Customer Reviews

Snow Walker [VHS]

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This wonderful film is based upon the short story, "Walk Well, My Brother", which appears in an anthology of short stories titled, "The Snow Walker", written by Canadian icon, Farley Mowat. The story takes place somewhere near the Artic in 1953 and opens with a shadowy figure traipsing slowly across a frozen wasteland. The film then flashes back to a time three months earlier in a settlement called "Yellow Knife", located somewhere in the Northwest Territories of Canada. A raucous sort of place, the viewer is introduced to a young and handsome, former World War II fighter pilot named Charles Halliday (Barry Pepper). He is a free living, arrogant, hot dogging young gun, who now flies over the frozen wastelands of the far north, working as a bush pilot for a man named Shepherd (James Cromwell).

While making a routine delivery in a desolate area, he is met by a small family of Inuit with a seemingly tubercular daughter (Annabella Piugattuk)) who clearly needs medical attention. They request that Johnny take her to the hospital in Yellow Knife but Johnny refuses to do so. When they bribe him with some valuable ivory tusks, he has a change of heart, taking the young woman on board. Unfortunately, the small aircraft experiences technical difficulties, and they crash in the frozen tundra, a couple of hundred miles from civilization, but are physically relatively unhurt by the crash.

Thinking that he would do better on his own, Charlie divests himself of the young woman, leaving her with some supplies but believing that he is consigning her to her death. He is a young man with little respect for the Inuit people. He simply does not see the value in their culture, which he does not understand, and marches off into the bleak wilderness on his own. He, who is a whiz with machinery, has little knowledge on how to survive in that bleak but beautiful wasteland. Consequently, by the time he is about a week into his trek through this unforgiving tundra, he is overcome by nature and the vicissitudes of this harsh and alien environment. Fortunately for him, the young woman he left behind is far more resourceful than he is. She catches up with him, finding him on the brink of death, and nurses him back to life, becoming the key to his survival.

It is only after all this happens that he bothers to learn that she is called Kanaalaq. Slowly, he learns to connect with this young woman in a way that he has never connected with anyone. He learns to appreciate her, discovering that she is beautiful both inside and out. Through his relationship with Kanaalaq, whom he begins to regard as a little sister, he learns how to love another human being, becoming reborn as a better person in the process. He also learns to connect to the land and, in doing so, finds the strength to survive his ordeal. Kanaalaq ends up giving Charlie Halliday the gift of life.

What happens to Charlie and Kanaalaq, how they manage, and how their relationship develops is at the heart of this film. It is the story of two cultures that come together and seamlessly mesh in order to survive out on the frozen tundra. It is an intensely moving and deeply personal film that is simply beautiful. With a minimum of dialogue, this film sends out a major message.

Barry Pepper is terrific in the role of Charlie Halliday, a flawed human being who manages to overcome his shortcomings and become all the better for his ordeal. He infuses the character with a certain charisma, so that when his shortcomings become apparent, the viewer does not dislike him but, rather, hopes that he will see the error of his ways and find redemption. Newcomer Annabella Piugattuk is simply sensational, giving a well-nuanced and very touching performance in the role of the dying Inuit girl, Kanaalaq. Her role is central to the film, and she is a breakout star. They searched for six months, until they found her, having auditioned hundreds of young women in the process, as they were looking for someone indigenous to the area to fill the female lead. The casting director discovered her at a local teen dance in the Northwest Territories, and what a find she is.

This Canadian production was the recipient of numerous Genie nominations, which are the Canadian equivalent of Academy Award nominations, and are conferred by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. I have to say that, in recent years, I have been mightily impressed with the originality, quality, and sophistication of Canadian films. They are sometimes simply the best films to be found. This one is no exception. Deftly directed by Charles Martin Smith, who is also an actor, he fully understands the concept that less is oftentimes more and exacts powerful performances from the entire cast. Moreover, he perfectly captures the majesty, beauty, and sheer bleakness of the landscape that acts as the backdrop for this beautiful story. Bravo!

