Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: July 9, 1997
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304475993
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,168 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On Canada's Ellesmere Island, on the tundra 500 miles south of the North Pole, award-winning photographer Jim Brandenburg and biologist David Mech gain the confidence of a pack of arctic wolves and are allowed to spend the summer months filming their behavioral patterns. Released in 1988, this video still stands as remarkable documentation of humankind's first interaction with the isolated white wolf. Never persecuted or hunted by humans, they are more tolerant than other wolves to their human observers. In fact, Brandenburg astonishingly goes into a cave where a mother white wolf is raising her pups and, after several failed attempts, even follows the pack on a hunt. Brandenburg and Mech return for two summers, and their observations reflect a dramatic change in the social structure of the pack. --Cristina Del Sesto

Product Description

Journey to the snow-covered slopes of Canada's Ellesmere Island to observe a remarkable pack of white arctic wolves. Shielded by their remote and inhospitable climate, these wild animals have not yet learned to fear man. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, an award-winning photographer and veteran biologist team up to achieve scientific and cinematic history by producing WHITE WOLF, the most intimate film about wolf behavior ever made.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wolves of the High Arctic, July 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: National Geographic's White Wolf [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The documentary, Wolves of the High Arctic, from National Geographic is an excellent depiction of wolves in an area where they have not had the harassment that wolves who live in populated areas have had to endure. The information obtained by L David Mech from his many summers observing these wolves close up is the most in depth information available because of his ability to be so close to the wolves. L. David Mech and Jim Brandenberg did an excellent job. If you are a fellow wolf advocate, I would suggest you check out some of L David Mech's books about these same wolves. He also had other very educational books available. Another site to check out is for The International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. They are currently raising two arctic wolf pups there and you can view their progress on their web site. L. David Mech is the founder of the center along with Nancy Gibson, who also has an excellent book about wolves available. This documentary and their books and web site are an excellent source of accurate, up to date information.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, myth-busting film, December 20, 2002

By 

Erin K. Darling "naive cynic" (olympia, wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic's White Wolf [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Reknowned wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg and wolf biologist David Mech travel to one of the remotest locations, Canada's Ellesmere Island, to observe a wolf pack living there. These wolves have not been persecuted by humans, as their more Southerly brothers and sisters have, so they do not fear people. This allows Brandenburg and Mech to gain their trust quickly, and to have incredibly intimate encounters with the pack's members.

This film was made before we knew very much about wolf social behavior, and it's fascinating to watch and the two men try to understand what unfolds before them. They spend the entire summer with the pack, and then return the following year to see what has happened to them over the long, dark, Arctic winter. As we watch them watching the wolves, and the wolves watching them, we come to see that the wolf is not a vicious, heartless, cold-blooded, unfeeling killer - it is a highly social, affectionate, intelligent and caring creature. Neither of the two men were ever threatened or menaced by any of the pack; rather, the two species gradually formed a trust and tolerance of each other, and the wolves come to accept the humans' presence without being afraid.

I do weekly volunteer work with wolves at Wolf Haven International, located in Tenino, Washington, and thus have a huge interest in this so often misunderstood species. I've read many books and have watched many films, and this one is pretty good. In my opinion, National Geographic's "Legend: The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone" is a better overall piece, offering more education, information, and exceptional footage of the reintroduced packs in the park; however, it does not show close human/wolf interactions as this film does. There is also a piece by the Dutchers, called "Wolves at Our Door" that is, despite the methods the Dutchers used, an outstanding movie in terms of showing the public how remarkable the wolf truly is.

I cannot encourage people to see these films enough - we need to spread the word that wolves are not the Grimm's Fairy Tale's version of the Big Bad Wolf, not the evil, satanic killer that has been storied for hundreds of years. The wolf plays a vital role in our ecology, and we need to allow it to return to its historic habitats to help balance out the damage we have done by erradicating it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, unstaged wolf footage!, December 13, 2000

By 

Laura A. McCullough (Marshall, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic's White Wolf [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I own this film and I never tire of watching it. As a passionate wolf advocate, I am always grateful to see films which show the true nature of wolves made available to the general populace - not just scientists and environmentalists. Another terrific wolf film, "Wolves at Our Door", made by wildlife film maker Jim Dutcher, has done wonderful things for the public's awareness of the intelligence, complexity, and devotion to family that are the keystones of the nature of the wolf. The film is carefully pieced together, however, with gorgeous backround music, etc. It's a beautiful film about beautiful animals - but it lacks the raw realism that this film shows: this is about two men, Dave Mech (famed wolf biologist) and Jim Brandenburg (famed wildlife photographer and wolf lover), freezing their charms off on Ellesmere Island to observe a pack of wolves who have never before known human contact. Apart from great footage, the beauty of this particular film is in the unstaged way in which it shows the life of this wolf pack - and the remarkable tolerance - and trust - that the wolves come to show to both these extraordinary men. I recommend this film to everyone, not merely to wolf lovers. I particularly hope that those who do NOT love the wolf will see it. Perhaps they will learn something, besides the error of their ignorance.