L'appel de la forêt

"The Indians in this frozen land tell of a ghost dog which runs at the head of a wolf pack. - They are afraid. For it has more strength than any wolf, more cunning than any dog. No one knows from whence he came or why he stays."

Gold was found in Alaska, the rush to obtain it required a strong constitution and many dogs to do the work that horses usually did in the states. The environment bred harsh attitudes. Also, in the testing of one's mettle, one finds his/her true potential.

Buck (larger than most dogs) goes through many lives, trials, and tribulations finally realizing his potential. On the way he learns many concepts from surprise to deceit, and cunning; he also learns loyalty, devotion, and love. As he is growing he feels the call of the wild.

You do not have to have read the book to follow the story. However, being a film, much is accelerated and leaves less time for character and drama buildup. A few characters are removed but the main characters do not have to be modified to fill in the gaps.

For those that have read the book, you will notice the narration is word-for-word extracted from the book. You may also recognize the narrator's voice as that of Richard Dreyfuss. The dialog was modified to cover much of the narration that was left out or the descriptions that were not portrayed.

A few stories were left out or modified for brevity. The main difference is a lot of the blood and guts were replaced with inferences and a story where he gets the stuffing beat out of him is replaced with a threat of being shot. My only disappointment was leaving out the part where Buck, as wild as he becomes, periodically visits the place of John Thornton's demise.

Starring Rutger Hauer and Richard Dreyfuss ( Narrator).

Written by Jack London ( Novel), Graham Ludlow ( Screenplay.) Directed by Peter Svatek.

This is a case of a really good book being totally diluted.

Jack London's classic was beautifully written from the dog's perspective and was an incredible read. Sadly everything that made the book great has been lost in this film adaptation. It just felt like I was watching a trailer for the actual book. The beauty of the book simply didn't come across and we are left with something that is threadbare. The narration was probably an honest attempt to see the movie through the ayes of Buck but it was quite irritating.

Not great.

6/10

Jack London's story about man and dog is very finely rendered in this cinema version. The book is usually found in the Children's section of the library, but the theme is hardly kid-stuff, and this movie version is true the book. London went to Skagway and soaked up the gold-rush fever that led thousands of desperate fortune-hunters to venture into the Arctic in 1898. The film recreates that historic setting. If you have never read the book, get it and read it before viewing this film. London wrote a lot of books set in the frozen north, but my favorite is his short "story" entitled "To Build a Fire". Start with that, if you can find it, as an introduction to this prolific and great American writer.

It is a pity that we have yet to see good movies doing justice to Jack London's "Call of the Wild" and "The Sea Wolf" novels. This movie is the best I have seen for the former. The background music is great, scenery is spectacular, acting is good, and Jack London's great story is well narrated. The novel remains the best dog story ever told (I don't have any pets), but this movie should appeal to all who love outdoors. Besides, there is plenty of depth in this movie, dealing with nature and nurture, survival of the fittest etc. I give it 9 out of 10.

I would have loved the movie if I was 15-18, but still liked it. I still like dogs. And if you like the dogs, and life in the wilderness, you'll like the movie. Bit similar to "White Fang".