Lee Marvin was originally intended for Jeremiah and is rejected by the panel.
A Clint Eastwood version directed by Sam Peckinpah reportedly collapsed when they did not get along.
Steve McQueen is considered capable of the physical role but still inferior to Redford.
Redford’s real attachment to nature and Utah is cited as making him uniquely suited.

Harrison Ford, Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, and several current actors are considered by decade.

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:06:44Read transcript

Harrison Ford is selected for a 1982 version.
Daniel DeLewis is selected for 1992.
Russell Crowe is selected for 2002.
Brad Pitt is selected for 2012 over Damon.
Chris Pratt, Hemsworth, Austin Butler, Michael B. Jordan, Denzel, Ryan Gosling, and Glenn Powell are considered for a current or alternate version.
A British Jeremiah is strongly rejected.

The Utah locations, Pollack’s financial commitment, severe cold, Del Gue’s self-protective behavior, Cannes premiere, and illnesses are reported.

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:04Read transcript

The film reportedly used nearly one hundred Utah locations.
Sydney Pollack reportedly mortgaged his home when the production was running out of money.
The cold reportedly made second takes difficult and left the crew miserable.
Del talking to himself is explained as a tactic to be regarded as touched and left alone.
The film was the first Western accepted at Cannes.
Redford listed cases of frostbite, strep throat, and pneumonia during production.
The filmmakers accepted less money in order to shoot in Utah rather than relocate.

Food, burial-ground communication and timing, leaving the family, Crow tactics, and Jeremiah joining the rescue are questioned.

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:19:09Read transcript

The group asks why Jeremiah does not eat his dead horse when food is scarce.
Jeremiah is said to need a firmer way to refuse crossing the burial ground.
Leaving Woman and the boy alone after seeing an earlier massacre is criticized.
The timing of finding Swan’s trinket and returning from the rescue is questioned.
The Crow fighters repeatedly attacking one-on-one without changing tactics are questioned.
Jeremiah joining the cavalry rescue despite rejecting religion is questioned and defended as lingering soldierly duty.

Jeremiah’s war past, the chief’s retaliation, Bear Claw’s romantic history, and whether the final act is a death vision remain open.

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:25:28Read transcript

Whether Jeremiah deserted the Mexican War is treated as unresolved.
The chief’s decision to kill Jeremiah’s family despite their earlier friendship is questioned.
Bear Claw’s romantic and sexual history is questioned.
The group asks whether Jeremiah dies before the final montage and whether the ending is a fever dream or legend.

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:29:48Read transcript

An Eastwood Western and The Searchers are proposed with Jeremiah Johnson as a three-film program.
The Revenant is proposed as a modern frontier-survival pairing.
The Last of the Mohicans is proposed as another pairing.
Cast Away is later selected for a double feature about solitary survival.