BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

SimonJack Several years ago, I rode the White Pass and Yukon Railway from Skagway, Alaska, to Carcross, Yukon, Canada. The 68-mile line through the Coast Range Mountains follows the first leg of the route taken by nearly 100,000 people who "rushed" to the gold fields of the Yukon, Klondike and Alaska. The great gold rush that goes by all three names began in 1896 and ended in 1899. Jack London's book, The Call of the Wild, came out in 1903, and was set mainly in that time and place. But his setting didn't have a railway or highways – which had not yet been built. The only way to Dawson City, the goal of the rushers, was overland on foot for most people, and by dog sled for the more fortunate. Today, one can get a sense of the extreme difficulty and hardships of the gold seekers, by taking a trip on the narrow-gage railway that was begun in 1898 and completed in 1900. Although the gold rush ended abruptly, the railway and later Klondike Highway from Skagway remained the principal means of supplies for the Yukon Territory well past the mid-20th century. The railway today thrives mostly on tourist trade. The trip to Carcross is a popular shore excursion for cruise ships that sail to Alaska and stop at Skagway. Check out YouTube for video segments on this rail trip. I mention all of this because I think it adds to one's sense of the challenge and struggle of the people of that time. I remember reading London's book way back in high school (a few decades ago). While the dog, Buck, is the central hero of the book, the story was also much about the human travail of the gold rush. This film does a good job of showing the human foibles, errors of judgment and lack of sense among people who caught the gold "fever." Of course, Buck and the other dogs and wolves, are a big part of the film. The scenery and sets are excellent. I can see how the film-makers used locales in Norway for scenes that look almost exactly like early newspaper photos of the gold rush. The acting, cinematography and sets are all top drawer in "The Call of the Wild." The weakness in the film is in the script, direction and editing. And, I'm not sure yet, on the musical score. These aspects were choppy at times. Too often, we would have a sudden break in scenes, with no transition. Closer attention to these details could have made this an outstanding film. But for the story it tells from the book, and the scenery, sets and acting, I give it 8 stars. For its historical value and realism, "The Call of the Wild" ranks among a few very good films about hardships and struggles with nature. That was not the main plot London had in mind, but the film serves up that secondary plot very well.If you ever take an Alaskan cruise that stops at Skagway, be sure to take the White Pass and Yukon Railway trip to Carcross. A barbecue lunch is at the Yukon end, and you return by bus on the Klondike Highway. It only operates during the summer months. It's a bit costly, but well worth it. This rail line is a major historical and engineering shrine today. Skagway also has a fine museum on the gold rush, and the U.S. National Park Service has a Yukon Gold Rush museum in downtown Seattle.

happipuppi13 Have you ever gotten one of those inexpensive DVD collections of movies? The kind with about 4 DVD's to the box and most of the movies included are just really bad or so bad they make you laugh? In the case of "The Call Of The Wild",it's hard to say which category it falls in of those two. A fair amount of this movie is is just plain dull. In terms of (as someone mentioned) the endless outdoor snow & dog sled scenes. I think there was nearly a half hour of this,or at least it felt like it. The almost non-stop barking of the dogs and just gosh-awful music playing over the scenes, got to be annoying as well.I found the kidnapping of the dog to be completely senseless. It's taken from a California family and I asked myself, "Did they not have pet stores to buy a dog back then?" The dog-napper could have bought a dog and sold it for more.I understand from the beginning that the main character is the German Shepard. Even more so when the ,all too real looking, abusive scenes of animal cruelty are shown. To make it more obvious of the Shepard being the main character, a good idea would have been to get a lesser known actor than Heston. He's always been larger than life on screen no matter what he's been in,so of course,people think that he's the main character.Interseting to see Heston so devoted to the dog and it's well being,much like it's a better friend to him than the humans he knows and hunts for gold with. In reference to those characters,they are the kind I've seen in many films before,more so Westerns. You have the drunken mobs,either in the saloon or the street and of course the big chested female who is the entertainment but pretty much runs the place. She even gives Heston a bath!Then there's the guy who hates the dog and Heston and wants the dog killed because of being (deservedly) bitten by the dog. Heston's buddy talks the man into a wager that if the dog call pull 500 pounds via dog sled,on his own,for 100 yards,then the dog gets to live. Of course the dog pulls it successfully,after the initial struggle.Near the end is a very senseless Indian attack on Heston and his one remaining partner who've finally discovered gold. Killing them both and Heston winds face up underwater.with the dog looking down at him helplessly. The overall point here,is "what's the point of this film?" Maybe if the look and sound were all restored to a better quality I could understand it and enjoy it better? If the acting and direction had not been so bland? Probably not. I can only say that,seeing Heston work with the Shepard , the German Shepard's "acting" and the incredible scene of the thundering,circling herd were the most interesting things shown here. I can,for these 3 things only,give the movie two stars. (END)