The 2003 Canadian film is one of those independent films that I call a "gem". It's a simple story. Set in 1953 in northern Canada, a bush pilot, played by Barry Pepper, agrees to fly a seriously ill young Inuit woman, who seems to have tuberculosis, to a town where she can get medical attention. He's reluctant to do this but her family bribes him with a pair of walrus tusks. Played by first-time actress Annabella Piugattuk, this Intuit woman is outstanding in her role, as she helps the pilot to survive after their plane crashes and also teaches him some valuable lessons about life.

Yes, this is a hackneyed story with no real surprises. But under the expert hand of writer/director Charles Martin Smith, the film comes out better than the sum of its parts. I found myself completely drawn in and also learned a lot about survival in the frozen north. I applaud the director's decision to use an authentic Inuit actress in the main role which made the film seem real. It was well-paced with just enough tension to keep me wondering what would happen next.

This is a fine film and I definitely recommend it. And it is especially good to watch during a summer heat spell.

This wonderful film is based upon the short story, "Walk Well, My Brother", which appears in an anthology of short stories titled, "The Snow Walker", written by Canadian icon, Farley Mowat. The story takes place somewhere near the Artic in 1953 and opens with a shadowy figure traipsing slowly across a frozen wasteland. The film then flashes back to a time three months earlier in a settlement called "Yellow Knife", located somewhere in the Northwest Territories of Canada. A raucous sort of place, the viewer is introduced to a young and handsome, former World War II fighter pilot named Charles Halliday (Barry Pepper). He is a free living, arrogant, hot dogging young gun, who now flies over the frozen wastelands of the far north, working as a bush pilot for a man named Shepherd (James Cromwell).

While making a routine delivery in a desolate area, he is met by a small family of Inuit with a seemingly tubercular daughter (Annabella Piugattuk)) who clearly needs medical attention. They request that Johnny take her to the hospital in Yellow Knife but Johnny refuses to do so. When they bribe him with some valuable ivory tusks, he has a change of heart, taking the young woman on board. Unfortunately, the small aircraft experiences technical difficulties, and they crash in the frozen tundra, a couple of hundred miles from civilization, but are physically relatively unhurt by the crash.

Thinking that he would do better on his own, Charlie divests himself of the young woman, leaving her with some supplies but believing that he is consigning her to her death. He is a young man with little respect for the Inuit people. He simply does not see the value in their culture, which he does not understand, and marches off into the bleak wilderness on his own. He, who is a whiz with machinery, has little knowledge on how to survive in that bleak but beautiful wasteland. Consequently, by the time he is about a week into his trek through this unforgiving tundra, he is overcome by nature and the vicissitudes of this harsh and alien environment. Fortunately for him, the young woman he left behind is far more resourceful than he is. She catches up with him, finding him on the brink of death, and nurses him back to life, becoming the key to his survival.

It is only after all this happens that he bothers to learn that she is called Kanaalaq. Slowly, he learns to connect with this young woman in a way that he has never connected with anyone. He learns to appreciate her, discovering that she is beautiful both inside and out. Through his relationship with Kanaalaq, whom he begins to regard as a little sister, he learns how to love another human being, becoming reborn as a better person in the process. He also learns to connect to the land and, in doing so, finds the strength to survive his ordeal. Kanaalaq ends up giving Charlie Halliday the gift of life.

What happens to Charlie and Kanaalaq, how they manage, and how their relationship develops is at the heart of this film. It is the story of two cultures that come together and seamlessly mesh in order to survive out on the frozen tundra. It is an intensely moving and deeply personal film that is simply beautiful. With a minimum of dialogue, this film sends out a major message.

Barry Pepper is terrific in the role of Charlie Halliday, a flawed human being who manages to overcome his shortcomings and become all the better for his ordeal. He infuses the character with a certain charisma, so that when his shortcomings become apparent, the viewer does not dislike him but, rather, hopes that he will see the error of his ways and find redemption. Newcomer Annabella Piugattuk is simply sensational, giving a well-nuanced and very touching performance in the role of the dying Inuit girl, Kanaalaq. Her role is central to the film, and she is a breakout star. They searched for six months, until they found her, having auditioned hundreds of young women in the process, as they were looking for someone indigenous to the area to fill the female lead. The casting director discovered her at a local teen dance in the Northwest Territories, and what a find she is.

