Customer Reviews

Call of the Wild

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

"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."

It is summer in California and Buck has it made as the family pet. That is until it is discovered that he was worth his wait in gold or at least $75. He is sold to a broker who will take him to the Klondike where only dogs can do the work usually delegated to horses. There Buck 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. And so do we.

Screen Play:
Peter Welbeck
Win Wells
Peter Yeldham

True to the book this film holds nothing back. All the highlights of the original story are portrayed and Charlton Heston has the main character, John Thornton down to a tee. And unlike some Disney versions we see Buck's tribute and love for John.

The Call of the Wild: Annotated and Illustrated

This wonderfully naturalistic movie is not for the weak at heart. The story line was taken from Jack London's adventures in his own life experiences. Charlton Heston did an absolutely wonderful job acting out the part, Buck the dog made the entire movie perfect! So this movie more than deserves the 5 stars! This story was taken from the late 1800's during the great gold rush days, hard core times for many men... it's not supposed to be easy on the emotions!

Video is bad, audio is bad, packaging is bad. Watching this DVD right out of the box is like watching a VHS tape that has been run 100 times. *NOT* recommended for any DVD fan. Maybe you'll have better luck with a VHS tape. Spend your money somewhere else.

This film is roughly cut, and sloppily done. However, I believe it a a very good film! Heston is excellent, the visuals are excellent, and the picture does a fine job of portraying the Klondike gold rush conditions. Sure, there are slicker jobs out there, but with just a little work, I think this could be fixed nicely. Perhaps someday they could redo this for a better DVD release, add in a bunch of the footage, pretty it up. But until then, this film provides an authentic look at how it must have been, and, Heston is great.

True to the book by Jack London, the dog Buck is kidnapped and taken to Alaska to be a team dog. Buck is not a purebred German Shepard but a mix with Rottweiler. Unlike the book, there are women in Alaska - prostitutes and saloon keepers. Buck develops a loyalty to Charlton Heston. The lighting of the DVD is deliberately toned down. On a bet, Buck proves he can haul 500 pounds on a sled which keeps him from being shot in the head. Out in the wild, he makes off with a female wolf, who has a litter of his puppies. Charlton Heston, panning for gold, is killed and buried in the snow and ice. Buck attacks the attackers. Like the book, Buck joins a pack of wolves at the end, abandoning any human contact. There is not a lot of blood, only to show that Buck has prevailed. Buck has found freedom at last.

If you like Jack London's The Call of The Wild, then you'll probably love this internationally cast, (dubbed, save Charlston Heston) and earnest adaptation of the classic fiction with shanghied german shepherd, Buck, sold into the 19th Century Yukon dog trade, where he finds guidance and companionship in dog sled mail rider, John, (Heston). What appears to be a small budget for the film, does remarkably well in capturing the crude and bawdy Yukon gold rush boom towns, and the genuinely wintery and snowy northern wilderness. The film pulls no punches in delivering the violent aspects of the book, (the dog trade is crude and ugly), and animal star, Buck, (as himself, the credits say), would make Lassie proud.

A classic tale packed with suspense, adventure, and excitment. Provides an interesting insight into human nature and the forces that drive us. A five star Heston performance. Heston doesn't become John Thornton, Thornton becomes Heston. Heston's dialogue is littered with his trademark "Damn" and he provides enough teeth showing face strains to satisfy any hard core "Hesto" fan.

From Winthrop Harrison "winharrison" review:

"Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee!"

There is one other great Heston line in this film. With Buck growling at a malevolent frenchman, Heston says, with rifle in hand, "My dog don't like the way you smell."

There. Now you don't have to watch the movie!

Imagine my sense of serendipity when, having just finished reading Jack London's classic "Call of the Wild" with my 9-year-old, I found this DVD release on sale for a dollar! (Some company called Double D has just released a series of "classic" films, TV shows and cartoons at this rock-bottom price.) Well, let me say it was worth the buck (pun not intended), but just barely. My son enjoyed watching it, but mainly because he's just finished the book. He had fun pointing out the incosistencies with the book, too. (It only took a 9-year-old to figure that out.) First and foremost, John Thornton becomes the main character throughout the story, rather than near the end as in the book. (I guess Heston wanted a bigger part.) But enough about that. If it weren't for Heston (not my favorite actor, but by far the best one in the film), this wouldn't be worth the plastic it was burned on. The "international cast" (I've learned to beware of that label ever since watching those Robert Halmi miniseries fiascos on TV) are unknowns, and rightfully so, and the dubbed-in dialogue for the foreign-speaking actors is even worse. The soundtrack - early 70's bad electronic - is atrocious. And the DVD was apparently copied from a scratchy print. Lastly, as mentioned by other reviewers, this is not a film (or story, for that matter) for very young children. There is mild profanity and moderate violence, particularly the dogfights, which were so vicious that I hope "no animals were harmed in the making of this picture." It desrves at least a PG. But it is, apparently, the only version of the story on DVD (or VHS?). So if you really want a rather bowlderized version of a classic story for a dirt-cheap price, or if you'll watch Charlton Heston in anything, by all means buy it.

(P.S.: If you want to see a Jack London tale done well, buy or rent the 1991 film "White Fang", starring Ethan Hawke and Klaus Maria Brandauer.)

I bought this DVD expecting it to be a good one, since Heston starred. I was totally disappointed and wish I would have never bought it. The picture and sound quality is horrible, and so is the music. Way too much swearing too! They could have left those parts out. It's like during the whole movie, all you hear is dogs whining, and loud poor-sounding music. If I wouldn't have read the book before, I would have never gotten the plot. Not to mention it's totally inaccurate. To make my point, I wouldn't waste my money.