centered around only two people - scenes with others in them are only at the beginning and end - and the two carry it off quite well - the action holds. Rita Tushingham did a fine job without ever saying a word. That's acting. Tough to write "dialogue" for Reed to get the story out - and his own back story - when the person he's talking to never speaks to move the narrative along. The scriptwriters handled it pretty well during the time they spend alone in the wild. Oliver Reed, hairy and covered in skins, was as masculine a hunk of man needing domestication as any young girl could ask for. Too bad he made lots of bad movie choices (perhaps because that's what he was offered -- being a difficult actor), because he was delightfully bad-boy gorgeous and had incredible chemistry on camera. (Sighhhh)