Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

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)

xWhiteFang For a dog-lover, it is a moving and heart-touching story. For any other viewer, it is an old movie that features a bunch of sled dogs and Alaska. You really must read the book by Jack London before seeing the film. It follows the plot but it does confuse matters.The dog stunts do look very real and do tend do worry you. Fortunatly, you are assured before the movie begins that no animals were harmed in the making of the film. It was good quality for the time period with well-trained animals and nice camera shots. The soundtrack could have been improved but works for the general atmosphere. I was also disappointed by Buck's appearance. He was a German Shepherd mix as described in the book but was presented as a Newfoundland in the film. Curly was also the wrong breed. None of this honestly mattered once the film got started.It is no match for Disney's White Fang but Call of the Wild does come as its infamous partner.

ma-cortes Charlton Heston as John plays a prospector along with Raimund Harmstorf . They are at the right time and in the right location to live numerous adventures . The picture chronicles the ¨Gold Rush¨ days of Alaska from Klondike territory and in the Dawson City center . Heston finds and befriends a German shepherd dog called ¨Buck¨ which saves and protects to John and his partner . The dog rescues them from dangers and leads throughout snowy landscapes . But Buck is robbed and is taken by various masters , being forced to pull a snow sled.The movie is based on Jack London novel -in part autobiographic but in his real life was prospector- , narrating the story about the gold discovery , people came to find the precious mineral through the freeze ways and corruption , violence and ambition that came with them . Authentic stars film are the animals as there appear : Huskys , pack of wolves and of course the magnificent German shepherd named Buck . The best of the movie are the marvelous , spectacular snowy outdoors , being stunningly photographed by John Cabrera in places as Finland , Norway and Spain . Atmospheric , evocative score by the Italian composer Carlo Rustichelli . The picture is one of various renditions based on Jack London novels along with ¨ The White Fang ¨ , creating the sub-genre about the Alaska adventures . The film is a European co-production by Harry Alan Towers with actors of several nations ( German as Raimund Harmstorf ; French as Michele Mercier ; English as Maria Rohm ; Spanish as Juan Luis Galiardo , Sancho Gracia and Italian as George Eastman or Luigi Montefiori). Charlton Heston said about this one resulted to be his worst film but I think is entertaining and watchable although mediocre for its poor direction and weak plot which hamper this familiar story .

dbknoxx If you have read the book and are looking for that same story to unfold on the silver screen, keep looking. This is a very "60's" adaptation of a raw and emotionally powerful book. To say the acting is "wooden" is an understatement. Most of the "spaghetti westerns" had more believable characters than this movie.In the book you journey with Buck from his ranch in California to his ultimate return to the wild. In the movie, Buck is little more than a supporting character with the focus entirely on the human side of the story.I would suggest re-reading the book instead of watching this movie, you will get much more out of the experience. If you do watch the movie, set you expectations low and you won't be disappointed...too much.