For me its Jeremiah Johnson. I can usually tell how well I will get along with someone based on their opinion of this movie.


What's your favorite outdoor film/must watch feature?

My all time favorite Outdoor type film is "Alone in the Wilderness". A documentary film about Dick Proenneke, who build a cabin in Alaska. The book/journal is much better than the film but it is absolutely worth checking out.

I love Jeremiah Johnson too. It's funny and sad and scary and gorgeous. I also like "The River Wild."

For you Jeremiah Johnson fans, check out the book "Crow Killer". That man was brutal.

Hex

The Great Outdoors. The bat scene is a gut buster.

Ok, ok. I will get serious now. Not only has this site greatly increased my "must read" list. I now have to start a "must see" list. I have not seen Jeremiah Johnson, maybe on Netflix?

I will do some searching...

you've done well to keep so much hair with so manys after it.

Any of the Bill Mason films

Hey GutRooster,

It's definitely Jeremiah Johnson. We have a tradition in our north woods deer camp to always watch Jeremiah Johnson on one of the nights of opening weekend. We have 10+ in our camp and every guy watches it like it's the first time. Good call.

Deliverance

The Edge

GutRooster: "For me its Jeremiah Johnson. I can usually tell how well I will get along with someone based on their opinion of this movie.


What's your favorite outdoor film/must watch feature?"

GR

True story...seriously true:

One of the questions on an application/questionnaire I filled out years ago asked if I had ever skinned a griz. Once I saw that, I felt comfortable that I was applying to the right place...and with my answer "I can skin most anything".

Outdoorsfan69: "My all time favorite Outdoor type film is "Alone in the Wilderness". A documentary film about Dick Proenneke, who build a cabin in Alaska. The book/journal is much better than the film but it is absolutely worth checking out."

lot of people love that one

AmarilloJim: "Deliverance
"

A superb whitewater adventure film for the whole family!

In so much as it can be considered an "outdoor" movie, I'd say Deliverance. While the entire movie takes place outside, it's more of a horror movie than anything, IMHO.

Another movie that features the outdoors prominently that I like is Lawrence of Arabia. Again, not a movie specifically about the outdoors, the vistas are stunning. I could listen to the soundtrack all day long.

I've seen Jeremiah Johnson a couple of times, but never sober, and like 30+ years ago. It was my roommates/buddy's favorite movie and he kept quoting it all the time. (As an aside, he both worked at the same supper club for a while, he a bartender and me a waiter. On one slow Sunday afternoon, he told a waitress that he wanted to be a songwriter. He "wrote" some lyrics while tending a mostly vacant bar, and then offered her examples of his lyrics. They were all Bob Seger songs. She never suspected a thing. She liked "Turn the Page" most of all.)

My list is lame. And sorry for going on a completely unrelated tangent.

Mike

Outdoorsfan69: "My all time favorite Outdoor type film is "Alone in the Wilderness". A documentary film about Dick Proenneke, who build a cabin in Alaska. The book/journal is much better than the film but it is absolutely worth checking out."

Love that one. My favorite part, to paraphrase, is shortly after he has created a functioning and good looking door latch system completely out of wood. Dick's quote "Not bad for country living"

Some favorite outdoor docs.

Nahani

Cesar's Bark Canoe

Happy People

I'll watch Deliverance every time, intense and beautiful with no stunt doubles!

Kon-Tiki for adventure
Get Duked for fun
Stand By Me for classic

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Most of it is filmed outdoors.

Dances with Wolves-love the prairie grasses blowing and the snow pictures around the Indian villages.

I love Jeremiah Johnson and Dances with Wolves! They don't make movies like that anymore. Got them both on DVD.

Take a look at Wind River. Beautiful scenery but a pervasive sadness throughout the film.

Arctic Son: Fulfilling the dream (Amazon Prime)
Deliverance
Quest fo the Bay (reenactment of york boat going to Hudson’s Bay)

Not an outdoor movie but an outdoor scene: the closing scene of Fargo. "And here ya' are. And it's a beautiful day." --- as the endless white-grey sky melts into the endless white-grey landscape.

Most of the Jeremiah Johnson lines are memorized by me and tossed about throughout the year as needed.

