''Challenge to Be Free'' (a.k.a. ''Mad Trapper of the Yukon'' and ''Mad Trapper'') is an

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform action ...

film directed by

Tay Garnett William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director and writer. Biography Early life Born in Los Angeles, Garnett attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as a naval aviator in Wo ...

and starring

Mike Mazurki Mike Mazurki (December 25, 1907 – December 9, 1990) was a Ukrainian-American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films. His 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence and face had him typecast as often brainless athletes ...

. The film's plot was a loosely based on the 1931

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

(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''. Another film exploring the same topic was '' The Mad Trapper'' (1972), a British

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

production. A later fictionalized account, ''

Death Hunt ''Death Hunt'' is a 1981 Western action film directed by Peter Hunt. The film stars Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Carl Weathers, Maury Chaykin, Ed Lauter and Andrew Stevens. ''Death Hunt'' was a fictionalized account of the Roy ...

'' (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 Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in ''Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wit ...

, and

Carl Weathers Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in '' Predator'' (1987), Action Ja ...

."Full cast & crew: Death Hunt (1981)."
''IMDb''. Retrieved: December 1, 2014.

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

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. As an American production, Johnson's character was changed to simply "Trapper". The theme song "Trapper Man" was featured. 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 Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

characterized ''Challenge to Be Free'' as being "... A very charming film, wonderful for younger viewers."Maltin 2009, p. 229.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Anderson, Frank W. and Art Downs. ''The Death of Albert Johnson, Mad Trapper of Rat River.'' Surrey, British Columbia, Canada: Heritage House, 1986. . * 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. . * North, Dick. ''The Mad Trapper of Rat River: A True Story of Canada's Biggest Manhunt''. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Macmillan Company, 1972. .

External links

* * * {{Tay Garnett 1975 films Films directed by Tay Garnett 1970s adventure films Northern (genre) films American films based on actual events Films set in 1931 Royal Canadian Mounted Police in fiction 1970s English-language films