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NEVER CRY WOLF is a motion picture that is nothing short of miraculous. Film maker Carroll Ballard succeeded in creating a magnificent motion picture filled with overwhelmingly beautiful and evocative imagery that stirs the soul and fills the heart with wonderment. In addition the film is augmented by a brilliant and haunting musical score.

It is rare for a film to touch me as profoundly as this one did. I'd like to see an indelible print of NEVER CRY WOLF be placed within a time capsule so that the generations of the next Millenium could experience it.

This is a good autobiographical movie which raises interesting issues about the preservation of wildlife and the necessary role of the wolf in the ecosystem of the north. Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti) "Farley Mowat/Tyler," reminded me of my husband when he was in graduate school and had to do field research. Typical of graduate students, they are so excited about the project that they don't analyze the difficulties and the ways of doing their stuff. I highly recommend the movie even though the movie makers modified the book. The wolves are not killed nor did the bush pilot bring in Japanese investors to build a resort in the book. What a relief! I like movies done in different locations about preservationists, they always show neat scenes, challenges and perseverance. I am surprised that Tyler did not die in all that ice. I guess there would not be a movie, would there? In such circumstances I am sure I would freeze to death. The movie is fun, interesting, educational, the cinematography is great, and also touches on the Indians' religious beliefs, that it is always interesting. I love that movie. Favorite Scenes: Candle light dinner, with barbecued mice. All the mice starring at Tyler while he eats his dinner. The menu: mice with crackers, barbecued mice, mouse sandwiches . . . The territorial demarcation with the wolves; the wolf finishing in two minutes what Tyler needed many cups of tea to do. Funny!!!! Favorite Quotes: "We are suspicious of what we don't understand." I recommend it! This is an extremely enjoyable movie. I have seen the movie many times.

This film is not a typical Disney movie; so much so that you wonder why they did it. The simple good-evil storyline common to most Disney movies does not exist here. All characters have a different motive, and all are convinced of their own morality. What's more, they convince you. You see the issue of enviornmentalism in Alaska from all sides; and even if you may not agree with everyone, you can at least see it from their perspective. In the end however, the message is far more simple and it is tough to argue with.

Another trait that immediately stands out about this movie is its striking rawness. For a good part of the film, the main character narrates, and one gets the feeling he's writing home, as opposed to telling an audience. This adds both an intimacy and a sincerity and is very effective.

Though it is largely unknown (and therefore largely under-appreciated), Never Cry Wolf is a beautiful, complex and forceful. A high point for Disney -- no contest.

"Never Cry Wolf" is a good reason why I like the movies. Human characters, compelling story, warm humor and breathtaking scenery (with the Atlin area in Northwestern British Columbia filling in for Alaska) combine to make it a favorite of mine.

"Tour de Force" doesn't seem quite the right turn of phrase for Charles Martin Smith's performance as the scientist Tyler for such a low-key character but he is the heart of the movie. It's especially noticeable when I associate Mr. Smith as Toad in "American Graffiti". His scene with the wolves and caribou is amazing and primal.

Samson Jorah is marvelous as the Inuit Mike ("He says, 'Great idea!'")

What a treat it is to watch compared to all the noise and quick-cut editing that dominate modern movies.

I have loved this movie since the first time I saw it over 15 years ago. But as I have read through numerous reviews, I find them missing a few elements that make this movie so wonderful.

There are two subtle elements of wilderness, that unless you have experienced them, you will probably miss in the movie, silence and melancholy.

When one experience solitude and wilderness as Tyler does, the first thing you notice is the silence that surrounds you. The only noises that can be heard are the ones you make, and simple actions like scratching your hand, striking a match, or the rustle of your nylon parka as you simply move all become a symphony of noises you never noticed before.

The director, Carroll Ballard, takes great pains to illustrate this in the beginning of the movie( knowing all the while most viewers will miss these subtleties) as Tyler is left on the a frozen lake with all his gear strewn about. Rosie guns the engine to his plane for the third time and finally gets to takes off. The sound of that single engine plane is deafening and overpowers everything within 25 miles, but the silence Tyler is left with as the last throb of the plane's engine disappears in the distance is even more so. All of Tyler's actions at this point center around the noise they make. Notice this when you watch.

The next element of wilderness and solitude the director so painstakingly portrays is melancholy. There is no better way to describe it. Melancholy is an intangible, an emotion, yet for any who have experienced wilderness on the level that Tyler does knows how overwhelmingly real it is. It is palpable. The melancholy not only comes from within but comes from all around. It is an element of wilderness that is there even if man is not.

The scene that best depicts this melancholy is when Tyler is out sitting on the rock, alone, with only creatures of the tundra to keep him company. It is twilight. His hair and glasses are wet from an earlier snow, and he sits and plays his oboe. Not a song but a phrase, an echoing phrase that sings out his loneliness to the empty expanse. And off in the distance is a kindred reply, the howl of a lone wolf, a cry that says I know, I understand.

Never Cry Wolf is a tremendous film and is equally underrated. In one sense it is a master piece, one that will never receive mass appeal or recognition. It speaks to us on multiple levels and with subtle intensity, but unfortunately most of us aren't able to hear the message.