One that comes to mind is "Continental Divide". John Belushi actually has a serious (for the most part) role. Takes place in Chicago and the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

fadersup: "Some favorite outdoor docs.

Nahani

"

A remarkable story. I think I first saw it in school in the late 60s or early 70s. Thanks for that. A stoic and determined old man originally from Duluth! He lived into his 80s.

Robert Redford scores two films for me: Jeremiah Johnson, in which he starred, and A River Runs Through It, which he directed. I'd add Meru, about the first ascent of the "Shark's Fin," a 5,000 foot sheer granite wall at the apex of a 20,000 foot peak in the Himalayas. It was made by Jimmy Chin (a native of Rochester, MN), before he directed Free Solo.

Meru

For me it's Death Hunt with Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson. Dated, yes, but IMHO one of the best outdoor movies you never heard off.

Outdoorsfan69: "My all time favorite Outdoor type film is "Alone in the Wilderness". A documentary film about Dick Proenneke, who build a cabin in Alaska. The book/journal is much better than the film but it is absolutely worth checking out."

Yup, I will go along with that. "Jeremiah Johnson" is a close second though. Then probably "A Man called Horse".

Agree, JJ certianly up there. Revenant(DiCaprio) and the original with Richard Harris as well. Probably examples of what not to do would be Into the Wild and Backcountry.

Not exactly sure how this is defined, but Dances With Wolves comes to mind as does The Revenant.

I enjoyed "Shoot to Kill" with the great Sidney Poitier. Also, "Wild" with Reese Witherspoon in a role that stretched her typical character portfolio.

missmolly: "

GutRooster: "For me its Jeremiah Johnson. I can usually tell how well I will get along with someone based on their opinion of this movie.



What's your favorite outdoor film/must watch feature?"

I love Jeremiah Johnson too. It's funny and sad and scary and gorgeous. I also like "The River Wild.""

Was The River Wild a 90's film with Helen Hunt, she takes some bad guys on a whitewater rafting trip...

CardinalNation: "The Edge
"

With Bart the Bear!

I was rooting for Bart the Bear in that movie. His acting was better than the others...

Little Big Man ... 1970 Dustin Hoifman

A Man Called Horse ... 1970 Richard Harris

Jeremiah Johnson ... 1972 Robert Redford

Zulu ... 1964

Dances with Wolves ... 1990 Kevin Costner

I just finished Season 3 of YELLOWSTONE series with Kevin Costner on Amazon Prime. Excellent and beautiful Montana scenery throughout. Highly recommend.

rtallent: "I was rooting for Bart the Bear in that movie. His acting was better than the others..."

I really miss Bart

I, too, really enjoyed Dances with Wolves. One of my all-time favorites. I'll have to watch Jeremiah Johnson. I can't remember ever seeing it.

GutRooster: "Was The River Wild a 90's film with Helen Hunt, she takes some bad guys on a whitewater rafting trip..."

Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon. Filmed (partly) in Montana, and I think Oregon.

Another one that is great is Death Hunt with Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and a solid cast of actors, Great story !

I do adore "Jeremiah Johnson," I truly do, but the greatest outdoor film ever made is "Cast Away," which is a perfect film. There's not a single off-note in it. It's as if Mozart returned as a director and "Cast Away" is his ultimate film opus.

I also like "Wild" with Reese Witherspoon and "Shoot to Kill" with the matchless Sidney Poitier.

"A River Runs Through It"-- hands down. Questions not even asked.
The vibes are etheral.

WhiteWolf: ""A River Runs Through It"-- hands down. Questions not even asked. "

it was a good one and on a stream I was familiar with. Also think Redford picked that stream because that stream and many streams in that area were having pollution problems from mining. He is quite advocate.

It was a good movie.

Any Warren Miller movie.

Pinetree: "

WhiteWolf: ""A River Runs Through It"-- hands down. Questions not even asked. "

it was a good one and on a stream I was familiar with. Also think Redford picked that stream because that stream and many streams in that area were having pollution problems from mining. He is quite advocate.
It was a good movie. "

Parts of it were filmed on the Gallatin River in Montana, which flows 7 miles from my house. Some of the actual filming took place about 15 miles away. Of course I don't fly fish!

