This will probably somewhat remind you of the documentary "The Last Trapper", filmed in the Yukon wilderness, and of some of the presently popular TV 'last frontier' documentaries as well as a few Hollywood productions. However, this is a fictional romantic and adventure story, played out in 19th century coastal BC and the wild hinterlands of BC.
So, what is the trap? I think it has several applications as relates to this story. The main male character is heavy set French trapper Jean, La Bete(Oliver Reed), who works the BC wilderness and, once in a long while, comes to the coastal town to sell his pelts. Incidentally, La Bete translates as 'the animal or beast': presumably a label bestowed by the townies, but one that he relishes to live up to when in town. After getting to know him later in the wilderness, he doesn't seem all that bad a fellow.
We have a mute, though not deaf, young woman(Eve), as the main female character, played by Rita Tushingham. La Bete initially refers to her as 'the rabbit' because she doesn't say anything and tries to stay in the background. La Bete, having been unsuccessful at purchasing one of the ex-con women brought on the steamer, reluctantly agrees to buy this plain-looking mute from her foster mother, desperate for cash, who pitches her muteness as a possible plus, on the whole. Eve is initially frightened of this sudden development, and tries to run away. But, she's essentially trapped as his slave, technically. However, she makes it very plain that that she will not be his sexual slave. It's quite possible that she is frigid, in general, because of her traumatic experience with the murder of her natal family by Indians, which left her 'speechless', or maybe some other reason.
Then, there is the episode where the trapper is caught in his bear trap, having been disturbed by a snarling cougar while checking his trap(very unlikely). After a miraculous journey back to his cabin, including fending off wolves, after a few days it's plain that gangrene is setting in. He orders Eve to amputate his foot. Of course, she is fearful of this novel responsibility, accomplished with one mighty stroke of his ax!
After recovering from this trauma, the two apparently finally make love(since she later has a miscarriage) for the first time, which clearly appears to be somewhat voluntary on her part. However, the next morning, she inexplicably abandons La Bete, who is hobbling around on a make shift crutch, casting off in their canoe, toward town. Apparently, she didn't want a repeat of her sexual experience, possibly due to the pain and blood of her first such encounter. Battered by ferocious rapids, she is eventually found by Indians, unconscious and near death(from what?) in her canoe. She is taken to her town, where she eventually recovers, and eventually appears to be ready to be the bride of the handsome young clerk she previously liked. But, at the last moment, she casts off in her canoe for La Bete's cabin(past all those ferocious rapids!) Perhaps she was fearful of what would happen when her husband-to-be discovered she was frigid(if she was). Probably, she missed the adventuresome, if primitive, life of a trapper, fearing she would feel trapped in a routine woman's role in town. Probably, most importantly, she now felt more 'at home' as the only woman in her wilderness world, rather than a 'freak' in the town world. And, I'm sure she was concerned about how La Bete was going to survive without his one foot, and feeling guilty that he had paid a steep price for her: a plain-looking, possibly frigid, mute woman, but nonetheless a now reasonably compatible one.
Yes, there are any number of possible meanings to 'the trap' and we have to guess the primary reason or set or reasons for some of Eve's contrary behaviors, which some reviewers see as a failing of the screen play or acting(I don't). I'm more disturbed by some of the very implausible events, which I mentioned. However, such are present in most fictional films. The town scenes were filmed on small Bowen Island, near Vancouver. Some of the outdoors scenes were filmed in several BC provincial parks, while others clearly were done on a sound stage. The indoor scenes were done in Vancouver or London.
Presently viewable at You Tube.
So, what is the trap? I think it has several applications as relates to this story. The main male character is heavy set French trapper Jean, La Bete(Oliver Reed), who works the BC wilderness and, once in a long while, comes to the coastal town to sell his pelts. Incidentally, La Bete translates as 'the animal or beast': presumably a label bestowed by the townies, but one that he relishes to live up to when in town. After getting to know him later in the wilderness, he doesn't seem all that bad a fellow.
We have a mute, though not deaf, young woman(Eve), as the main female character, played by Rita Tushingham. La Bete initially refers to her as 'the rabbit' because she doesn't say anything and tries to stay in the background. La Bete, having been unsuccessful at purchasing one of the ex-con women brought on the steamer, reluctantly agrees to buy this plain-looking mute from her foster mother, desperate for cash, who pitches her muteness as a possible plus, on the whole. Eve is initially frightened of this sudden development, and tries to run away. But, she's essentially trapped as his slave, technically. However, she makes it very plain that that she will not be his sexual slave. It's quite possible that she is frigid, in general, because of her traumatic experience with the murder of her natal family by Indians, which left her 'speechless', or maybe some other reason.
Then, there is the episode where the trapper is caught in his bear trap, having been disturbed by a snarling cougar while checking his trap(very unlikely). After a miraculous journey back to his cabin, including fending off wolves, after a few days it's plain that gangrene is setting in. He orders Eve to amputate his foot. Of course, she is fearful of this novel responsibility, accomplished with one mighty stroke of his ax!
After recovering from this trauma, the two apparently finally make love(since she later has a miscarriage) for the first time, which clearly appears to be somewhat voluntary on her part. However, the next morning, she inexplicably abandons La Bete, who is hobbling around on a make shift crutch, casting off in their canoe, toward town. Apparently, she didn't want a repeat of her sexual experience, possibly due to the pain and blood of her first such encounter. Battered by ferocious rapids, she is eventually found by Indians, unconscious and near death(from what?) in her canoe. She is taken to her town, where she eventually recovers, and eventually appears to be ready to be the bride of the handsome young clerk she previously liked. But, at the last moment, she casts off in her canoe for La Bete's cabin(past all those ferocious rapids!) Perhaps she was fearful of what would happen when her husband-to-be discovered she was frigid(if she was). Probably, she missed the adventuresome, if primitive, life of a trapper, fearing she would feel trapped in a routine woman's role in town. Probably, most importantly, she now felt more 'at home' as the only woman in her wilderness world, rather than a 'freak' in the town world. And, I'm sure she was concerned about how La Bete was going to survive without his one foot, and feeling guilty that he had paid a steep price for her: a plain-looking, possibly frigid, mute woman, but nonetheless a now reasonably compatible one.
Yes, there are any number of possible meanings to 'the trap' and we have to guess the primary reason or set or reasons for some of Eve's contrary behaviors, which some reviewers see as a failing of the screen play or acting(I don't). I'm more disturbed by some of the very implausible events, which I mentioned. However, such are present in most fictional films. The town scenes were filmed on small Bowen Island, near Vancouver. Some of the outdoors scenes were filmed in several BC provincial parks, while others clearly were done on a sound stage. The indoor scenes were done in Vancouver or London.
Presently viewable at You Tube.