Arctic Fury

This is a weak movie and the actor's ripped shirt looks silly. Watch it for the animals. Lots of animal action. The bear cubs are cute.

I was actually pretty damn shocked to discover that Arctic Fury is a Frankenfilm! Cobbled together with footage from 2 previous 1930s films. I didn't notice this. Using footage from previous films, & cobbling it together, with some newly shot footage & passing it off as a "new film", was a common tactic, or should I say trick, commonly used as a cost cutting measure, prior to the 1970s. However, this tactic was usually practiced by either indie films or poverty row studio films. They certainly weren't usually done by any big studios, like RKO, in this instance. Still, there was enough of an interesting story & breathtaking wildlife footage, that I was able to enjoy this particular, Frankenfilm. The narrator was annoying, but not enough to make me turn it off. 6 out of 10

According to the opening, this is based on a true story. It is the north shore of Alaska beyond the Arctic Circle. Dr. Thomas Barlow (Alfred Delcambre) is one of the few doctors operating that far north. A native band is struggling with a western disease. Barlow is alerted and sets off to find the tribe.

The story is pretty basic. I do question that he doesn't keep his coat. I do not like the light tone and having two Disney cubs join him. I would rather stress the deadly dangers surrounding him. I question a lot of this story. I do love the animals and the wilderness. I even like the cute cubs no matter how far-fetched. I like the stock footages and it is entertaining enough to watch all the way to the end.

Robert Flaherty's masterpiece, "Nanook" (1922), awakened people to the harsh reality of the struggle for survival in the Alaskan wilderness. And Nanook became a household name. "Arctic Fury" revisits that world, by reworking an earlier film about the same subject, "Tundra" (1936), with a new edit and new footage. Norman Dawn directed Alfred Delcambre in both. The nature footage and animals are wonderful and the story of a dedicated and courageous doctor, risking his life, to bring medicine to native people in a remote location, is suspenseful and involving. Quibbles about narration and music cannot diminish this achievement.

Way too harsh on the criticism. Totally enjoyed the awesome wildlife footage, staged model airplane footage & the baby bear cub co-stars. Yes its contrived & implausible, but lots of fun on an early Saturday morning.