| Challenge to Be Free | |
| Director: | Tay Garnett |
| Producer: | Chuck D. Keen |
| Narrator: | John McIntire |
| Starring: | Mike Mazurki |
| Music: | Ian Bernard |
| Cinematography: | Chuck D. Keen |
| Distributor: | Pacific International Enterprises |
| Runtime: | 88 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Gross: | $7.5 million[1] |
Challenge to Be Free (a.k.a. Mad Trapper of the Yukon and Mad Trapper) is an anti-hero film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Mike Mazurki. The film's plot was a loosely based on the 1931 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (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.[2]
Another film exploring the same topic was The Mad Trapper (1972), a British made-for-television production.[3] A later fictionalized account, Death Hunt (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, Angie Dickinson, and Carl Weathers.[4]
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.
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.[5] As an American production, Johnson's character was changed to simply "Trapper". The theme song "Trapper Man" was featured.[6] 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.
Reviewer Leonard Maltin characterized Challenge to Be Free as being "... A very charming film, wonderful for younger viewers."[7]