Customer Reviews

The Trap

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Oliver Reed and Rita Tushingham turn in topnotch performances in this unforgettable story of adventure and romance in 1849 British Columbia. Reed plays a rugged, brutish fur trapper who purchases a wife to provide companionship and children. Tushingham plays Eve, the unfortunate mute orphan girl sold to the trapper by her conniving foster mother.

The inside joke of the film is that Rita Tushingham, who had made six films prior to this one, is famous for her ability to speak volumes just with her facial expressions and her large woebegone eyes. Therefore the film has her playing the part of a woman who cannot speak, and can *only* convey her thoughts through her eyes and expressions (perhaps she should have brought pencil & paper).

Eve initially rebels against her predicament, and makes it quite clear that having his babies is out of the question. But fighting together against Indians, wild animals, injuries, and brutal weather draws them closer, as they are forced to depend upon each other for their very survival.

Only the two lead actors are on screen for most of the movie, and it makes for a mesmerizing two-person character study. Watch the evolution of their characters as fear and hostility are gradually replaced by respect and acceptance.

Reed's character slowly comes to accept Eve as a person, and she slowly begins to care for him as it becomes clear that he is a rough man, but not an evil man. Eve's growth from terrified girl to confident woman, able to make her own life choices, is the central theme of the movie.

Tushingham works hard to convey Eve's every thought and emotion through her hyper-expressive eyes & face, and there is never a moment in which the viewer doesn't know exactly what Eve is thinking or feeling. Reed fills the screen with his unique brand of charismatic bluster.

David Osborn's script won several awards, and the rugged wilderness locations are well-captured by cinematographer Robert Krasker. An authentic settlement was constructed for the film near Bowen Island, just north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Lakeside scenes were filmed at Birkenhead Lake, near Pemberton, British Columbia.

Rita Tushingham was bitten by the squirrel that she had to feed in one scene, and was forced to endure interminable hospital paperwork before she could get her tetanus shot. Oliver Reed required 70 stitches after a scene involving an encounter with wild animals, and nearly drowned while filming the white-water rapids scene. Tushingham's husband accompanied her to Canada for filming, and was incapacitated for a couple of days after Oliver Reed spiked his drink -- just Ollie's way of having some fun!

The musical score by Ron Goodwin (633 Squadron) is at times vigorous and exciting, at other times wistful and plaintive, always a perfect accompaniment to the film's visual component. (His Main Theme was later adopted as the theme used by the BBC in their coverage of the London Marathon.)

A sadly neglected movie gem. Highly recommended.

View some photos from the film on my Rita Tushingham fansite
http://members.cox.net/rjd0309/tush/

Lush Canadian scenery spreads as far as the eye can see, and yet this obscure little film manages to convey claustrophobia on the part of a timid mute woman compelled to wed a brutish fur trapper named Jean La Bete, whose last name literally translates into "the Beast". This movie boasts a good script, gorgeous cinematography, fine direction and wonderful acting from its leads, Rita Tushingham as Eve and Oliver Reed as Jean.

Traumatized by an incident involving Indians, possibly rape judging from her terrified reaction to Jean's advances, Eve lives far away from civilization with her new husband, who is a stranger to her. They are strangers to one another. Jean has a fixed idea of what women are good for(having babies), but is forced to reassess his view of Eve when she adamantly refuses to let him touch her. In the wilderness, this silent young woman works a minor miracle: She brings civilization to the forest and tames the beastlike man to whom she is married. As they face dangers and work together, their relationship alters from bully and victim to equals. Eve grows to care for this rough man as Jean struggles to bring forth his underdeveloped tender side. He in turn learns to respect her and treat her as a human being instead of property. Their eventual consummation is tender and yet seems to traumatize her all over again. She flees, believing him to somehow be her enemy, and he cries out in anguish, unable to follow her, that he was not the one who hurt her in the past. Both are heartbroken at their parting. In the end, when the same well-meaning relatives who sold her to Jean try to find her another husband, Eve makes up her mind as to where she belongs. She has grown from her relationship with the trapper to a confident woman who's willing to face hardships to be truly happy.

The cast did a terrific job with the material. Oliver Reed was masculine as the virile Jean, who curbs his ardor and tries to woo his bride instead of forcing her to accept him. Rita Tushingham conveys an incredible range of emotions without uttering a word. The two actors played off each other very well and had a strong onscreen chemistry. We enjoyed this movie very much, and recommend it to fans of Oliver Reed, Miss Tushingham, or tender yet powerful love stories.

I've recently seen this movie for the very first time, even though it was made in 1966 (the year I was born!) Beautiful love story, gorgeous setting & scenery, incredible acting...who says you need computer generated special effects to create a great movie!! The plot is simple: Set in the mid 1800's, a meek and MUTE orphaned woman, named Eve, is reluctantly "sold" to a lonely, rugged fur trapper (named Jean La Bete) looking for a wife. We watch how their relationship evolves as they struggle to survive in the isolated wilderness. The most touching part of this movie was how Eve(played by the actress, Rita Tushingham), was able to transform her 'new husband'-- a drunken, brutish, bully of a man-- into a softer, kinder, more respectful partner...without ever saying ONE SINGLE WORD to him, EVER. How La Bete helps Eve to become a confident, strong woman able to survive in the forest, despite the childhood tragedy that left her mute and so very timid, is also wonderful. Oliver Reed is gorgeous in this movie, incredibly masculine...and Rita Tushingham is beautiful in the simplest and purest of ways. The love that develops between them is of the truest kind, and the ending is both sweet and satisfying. I also loved the music! Lots of suspense too! I will never ever forget this movie. I just wish there had been a book to go along with it!! Or a sequel!!