This Canadian production was the recipient of numerous Genie nominations, which are the Canadian equivalent of Academy Award nominations, and are conferred by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. I have to say that, in recent years, I have been mightily impressed with the originality, quality, and sophistication of Canadian films. They are sometimes simply the best films to be found. This one is no exception. Deftly directed by Charles Martin Smith, who is also an actor, he fully understands the concept that less is oftentimes more and exacts powerful performances from the entire cast. Moreover, he perfectly captures the majesty, beauty, and sheer bleakness of the landscape that acts as the backdrop for this beautiful story. Bravo!

This movie is based on Farley Mowat's "Snow Walker" series of books; mainly "Walk Well my Brother"; and was filmed in Churchill (Manitoba), Inuvik (NWT), and British Colombia. Simply outstanding scenery and landscapes; don't be deterred by the word "Snow" in the title, this is an entertaining movie to watch.

The DVD comes with a terrific documentary (shown on Bravo network originally) and the Director voice over is full of terrific information. You can tell that they knew they had gotten outstanding casting and adored Annabella Piugattuk. Barry Pepper commenting in interviews about how her natural ability allowed her to bring so much more to the movie then original intended (the director commented that the crew were very moved with unexpected moments being captured).

Nominated for Nine (9) Genie Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, the story takes place in 1953 with a Bush Pilot (Charlie Halliday) who undergoes a transformation from an uncaring, not so nice person; when he accepts a bribe to transport an ailing Inuit girl (played by 19 year old Annabella) to a hospital in Yellowknife. His plane crashes en route and he decides to leave her, figuring she would be a burden and would die anyway, to walk to a town (he estimates at 200 miles away).

The films shows how the land is surprisingly harsh and walking difficult to say the least. A week into his trek he fails terribly (literally brutalised by the environment) and finally collapses. The girl (named Kanaalaq ... Can-el-ah) has followed him and Charlie learns what is it like to have a relationship with another person (basically a re-birth for him).

The film is wonderful at showing us things about the Inuit (old slang would be "Eskimo", or back in the 50s "Husky"), and you walk away really feeling that, like Charlie, you have grown a bit too. Annabella is a first time actor (they took a risk on her, and re-arranged the shooting to allow her to learn); and Barry Pepper who appeared in "Saving Private Ryan" as the sniper, gives a performance that is outstanding ... those are real (cold) lakes he is running into and so on. The Director is Charles Martin Smith (actor in The Untouchables, Never Cry Wolf, American Graffitti, Starman).

The chemistry and acting from the two leads is something else, and brings so much to the movie. For instance the planned subtitles were cancelled because they were not needed with the great communication between them. Annabella was able to work as a translator (English is her second language), plus she knew how to sew and hunt etc - she was upset about being taken away from a Walrus hunt to fly to Vancouver for auditioning for example.

So definitely see this film; it is guaranteed to please. It is a picture the whole family can watch. If you have time, also watch the documentary, "Make the Movie, Live the Movie".

I would give it a perfect score!

I was completely absorbed by this movie, which features a bush pilot (top of the food chain) and a sick Eskimo girl (bottom of the food chain) brought together when he agrees to transport her to a hospital in return for two ivory tusks.

The the plane crashes and his change of course was not reported. They are down in the middle of a vast tundra with no hope of being found, and their positions are reversed. The movie plays this out slowly and capably, but it becomes clear within the next 30 minutes that he will live or die because of her Earth knowledge, and everything he knows about flying, technology, and the "other world" is useless.

This is not so much a love story but rather a story about the enduring value of humanity, and of human respect for and knowledge of the Earth. The ending is spectacular, I will not spoil it by revealing it here. Totally uplifting and definitely provokes reflection. One of my favorite "serious" movies.

