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Challenge to Be Free
Challenge to Be Free
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Tay Garnett
Written by	Anne Bosworth; Chuck D. Keen
Based on	story; by Dick North
Produced by	Chuck D. Keen
Starring	Mike Mazurki
Narrated by	John McIntire
Cinematography	Chuck D. Keen
Music by	Ian Bernard
Distributed by	Pacific International Enterprises
Release date	November 5, 1975;
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$7.5 million

Challenge to Be Free (a.k.a. Mad Trapper of the Yukon and Mad Trapper) is an anti-hero film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Mike Mazurki. The film's plot was a loosely based on the 1931 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) pursuit of a trapper named Albert Johnson, the reputed "Mad Trapper of Rat River". The film was shot and originally released in 1972 with the title Mad Trapper of the Yukon; it was re-released in 1975 as Challenge to Be Free.^[2]

Another film exploring the same topic was The Mad Trapper (1972), a British made-for-television production.^[3] A later fictionalized account, Death Hunt (1981), also based on the story of the RCMP pursuit of Albert Johnson, was directed by Peter R. Hunt and starred Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, and Carl Weathers.^[4]

Plot

In Alaska, Trapper attempts to live in harmony with nature but is aware that other trappers are using inhumane traps. When he is confronted by rival trappers over his interference with their trap lines, they bring along Sargent, the local police officer. Feeling intimidated, Trapper fights back, shooting his way out of his cabin and embarking on a desperate attempt to escape the authorities.

Cast

Mike Mazurki as Trapper
Fritz Ford as Sargent
Vic Christy as Frenchy
Jimmy Kane as "Old Tracks"
Alex Van Bibber as Great Rifleman
Gordon Yardley as Supply Officer
Bob McKinnon as Buck Dawson
Roger Reitano as Eli Zane
Ted Yardley as Officer Cabot
Brian Russell as Storekeeper
Connie Yardley as Housewife
John McIntire as the narrator
Patty Piper as Indian
Tay Garnett as Old Marshall McGee

Production

Challenge to Be Free was filmed mainly on location in Alaska, as the locale of the "Mad Trapper" manhunt was changed from the Yukon to the United States.^[5] As an American production, Johnson's character was changed to simply "Trapper". The theme song "Trapper Man" was featured.^[6] It was filmed and originally released with little promotion as The Mad Trapper of the Yukon in 1972. In 1975, the title was changed and the film was given a wider release, primarily marketed towards younger audiences.

Reception

Reviewer Leonard Maltin characterized Challenge to Be Free as being "... A very charming film, wonderful for younger viewers."^[7]

References

Notes

Citations

^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 292. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
^ "Challenge to be Free (1975). Allmovie. Retrieved: December 1, 2014.
^ "The Mad Trapper (1972)." IMDb. Retrieved: December 1, 2014.
^ "Full cast & crew: Death Hunt (1981)." IMDb. Retrieved: December 1, 2014.
^ Anderson and Downs 1986, pp. 89–90.
^ "Details: The Mad Trapper (1972)." The New York Times. Retrieved: December 1, 2014.
^ Maltin 2009, p. 229.

Bibliography

Anderson, Frank W. and Art Downs. The Death of Albert Johnson, Mad Trapper of Rat River. Surrey, British Columbia, Canada: Heritage House, 1986. ISBN 978-1-89438-403-2.
Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2009. New York: New American Library, 2009 (originally published as TV Movies, then Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide), First edition 1969, published annually since 1988. ISBN 978-0-451-22468-2.
North, Dick. The Mad Trapper of Rat River: A True Story of Canada's Biggest Manhunt. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Macmillan Company, 1972. ISBN 978-1-59228-771-0.