THE TRAP is a wonderful movie, too bad this DVD does not do it justice.

The movie is presented in widescreen format. We can see the entire frame in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It is not presented in 16:9 anamorphic format though, only 4:3 letterboxed. The movie has a single audio track, in German. There is NO English audio track.

The quality of the image is only fair. Schröder Media apparently did not remaster the movie from a good print. The image lacks detail, lacks sharpness, and scenes are alternately too bright or too dark (they didn't adjust the film's dynamic range for home video).

For the benefit of English-speaking customers, there is a 4:3 cropped pan & scan USA-TV version of the movie included as an extra featurette. The quality is only fair, the color is faded, the image lacks sharpness, and it suffers from the same dynamic range problems as the main feature.

All in all, this DVD is a disappointment. The USA-TV version is useless and should not have been included. Rather, the main feature should have been given two selectable audio tracks, German and English, instead of only a German track. It boggles the mind that Schröder Media handled it this way, as it is child's play to add a second audio track to a DVD feature.

The only positive thing that I can say about this DVD is that the main feature shows the entire 2.35:1 aspect-ratio frame of the original film. I can finally see everything that appeared on the original cinema screen as it was when the film was first released in 1966.

And that's the real disappointment here. There are some wonderful scenic vistas of British Columbia in this film that beg to be seen on a properly remastered and restored 16:9 anamorphic widescreen DVD. Hopefully, we won't have to wait another 40 years for a Quality DVD company to come along and do a proper job.

This has to be one of my all time favorite classics. For those of you who have never seen, then this is absolutely a must! Not that the acting is the best ever, but because it is a classic...and the acting bears witness to the films unusual content. Well, unusual for me to comprehend as the love story is boarderline eccentric, shadow boxing with reality.

Story content was believable, clarity of color amazed me...one can plug into the scenery, never wanting to return to reality...How did those older movie producers do that?

Keeps your adrenaline flowing, amidst a sweet, adventurous, inspiring, poignant story about tolerance, friendship and yes, eventually trust & love.

Crisp emotions frozen in time...some parts were jaw dropping yet, believable...and trust, I'm not alone in remembering this long ago sundry approach in time, when life seemed far less complicated...in some long forgotten era that seemed almost magic, & far far away...you shouldn't miss this one.

Still no DVD release ,with all the rubbish that finds its onto DVD in endless rerelease's why can't this film find it's self just once
The film is beautifully shot in British Columbia and a theme that matches the area
Seeing Oliver Reed and Rita Tushingham in this movie is fantastic, both at their peak years
So please release DVD

This is definetely one of my favourite movies... Great story, great actors, and visually beautiful... The first time I saw it, I was barely 10 yearls old... Today,ten years later, I watched it again, and I loved it just as much ! Somehow I think this is quite an under rated movie; and I think it rightly deserves to be on DVD !!!! (full screen too ! haha) Oliver Reed and Rita Tushingham give masterful performances in this touching story... This is the sort of movie you never forget...

I saw this movie one late night on TV in the early 70's while living in NYC. The image of Eve and Jean La Bete discovering themselves set against the Northwest wilderness never left me. Over the years this movie kept creeping back into my head like few other movies have. It is not the best produced movie ever made, but it tells a story that is unique, simple and compelling. Reed brings a "bull in the chinashop" masculinity to the character Jean La Bete that at first conflicts with, but then blends with the very subtle beauty and inner strength of Eve, played perfectly and silently by Rita Tushingham. (Tushingham also plays the adult daughter of Laura and Dr. Zhivago in Dr. Zhivago.)

I didn't see "The Trap" again until a few years ago when I came across a cheap used copy online. This is a very unusual love story. "The Trap" might catch you like it did me years ago.

first time i saw this film was in 1997. with terry my girl friend.my soul mate. it was her favorite film of all time. she shared it with me. it touched me.the scenes and the story along with the actors and chacters.it just simply is a beautiful movie that will stick with you the rest of your life. i think about this movie now and again. she told me if i ever came across it. buy it no matter what it cost.she thought that highly of it. i do too.terry died. i miss her dearly.when ever i see this movie. i think of her. its a hall mark hall of fame.i give it the highest grade possible

I remember this movie dearly, clearly one of the best movies that was under rated. It was here that I fell in love with Oliver Reed. It always seemed to come on during the weekend in the winter months. My mother along with me and my sister would hurry to do all chores, and settle in to watch this tender story about two completely different people surviving against the harsh conditions of the land and in their lives to become one in spirit. Watching this movie will put you right there in the breath taking wilderness. Everything about this movie from the actors to the techinical crew was top notch.