This film is a masterpiece. There's great photography, suberb acting, and a riveting drama. Set in the Canadian wilderness, it's primarily a story about the transformation of the human spirit. Based on a Farley Mowat short story, "Walk Well, My Brother", the movie does an impeccable job of converting the tale to film. If you love wilderness and and a story that comes straight from the heart, you'll love this movie.
Erby

The Arctic tundra plays a major role in this satisfying story based on the novel 'Walk Well My Brother' by Farley Mowat: it physically represents the untampered frontiers as well as the playing field for the confrontation of two cultures and as such it strikes more meaningful chords that expected.

Charlie Halliday (Barry Pepper) is a womanizing, self-centered, cavalier pilot in the northern reaches of Canada and is sent on a mission to deliver goods to an Inuit tribe by his boss Shepherd (James Cromwell). When Charlie glides into the Inuit tribe he reluctantly agrees to transport an ailing Inuit girl Kanaalaq (Annabella Piugattuk) to a hospital. Once airborne the plane encounters a storm and, losing an engine, the plane crashes. Charlie is enraged: Kanaalaq is stoic. Charlie speaks no Inuit: Kanaalaq speaks only a little English, The story is how the hotheaded, arrogant Charlie shakes his fist at the elements and makes futile attempts to contact the outside world, while the (?) tubercular Kanaalaq quietly goes about incorporating her instinctive tools of survival. Slowly Charlie and Kanaalaq bond in a mutual dependency and Charlie softens his psyche in response to Kanaalaq's creative and ingenious manner of melding with nature in a oneness that is deeply touching.

Director Charles Martin Smith displays great reverence to the natural phenomena of the Arctic circle by incorporating vista shots and architecturally perfect picture framing of two souls pitted against the trials of survival. Massive mosquito swarm attacks, the treeless wastelands, the magnificence of the aurora borealis, sunsets unhindered by man's contamination - all of these enhance this tale of the collision of two cultures and the realm of mutual honor that can result in times of challenge. Both Pepper and Piugattuk give exceptional performances allowing the slow metamorphosis of character revelation to seem utterly natural.

There is much to admire in this small Canadian film, in concept, direction, production, acting and, most of all, in message. Highly recommended for all audiences. Grady Harp, June 05

I have flown in these areas and this movie gave me chills. Very well done and accurate.

"The Snow Walker" is based on a short story by Canadian author Farley Mowat, "Walk Well My Brother." Charles Martin Smith, who wrote the screenplay and directed the film, is also an actor, (Terry "The Toad" Fields in "American Graffiti"), and starred in another Mowat adaptation, "Never Cry Wolf."

Mowat is one of the only writers I know who is able to capture and communicate the essence of life in the Arctic wilderness. Barry Lopez is another. This beautiful, haunting movie evokes the ways of the Inuit peoples of the Canadian Arctic, illustrating how human beings are capable of living in harmony with their environment, and of creating honorable societies. Farley Mowat writes of survival and courage, of superstition and destiny, of loyalty to family and tribe in an isolated, untamed, often brutal land. "The Snow Walker" truly captures these themes, as well as the visual magnificence of northern Canada's panorama - the majesty of her vast snowy plains, the monotony of the tundra, thousands of sparkling watery inlets, the extraordinary quality of light, and the variety of wildlife. Cinematographers David Connell, Jon Joffin and Paul Sarossy did a fantastic job. The photography is especially memorable during a misty morning caribou hunt.

"The Snow Walker" is set in the Canadian Northwest Territories, near the Arctic Ocean's Queen Maud Gulf during the summer/autumn of 1953. Arrogant bush pilot, Charlie Halliday, (Barry Pepper), flies supplies and people around the Arctic, and occasionally makes some extra money selling pelts and ivory which he gets from the indigenous population. He exploits the Inuit's shamelessly, without wasting a moment's thought, trading them chocolate and Coca-Cola for their valuable goods. Halliday is a WWII veteran, an angry young man, who apparently still suffers nightmares from the horrors he experienced serving as a bomber pilot over Germany. He's handsome in a macho way, with his chiseled features and cocky manner. Women flock to him and he is out for a good time, not much more.

