View from the Side: Movie Review (“The Revenant”)

Although I had already read several unfavorable reviews due to the supposedly bad/lousy adaptation of the Book to the Movie, I was compelled to see the movie for various reasons:

1. To see the adaptation per se; meaning – to see is to believe.
2. To determine what are the major changes (book versus movie). 
3. To answer the question: Would the story of the movie stands alone without the book?

First. The ‘Revenant’ book is based on the true story of Hugh Glass, an American trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1823.   After watching the movie, I would say that the movie presented “distorted facts” based from the book that I read.   While watching the movie, I was wondering if the movie is referring to the same book.  Then I had concluded that the bad reviews in the adaptation of the book were all justified. 

But at the end of the movie, I saw the credit “Based in part on the novel by Michael Punke”.   So, that explains everything. 

"...the filmmakers have wandered freely from the facts, which in a way does capture the spirit of the Hugh Glass story. A whole lot of creative remembering went into the production of the man who died and came back." - - - Jon T. Coleman, Notre Dame Historian, HistoryBuff.com, 2015

Second. Since the movie was based in part on the book, then there were many differences.  I was pondering if it is still necessary to make a comparison.  But for my personal curiosity, I still did the same.

Theme

Revenge (Book & Movie, the same)

Major Reason for Revenge

Book: Death for those who abandoned and robbed him of his treasures.

Movie: Death for those who killed his son.

Characters (Native-American Wife/Son)

Book: None.  There is no evidence that she had a wife or a son for that matter.  Little is known about Hugh Glass before the bear attack.  What is known was that he had been in the Western wilderness for several years before he signed for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.  He was considered as an experienced guide for the expedition.  He was described as a loner and independent.

Movie:  He has a wife.  He has a son who was killed in front of him.

Climax

Book: In a courtroom in Fort Atkinson.

Movie: Hugh and Fitzgerald engaged in a knife fight.

 

Revenge or Forgiveness

Bridger

Book/Movie: Glass forgave Bridger.  Somehow, he knows that it was Fitzgerald who convinced young Bridger to leave him.  And he had glimpses of Bridger, healing him with something.

Fitzgerald

Book:  As to Fitzgerald, he was able to catch with him at Fort Atkinson.  Unfortunately for Glass or fortunately for Fitzgerald, the Army would not allow Glass to seek his vengeance since Fitzgerald has already enlisted in the US Army.  Anyway, Glass was able to get back his rifle.

Movie:  Glass had the opportunity to kill Fitzgerald, but he didn’t either.  He left Fitzgerald for dead.  It was the Indian that killed Fitzgerald.

Third. Well, for those who were not able to read the book, it seems that the movie stands for itself.  But for me, I still love the book more than the movie.  The book is inspired by true events while the movie is an invented fiction.

Some images downloaded from the Internet:

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