Is The Revenant: Tale Of Hugh Glass Based On A True Story?

Have you watched The Revenant? The highly praised thriller movie has won a ton of prestigious awards. The movie which was released back in 2015 is still seen among the best thriller movies out there. The intriguing plot of the movie revolves around a true story. You will be shocked to know that the true story is even nastier than the movie. The blockbuster movie takes us back to 1823. The brutal assault displayed in the movie shocked us to the core. The story revolves around the frontiersman, Hugh Glass. He is set to start his revenge journey. He is walking on the path of vengeance.

All who left him behind to die are not just his “enemies” but men who have broken his trust, they are nothing less than betrayers. The movie rests upon the hardship faced by Hugh Glass. The Revenant is based on Glass Hugh’s brutal survival journey. Directed and co-written by the very talented filmmaker, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant showcases the brutal shocks of nature. Glass must find a way out, he must face the intense coldness of the winter season. He must go back to his team! But before you binge on “The Revenant”, you must know the backstory behind this incredible movie.

Is The Revenant: Tale Of Hugh Glass Based On A True Story?

Is The Revenant: Tale Of Hugh Glass Based On A True Story?

Decades ago there lived a fur trapper, named Hugh Glass, his life changed forever when he was attacked by a ferocious bear. The expedition trip followed the path of the Missouri River and the Grand River. The team was led forward by Henry Ashley. Initially, Glass tried a lot to surpass the tight grip of the bear but before he could fight back, the grizzly bear had already managed to take out a giant chunk of his flesh. The bear was ready to eat him alive!

Hugh Glass was grieving for help, he was crying in pain. But out of intense fear, his fellow team members decided to abandon him in the darkness of the wild forest. They left him to die. But little did they know that Glass is not that weak. Fortunately, that man survived the brutality of nature. He managed to escape death. Thus begins his travel story. Hugh Glass is determined to travel through the harshness of nature, bearing the cut-throat sharpness of the wind!

Originally, none of his fellow team members thought about his survival. They assumed he would not survive for long. Moreover, the winter wind was nothing less than a knife for them. They could not carry him back nor could they stand the risk of staying with him through the night. As the night was passing by, the intensity of the winter wind was increasing.

Initially, two of the team members, namely John S. Fitzgerald and Jim Bridger, who is also known as “Bridges”, were asked to stay with Glass. Since Hugh was still alive, the leader of the team, Henry, wanted some people to stay around for Hugh’s burial. As per orders, these two young men stayed with him for 5 days. Glass, half alive half dead, refused to give up on his life. He was fighting with his extremely critical condition.

At last, these two team members decided to give up on Glass. They couldn’t risk their lives anymore. On their way back down, they even took Hugh’s belongings. His gun, knife, flint, and all the other essential products which he could have used to face the wilderness of the dark forest were taken away by him. The two trappers thought they could deliver these products to Henry, thus assuring him about Hugh’s death.

Despite his brutal injuries, Glass did not give up. After more than five days, he regained consciousness. As he woke up from his death sleep, he could see himself without any type of weapons or equipment. He had developed septic wounds, he could feel the pain of his broken leg. The intense deep cuts on his back even exposed his bare ribs. For endless hours, Glass stayed in pain and loneliness.

Glass tried to stand up, but the cutthroat pain of his broken leg didn’t give him the power to do so. Before leaving, his companions had laid down a bear skin upon his body. He used that shroud as a wrap and decided to crawl back to Fort Kiowa which was around 200 miles away from his current destination. To prevent further deterioration of his wounds, Glass decided to open up his body to the maggots. These tiny creatures of nature feasted on his infected flesh.

His sheer will to live and his intense rage for his team members will bring him back to life. He rescued himself from death, but he had to face another villain of life, hunger! He was starving, he didn’t consume anything for five days. But thanks to the group of wolves who killed a buffalo calf. His fierce attitude eventually scared the animals off. Out of hunger and anger, he consumed the raw meat of the dead animal.

With the help of Thunder Butte, Glass managed to crawl to the south of the Cheyenne River. When he reached the barren land, he tried to build a crude raft which he later used to reach Fort Kiowa. His struggle with life ended after a traumatic period of six weeks. All these days, he consumed only a handful of wild berries and roots. Thus begins his recovery period.

As his wounds became marks of pain in his body, he tripped on another mission. He is searching for “Bridges”. He must hunt down Fitzgerald. He returned to Fort Henry on the Yellowstone River but unfortunately couldn’t find any of his old team members. A note indicated that Andrew Henry has relocated his company. They have shifted to a new camp. They are currently working from the mouth of the Bighorn River.

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Glass started another journey and reached his determined location. He found out about both of them, but along with his deep cuts, his anger also faded away. Since Bridger was very young, Glass decided to forgive him. Glass rejoined Ashley’s company and later learned about Fitzgerald. He was then an integral part of the army and was positioned at Fort Atkinson.

As time passed by, Glass decided to spare Fitzgerald’s life. That man had killed one of the soldiers of the United States Army, thus his life was already at risk. Sooner or later, the army captain will aim directly for his head. Fitzgerald was asked to return the stolen rifle to Glass. The two met in person and before departing Glass threatened Fitzgerald to never leave the army, or else he would find him out and take his life for real. Some also say that Glass also received a compensation amount of $300 from the company.

How Did Hugh Glass Get Injured?

Back in the year 1822, many men joined the renowned fur-trading company of General William Henry Ashley. The company was looking for a total of 100 corps who were meant to depart for the Missouri river. Glass became a part of Ashley’s company in 1823. But the very year he joined the troop, Ashley’s company was heavily attacked by the native Americans, the fierce and bold Arikara warriors. Glass was also shot in his leg! But he survived this attack and managed to stay alive.

Along with the survivors of Ashley’s Party, Glass came back to Fort Kiowa. They formed the group again and decided to depart for the west trip. Andrew Henry, Ashley’s all-time partner, also became an integral member of the group. The team headed towards the Yellowstone River. But little did Glass know that problem was waiting for him. Near the forks of the Grand River, the brutal incident took place. It would be fair to say that Glass called the problem himself. He decided to shock the bears. A giant mother grizzly bear was relaxing with her two cubs but her spontaneous calmness was soon disturbed by Glass.

In a word, the bear was ready to tear him apart. The angry bear was ready to fight against Glass. But Hugh’s fellow team members eventually managed to kill the bear. Glass was rescued by the team but his survival became highly questionable. The group decided to carry his body down. They even took him down in a litter and traveled for almost two days. But the weight of Hugh’s body was making the group slow and thus they decided to abandon him.

The Revenant Is Based On Multiple Stories

The famous thriller movie which showcases the extraordinary true story of Hugh Glass is a mixture of several stories. The movie incorporates the story from the 19th-century poem, The Song of Hugh Glass. The film is also seen as a remake of Man in the Wilderness. Apart from these, the movie is also based on Michael Punke’s famous novel of the same name, which was penned by him in 2002. The movie is a combined version of all these source materials. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy were among the main cast members of the movie. DiCaprio’s extraordinary performance as Glass Hugh was heavily acclaimed by the audience.

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