Product Details

• Actors: Ernie S. Adams, Louise Beavers, Brooks Benedict, Sven Hugo Borg, Hobart Cavanaugh
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Alpha Video
• DVD Release Date: January 25, 2005
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006SST1I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,796 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read "Martin Eden" instead., April 14, 2006

By 

bookloversfriend (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jack London (DVD)

Every movie made in the early 1940s had to promote the war effort, and this 1943 movie is no exception.

The movie begins with the launching of the warship "Jack London", then does a quicky on Jack's poverty, a few scenes of his life at sea, one scene of his education at Berkeley, a few scenes in the gold rush, a quicky of his relationship with Charmian, then spends the last 40% of the movie on anti-Japanese propaganda, giving a detailed presentation of Jack's experiences as a war correspondent (which probably lasted a few months) covering the Japanese-Russian War.

No mention is made of Jack's first marriage to Bess or his two daughters by her. No mention is made of Jack's long-term membership in the Socialist Party or his public resignation from that party when he considered them hypocrites. No mention is made of Jack's self-education that took him far beyond a college education or of the IQ he must have had to be able to go so far on his own.

As a movie, the film is streaked, the sound ratty. The Californian Jack London is played by a guy with a strong Brooklyn accent. (This is a switch from today when every character of every nationality and time period speaks with a California accent.)

Bottom line: Read London's autobiographical novel "Martin Eden". It's his best novel and will give you a better feel for the man than any of the biographies, each of which has one ax or another to grind.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Condensed Version of His Life, March 2, 2010

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jack London [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Jack London, 1943 film

The film begins by showing the launching of a Liberty Ship named after the subject of this film. Then the credits are shown on pages of a book. The story begins in 1890 Oakland California. There was an accident at a canning factory. "Everybody back to work." The 12-hour workday affects workers. Jack London doesn't like these working conditions. Mammy Jenny will loan him money so he can work for himself by harvesting oysters from the bay. "Oyster pirates?" Mamie stays on the boat and they get a partner. On their return the police shoot at them! Jack signs on to a sealing ship as one of the crew. They play a trick on a sailor. Jack defends himself, he wants to be a writer. Jack writes about what he saw. Then Jack goes to the Yukon to search for gold and sees more of life. The news of a gold strike creates a swarm of prospectors. Does hardship and brutality cause a human to revert to a primitive savage?

Jack meets Charmian Kittredge, they ride horses. Has Civilization reached its apex at the turn of the century? [Every society thinks its better than the past.] Does greed rule society? Jack will report on the Boer War, but it ended before he got there. His next assignment is the Russo-Japanese War. "Sometimes it is not practical for the world to know what is going on." Jack goes to Korea to see the war. Jack meets Captain Tanaka (of the Kempei Tai). A map shows Japan's sphere of influence. Does it conflict with other countries? [This was a war-time movie.] Jack's luck runs out, he is jailed for trespassing. Russian prisoners are thirsty, they are shot down after breaking out of jail to provide an atrocity scene. President Teddy Roosevelt asks for his release. Jack tries to warn about Japan's future plans. "Nobody will believe you." Jack and Charmian kiss.

This is a simplified version of Jack London's life. The "American Rudyard Kipling" is no longer popular, tastes have changed over time. There is no mention of "The Abyss", his story about the London of Great Britain. The victories of the Labor Party resulted in a change for the better after the bombing of the Blitz led to rebuilding.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Call of the Wild, November 3, 2011

By 

Amaranth "music fan" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jack London (DVD)

"Jack London" is a fascinating B movie... and surprisingly timely. It stars Michael O'Shea as the famous author... but it was his leading lady, Susan Hayward (David and Bathsheba, I Want to Live / Movie [VHS]) who as Charmian, would hit it big. This movie fast-forwards through Jack London's life-he's in the Yukon! He's in the South Pacific! He's fishing for oysters! It's a whirlwind. Check out Wolf: The Lives of Jack London instead. It explores his complicated life. There's no mention of his first marriage to Bess, or the fact that he ran to be the socialist mayor of Oakland twice. In "Jack London",Charmian is distraught by her husband's constant travels. In real life, Charmian encouraged his adventures... and she, whom he called "Mate-Woman", was admired for her tomboyishness and her sexual adventurousness. Of course, when this movie was made that wouldn't have passed the censors.

Since this movie was filmed around WWII, Jack London acts as a war correspondent who warns Pres. Teddy Roosevelt about Japanese expansion during the Russo-Japanese War. It becomes the main point of the story. Jack London is portrayed as a patriot.

"Jack London" is an interesting B movie biopic,a call of the mild.