Makes me want to watch some movies:
Jeremiah Johnson - 1st
Dances with Wolves - 2nd
Death Hunt - 3rd
and
the EDGE - required watching for any Newbies before I will take them in the woods!
And I love Jeremiah Johnson - "Can you skin Griz?", "if you can can bring it to me, I can skin it!"
Great post

Lots of Great suggestions already! I'll add "Touching the Void" to the list. DocuDrama about a failed decent on a peak in Patagonia. The Survivors narrate it and its very well told.

MReid: "

Pinetree: "

WhiteWolf: ""A River Runs Through It"-- hands down. Questions not even asked. "

it was a good one and on a stream I was familiar with. Also think Redford picked that stream because that stream and many streams in that area were having pollution problems from mining. He is quite advocate.
It was a good movie. "

Parts of it were filmed on the Gallatin River in Montana, which flows 7 miles from my house. Some of the actual filming took place about 15 miles away. Of course I don't fly fish!"

The Blackfoot River, hard hit for decades by various sources of pollution, is on the mend after being snubbed years ago in "A River Runs Through It," the film in which it was the supposed star, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Big Blackfoot chapter of Trout Unlimited.

North Of Superior

The very first IMAX film.
In the link the film starts at 32:30.
It is still a joy to watch but a flat screen comes nowhere near capturing the full 3D effect.
I'm pretty sure that's Kakabeka Falls at the 34:40 mark before the highway bridge was built.

Yes a local film I liked and seen them up there by Little Grand marais area-Iron Will, the sled dog race.

"Man in the Widerness" (Richard Harris) and "The Revenant" (Leonardo DiCaprio) are both on my list, but "Jeremiah Johnson" is at the top.

Wharfrat63: "Any Warren Miller movie."

+1 Though not my first thought for outdoor films, they are amazing and fun to watch.

My favorite outdoor movie recently is The Revenant. The usage of natural light makes me feel as though I am in the woods watching the events take place.

GickFirk22: "Lots of Great suggestions already! I'll add "Touching the Void" to the list. DocuDrama about a failed decent on a peak in Patagonia. The Survivors narrate it and its very well told."

Thanks for bringing it up! It’s my fav and I didn’t remember the name of it.
Awesome documentary.

Swiss Family Robinson - if not, how would you learn to protect your family from the inevitable pirate attack.

The Bear
Another Bart the Ber nod - loved that movie when I was a kid - watched it recently to see if my 7 year old was ready....I don't think I'd get her back camping with me...

There are so many great outdoor films that it would be hard to choose just one.
I seem to enjoy films with the word “Wild” in the title.
Into the Wild
Wild
Call of the Wild
Wild Hogs
Wild Hare starring Elmer Fudd.

Pinetree: "The Blackfoot River, hard hit for decades by various sources of pollution, is on the mend after being snubbed years ago in "A River Runs Through It," the film in which it was the supposed star, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Big Blackfoot chapter of Trout Unlimited."

Yes, but "Although both the book and movie are set in Missoula and on the Blackfoot River, it was filmed in late June to early July 1991 in south central Montana in Livingston and Bozeman,[3] and on the nearby upper Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Boulder Rivers." Wikipedia

MReid: "

Pinetree: "The Blackfoot River, hard hit for decades by various sources of pollution, is on the mend after being snubbed years ago in "A River Runs Through It," the film in which it was the supposed star, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Big Blackfoot chapter of Trout Unlimited."

Yes, but "Although both the book and movie are set in Missoula and on the Blackfoot River, it was filmed in late June to early July 1991 in south central Montana in Livingston and Bozeman,[3] and on the nearby upper Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Boulder Rivers." Wikipedia"

Correct

WhiteWolf: ""A River Runs Through It"-- hands down. Questions not even asked.
The vibes are etheral. "

Yep, that’s my favorite by a long shot

Black Robe is a good one, I watched it a while ago on Amazon Prime. Set in 1634 a Jesuits Priest is guided by Algonquins, traveling by canoe through Quebec to a Huron mission. Beautiful scenery, interesting juxtaposition between Jesuit and native people's spiritual beliefs.

fsupp: "ted. I'd add Meru, about the first ascent of the "Shark's Fin," a 5,000 foot sheer granite wall at the apex of a 20,000 foot peak in the Himalayas. It was made by Jimmy Chin (a native of Rochester, MN), before he directed Free Solo.