Freddy Levit I don't know about other people, although looking at the score this website has given this film I can only ponder, but when it comes to international team work in making a film, I often love the results. In fact, I loved this movie and thought it was extraordinary. Oh and the emotion, it blew me away. 'Call Of The Wild' is a very emotional story of a German Sheppard's forced journey from 19th Century California to the Goldrush of the Alaskan wilderness and the meeting with its new owner with which it becomes closer to than with anyone or anything else. A very simple story indeed, but the legendary Jack London knew how to tell a great high adventure tale on an epic scale and he obviously fancied dogs very much as is shown with his minute details about his subjects. I believe that Ken Annakin (the director of this film) realized London's vision to perfection and translated it brilliantly to the screen.The sheer realism that Jack London told his stories with takes you to another world and it takes your breath away with their uplifting finales. Ken Annakin had done a wonderful job with directing "Call Of The Wild". The dog in the film is an actor itself as it plays such an integral part of the film. Not even half way into it, it is almost certain that you will fall in love with the dog. Its emotions and gestures are all natural, and it's easy to relate to the dog's journey. Five minutes into the film, I was hooked. The dog had such a commanding presence that not even Charlton Heston could get in its way. And then there is Charlton Heston, a man of such phenomenal, legendary influence on film history. Yet even with his power, fame and success he is one of the few actors in the world who's fame doesn't distract from the film. It's his strong presence and every-man, human and subtle performances that set him apart from many actors on the same level of fame. He is always the same 'Chuck', but he is more like we are and that's why we loved his films so much. So, when you see him inevitably getting closer and attached to the dog, it feels so convincing and real, it drains you of all emotions. Call me crazy, but when the credits at the end were rolling I felt like crying. Here you are, in the middle of god's nowhere in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness; two mammals - a dog and a man - who have no families and nothing to come home to find one another and become the closest, most reliant friends as it is a key player in their survival of the unforgiving hardships of the Goldrush and the wilderness in between them and the Gold. The scenes where 'Chuck' finds the dog after not seeing him for a long time are so uplifting and you can see the happiness and joy in Heston's eyes. However, nothing beats the finale when the dog and the man are departed for the last time in tragedy. It's so sad and it makes you think about how big their journey together was and how close they were to one another. Yet, the film still finishes on a positive note with the dog and his offspring symbolizing "life goes on".What really set the mood for the film more than the harsh wilderness and the hardships that the two faced throughout, was the unusual, alienating music written and composed by Carlo Rustichelli, which at first seems out of place and very weird, but soon becomes the film's underlying haunting atmosphere and power. In a way, the music paints a picture of struggle and isolation better than anything I've ever heard in my life. By the end of the film, I didn't want anything else, it was perfect. And of course, the music wouldn't have been any good without the wonderful cinematography that gave a clear realization of how vast the landscape is.Ken Annakin's "Call Of The Wild" is easily a worthy addition to the adventure lover's film collection. You will feel like you have been on an epic journey. It captures the importance of dogs in those times - for dogs were at times worth more than Gold as they were the only things that could get you around the deep snows of Alaska. Rarely have I seen such a realistic and graphically harsh portrayal of the Goldrush years and the men with their dogs and sleds that fought, searched and died for the Gold. And in the fore-front there is a most captivating story about love and friendship between two different species. Adventure fans, go no further than this great escapist master work. Yes, there is wooden acting in some parts, but the core of the film doesn't fail one bit. The film is a definite product of the 70s and adds a lot of nostalgia, only adding to the atmosphere. I absolutely surrendered to the film's beauty and power and I can confidently call it a classic. They don't make em' like this anymore!

sol ***SPOILERS*** At the beginning of the movie we see this handsome and powerful German Shepherd leading a wolf pack as they run down and kill a caribou for their supper. Later looking under the icy river the dog sees his master frozen to death beneath it; The dog's name is Buck the master is John Thornton, Charlton Heston. The story of Buck and how he became the leader of a wolf pack in the Yukon territory starts some time back in the sunny climate of Santa Clara Calif. It's 1897 and gold was discovered around the Klondike River in the Yukon and Alaskan territory's up north and dogs like Buck were worth their weight in gold as sled dogs in that country's deep snows and freezing weather. Dognaped by Judge Miller's, Alfredo Mayo, gardener Manuel for a price of $75.00 Buck was well on his way from being a sweet and loving pet to becoming a strong and ferocious wild animal. Beaten and broken for weeks by a number of different owners of sled-dog teams Buck was almost dead when he was bought and put into the service of John Thorrnton and his partner Pete's, Ralmund Harmstorf, dog team. With John & Pete's kind and tender handling of him Buck became the lead sled dog and the most powerful and at the same time feared dog in the Yukon territory. Buck led the dog team in covering the treacherous 600 mile journey from Skaguay to Dawson as the lead sled-dog for John & Pete in record time when no other dog team and it's owners would dare to try it. In the movie Buck is stolen a number of times from John, and was once almost shot and killed by the local bootlegger, but Buck always managed to escape and return home to John & Pete. It's later that the dog begins to yarn for his home in the wild. The reason Buck didn't go back to the woods, where he developed a strong friendship with the local Timber Wolves in the area, was his love for and loyalty to the persons who saved his life John & Pete. Torn between his two kind and caring human masters and his wolf family Buck can't quite bring himself to break away from civilization to live in the wild. Later one night a band of local Indians attack the cabin where both John & Pete were staying in and ended up killing both of them. Buck and his wolf pack tried to come to their rescue but were too late to save them as we saw in the beginning of the movie. With the two persons who Buck had a mutual bond with now gone Buck can now return to his distant descendants, the wild wolves, in the dark and cold woods of the Klondike. Buck, in th end, ended up answering to something that he understood and that was ingrained in his consciousness from the thousands of generations of canines over millions of years that he eventually evolved from: The Call of the Wild.