Leonardo DiCaprio Movie The Revenant Showcases South Dakota

Leonardo DiCaprio. You hear the name and you think of Titanic, The Great Gatsby, The Aviator, Blood Diamond and now a movie with a South Dakota ties, The Revenant.

The Revenant is a movie based on the story of Hugh Glass, a real life story of a man mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead. The word Revenant is French and means back from the dead. The name fits as Glass survived and got revenge.

I remember reading about Hugh Glass in South Dakota History when I was in 6th grade. It was a fascinating story that told of Glass being left for dead after being attacked by a sow grizzly bear. Glass was left for dead by his partners and that's just where the story begins.

The true story actually happened near what is now Lemmon, South Dakota and it's coming to the big screen soon. According to CBS News.com,

Organizers in the town of Lemmon, South Dakota, will launch the first annual Hugh Glass Rendezvous in August in advance of "The Revenant," which will be released in December.

Glass is a legend in the region for having been mauled by a grizzly in August of 1823 near what is now the Shadehill Reservoir. The frontiersman was left for dead by his fellow travelers, but survived and sought revenge.

I've often thought I was born 100 years too late. I'm putting this movie on my list to go check out when it comes out in December.

I was curious if any of the cast might be coming to South Dakota for filming. Turns out most of that is being done in the more rugged country that Canada has to offer.

I get that. After all, I think it's been quite a long time since they spotted a Grizzly in Perkins County.