Meru "

Meru! Excellent movie/documentary. Highly recommend and it's free on amazon Prime. Incredible footage and overcoming HUGE challenges just to start the trip.

One of my all time favorites is Never Cry Wolf

The movie is fantastic and if you enjoy that you'll love the book by Farley Mowat. Book is based on his story as it happened.

One I saw as a young boy of 8 or 9 that really captured my imagination was The Naked Prey

Outdoorsfan69: "My all time favorite Outdoor type film is "Alone in the Wilderness". A documentary film about Dick Proenneke, who build a cabin in Alaska. The book/journal is much better than the film but it is absolutely worth checking out."

And to begin this at 53 years old. And to use only hand tools. For the next 30 years.

Myself who cannot even build a birdhouse. Truly inspirational.

As youngsters, we traveled every summer to Pennsylvania to visit my mother's side of the family. Some of the relatives owned a drive-in movie theater, so the big treat was to go to the drive-in. With all the movies available to see, on the night we went it invariably turned out to be "Yellowstone Cubs." A Disney classic.

"Never Cry Wolf" and the Disney nature films are great additions. As kids, they'd march us into the lunchroom and show us those Disney films with the old projectors.

Saw a documentary on Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic expedition. Pretty sure I wouldn't have made it.

Podunk: "Saw a documentary on Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic expedition. Pretty sure I wouldn't have made it."

I know this thread is about films. But if you have not read the book Endurance, about Shackleton, his crew and the arctic expedition. You need to.

missmolly: ""Never Cry Wolf" and the Disney nature films are great additions. As kids, they'd march us into the lunchroom and show us those Disney films with the old projectors. "

Yes never Cry Wolf is a winner.

JWilder: "

Podunk: "Saw a documentary on Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic expedition. Pretty sure I wouldn't have made it."

I know this thread is about films. But if you have not read the book Endurance, about Shackleton, his crew and the arctic expedition. You need to. "

A thumb's up to that.

If this sort of reading is your thing, I recommend Arctic Grail by Pierre Burton. So many great stories about trying to find the Northwest Passage.

A lot of these folks resorted to eating their shoes when food got scarce.

RunningFox: "Arctic Son: Fulfilling the dream (Amazon Prime)
Deliverance
Quest fo the Bay (reenactment of york boat going to Hudson’s Bay)
"

Burned through the first 4/5 episodes of Quest for the Bay last night. Highly recommend!

When I was a child, my parents took me to see "This Is My Alaska", a film by local hunting guide LeRoy Shebal. By that point, I had only been "to the movies" once or twice before. I still remember being blown away by the stunning beauty of these wilderness scenes up there on that giant screen and this made me put Alaska on my someday bucket list (where it still remains).

Where we saw this movie the preceding short was about Bigfoot, which I also found fascinating (before learning that many scenes were later debunked).

I have probably seen many better-quality outdoor films since "This Is My Alaska", but it's still my favorite.

Argo: "

JWilder: "

Podunk: "Saw a documentary on Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic expedition. Pretty sure I wouldn't have made it."

I know this thread is about films. But if you have not read the book Endurance, about Shackleton, his crew and the arctic expedition. You need to. "

A thumb's up to that.


If this sort of reading is your thing, I recommend Arctic Grail by Pierre Burton. So many great stories about trying to find the Northwest Passage.


A lot of these folks resorted to eating their shoes when food got scarce. "

Duly noted!!

A River Runs Through It

The Rivers Divide--Donnie Vincent

The Bowhunting Films of Fred Bear

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

And as for books if you have not read "The River Why" by David James Duncan it is a great one about fly fishing. Also Fred Bear's Field Notes and "Bows on the Little Delta" by Glenn St. Charles (tales of the legendary 1950s era bowhunts in Alaska).

There are so many great ones. I think the one that tops my list is “into the Wild”. Also really love “ a river runs through it”. The final scene of “legends of the fall” is pretty epic too. “Revenant” is a great out door film as well. I also really enjoyed “the river why”. “The call of the Wild” is another one. “All is lost” is pretty good too. “Cast away” too. Just so many great outdoor films out there. The one I’d really like to see made into a modern film is “hatchet”, I think some version was made back in the 80’s but it was called something else.