Shadow of the Wolf

I like this movie because drama of the arctic pole are rare! In this point of view, it's very original. But the settings are so Hollywood! This arctic don't seem to be so cold and Jennifer Tilly don't look like an Inuit woman. But the story is good, even if the movie had few to do with the Yves Theriault book AGAGUK (it's supposed to be the movie of the book). But it's a good piece of work. Lou Diamond Phillips is O.K.

The Far North in 1935 is the setting for this dull film. An Eskimo man falls out with his father, the tribal leader, over which of them gets "the woman". He and the woman must flee to parts unknown after he kills a man in self defense. Soon a mountie is on his trail which forces him to brave the frozen tundra alone while being stalked by a white wolf. All this sounds like it made for a good adventure tale, but it was just plain boring. And who was the moron who cast Jennifer Tilly as an eskimo? She looks about as much like an eskimo as the Reverend Jesse Jackson. This was a been there, done that, lame film from the very outset. Avoid!

This interesting film results to be a special remake of ¨The savage innocents ¨ the classic film starred by Anthony Quinn and Peter O'Toole and directed by Nicholas Ray . Stars a sensational Lou Diamond Phillips as ingenious Eskimos on the breathtaking and overwhelming Arctic outdoors . This is a co-production by two countries, Canada and France and distributed by Columbia TriStar . Based on the best-selling Canadian novel titled Agaguk and well adapted by Jacques Dorfmann . Dorfmann wrote the adaptation and controlled completely the film , he always considered his best work . Dorfmann investigated about Eskimos life with documentary style and developed a lyric clash among two civilizations : The primitive ,naive of the natives Eskimos and the Anglo-Xaxon civilized . The confrontation between different ways of life originated loneliness, flight and exclusion .

This overwrought picture was shot in Montreal , Quebec and Northwest territories , Canada . The technician team traveled looking for the wonderful locations of the Arctic exteriors . Spectacular and colorful cinematography in Technicolor 35 mm by Billy Williams , winner Academy Award for ¨Gandhi ¨ , showing marvelous landscapes from Arctic where wee see all type of animals : White bear , seals ,walrus , oxes , whales ,Arctic fox , among others . Sensible, evocative musical score by the great Maurice Jarre , author of soundtracks as Lawrence of Arabia and Dr Zivago . Lou Diamond Phillips gives an exceptional acting along with the remarkable Jennifer Tilly . The veteran actress from Japanese classic cinema , Toshiro Mifune plays splendidly as the tough father . In a secondary role Donald Sutherland plays a patrolman who pursues to Lou Diamond accused for killing a salesman . The great and stylish producer and filmmaker Jacques Dorfman working at the peak of his powers . The motion picture is professionally written , produced and directed directed by Jacques Dorfmann . He's a good writer and especially producer as ¨Quest of fire ¨ , ¨Bethune¨, ¨ Shock treatment ¨ , ¨ Army of Shadows ¨, and occasionally director as ¨Vercingetorix¨ and this one . Well worth watching for the brooding script and wonderful location . Rating : Acceptable and passable .

I found this film to a little dull but what makes this one accurate is the fact that the way the Inuit are portrayed in it. They are depicted quite well for a Hollywood made flick. I'm very surprised how many actors of actual Inuit background were in this film. I know for a fact that they weren't just actors of other ethnic backgrounds pretending to be Inuit since their last names are actually Inuit names. All the other villagers were truly Inuit except for Lou Diamond Phillips and Jennifer Tilly. I love ANY film that deals with Native North Americans just as long as its not a typical Hollywood made movie that views them as "savages" or "heathens" who like to attack wagon trains!! I personally don't appreciate negative stereotypes like that.

But ........... however........ anyways........... this is the reason why I gave this film a 6 out of 10.

How often do you get to travel to the arctic and live with the indigenous people there who have been living pretty nearly the life of their distant and technologically primitive ancestors? Excellent cinematography, excellent musical score. Very enjoyable experience.