79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Rendered Film Version of London's Classic Tale!, June 7, 2000
I must admit I am a Rutger Hauer fan, and have been ever since "Ladyhawke" was released in 1985. And as an English teacher, I am always looking for new videos to augment my literature units. This superb version of Jack London's tale of unconditional love, survival of the fittest and London's belief that all living creatures including man are capable of reverting to their wild beginnings has been the perfect visual companion to my teaching the novel "Call of the Wild" for the past two years - and it has Rutger Hauer to boot! Exquisitely photographed in muted tones, "Call of the Wild" tells the story of Buck, the handsome Newfoundland, who is kidnapped because of his massive size from his pampered life in California, and endures horrific hardships, numerous owners, and self-discovery as he is taken to man's "holy grail" - the Klondike Gold Rush. Rutger Hauer protrays John Thornton, the grizzled but kind man who saves Buck's life and introduces Buck to the unbridled joy of unconditional love. Richard Dreyfuss narrates beautifully, giving the viewer an opportunity to actually experience bits and pieces of London's exquisite prose. Although a number of film versions have previously been made, this version is by far superior! Not only is Buck accurately represented by the actual breed that London wrote about, but the screenplay follows the story most faithfully. Except for the brief insertion of a saloon girl to romance Thornton for a moment and the minimizing of a number of Buck's owners, this film visually portrays the fear and growth and finally the trust and love that Buck experiences. I do recommend, however, that to fully experience the depth of London's metaphor, the book should be read! It is an excellent way for children to understand that films come from the written word and to possibly help "turn them on" to reading. Additionally, although the story depicts cruelty to animals which is an important element in London's plot, the film exhibits a large disclaimer at the beginning of the movie explaining that absolutely no animals were harmed in the making of the film. As an avid animal lover and advocate, I could NOT have viewed nor could I recommend the film if this had not been done. However even if the book is not read, this is an outstanding adventure film suitable for the family. After viewing, you might even start a discussion with your children about greed, love and sacrifice!
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good extra resource for understanding the book, March 18, 1999
After teaching the novel in my classroom, the usual clamor went up: Is there a movie to this book? I saw two other versions and was unimpressed (they were both filled with a lot of swearing, and the story lines were very different from the book), so I was very pleased when I found this version. The story line follows the novel VERY closely (only leaving out a couple characters like the Scotch half-breed cook, and adding a love interest for John Thornton), and the narration (by Richard Dreyfuss) uses lines straight out of the novel. I will add that the violence is very realistic (some blood, lots of snarling and yelping), and there is some swearing (nothing worse than "hell" and "damn"), but this is a faithful version that is well-filmed and I feel very appropriate for a middle school classroom or higher.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful movie, Lovely dogs, realistic..., March 29, 2000
By A Customer
I am a huge fan of Jack London books, White Fang didn't go close to the book but this movie did. I've seen other Call of the wild movies but this one was the best!
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