On a routine flight ferrying cargo, he picks up a sick Inuit woman named Kanaalaq, (Annabella Piugattuk), agreeing to take her to a hospital in return for two ivory walrus tusks, offered as payment by her family. He refuses to transport her for free, even though she is visibly suffering from tuberculoses. On the plane trip back to the air base in Yellowknife, serious engine problems occur and the plane crashes. Charlie and Kanaalaq are badly shaken but not really harmed - however, they are stranded in the middle of an immense, desolate wilderness.

Charlie foolishly leaves his plane and the woman, promising, in sign language, to return with help when he reaches the nearest town. He attempts to trek over 200 miles in an old pair of boots, and collapses after a downpour which results in the hatching of millions of mosquitoes who all want to drink his blood. Predictably, Kanaalaq rescues him and proves to be more resilient than she looks, in spite of her deteriorating condition. She teaches him survival skills, and they attempt to learn each other's languages. The story chronicles the growing friendship between the two, as autumn closes in, bringing the danger of freezing temperatures and blizzards.

The story of man's survival in the wild is an old one, but "The Snow Walker" is filmed in a fresh way and is extremely effective as a drama. The performance of first time actress Annabella Piugattuk is amazing. She is able to communicate so much with her expressive face and eyes, a few words in English, and her own language, Inuktitut. Barry Pepper is superb as Charlie - really perfect casting. James Cromwell plays Charlie's boss who hates to give up on the search for his "best pilot," and buddy. There are some slow moments, however, when the scene switches from wilderness to the worried friends back in Yellowknife.

I am partial to anything that has to do with the Arctic, but this is an exceptional and poignant film. Author Barry Lopez believes that "natural landscapes are capable of bestowing a grace upon those who pass through them." Certainly Charlie Halliday is transformed. Highly recommended!
JANA

This wonderful film is based upon the short story, "Walk Well, My Brother", which appears in an anthology of short stories titled, "The Snow Walker", written by Canadian icon, Farley Mowat. The story takes place somewhere near the Artic in 1953 and opens with a shadowy figure traipsing slowly across a frozen wasteland. The film then flashes back to a time three months earlier in a settlement called "Yellow Knife", located somewhere in the Northwest Territories of Canada. A raucous sort of place, the viewer is introduced to a young and handsome, former World War II fighter pilot named Charles Halliday (Barry Pepper). He is a free living, arrogant, hot dogging young gun, who now flies over the frozen wastelands of the far north, working as a bush pilot for a man named Shepherd (James Cromwell).

While making a routine delivery in a desolate area, he is met by a small family of Inuit with a seemingly tubercular daughter (Annabella Piugattuk)) who clearly needs medical attention. They request that Johnny take her to the hospital in Yellow Knife but Johnny refuses to do so. When they bribe him with some valuable ivory tusks, he has a change of heart, taking the young woman on board. Unfortunately, the small aircraft experiences technical difficulties, and they crash in the frozen tundra, a couple of hundred miles from civilization, but are physically relatively unhurt by the crash.

Thinking that he would do better on his own, Charlie divests himself of the young woman, leaving her with some supplies but believing that he is consigning her to her death. He is a young man with little respect for the Inuit people. He simply does not see the value in their culture, which he does not understand, and marches off into the bleak wilderness on his own. He, who is a whiz with machinery, has little knowledge on how to survive in that bleak but beautiful wasteland. Consequently, by the time he is about a week into his trek through this unforgiving tundra, he is overcome by nature and the vicissitudes of this harsh and alien environment. Fortunately for him, the young woman he left behind is far more resourceful than he is. She catches up with him, finding him on the brink of death, and nurses him back to life, becoming the key to his survival.

It is only after all this happens that he bothers to learn that she is called Kanaalaq. Slowly, he learns to connect with this young woman in a way that he has never connected with anyone. He learns to appreciate her, discovering that she is beautiful both inside and out. Through his relationship with Kanaalaq, whom he begins to regard as a little sister, he learns how to love another human being, becoming reborn as a better person in the process. He also learns to connect to the land and, in doing so, finds the strength to survive his ordeal. Kanaalaq ends up giving Charlie Halliday the gift of life.

What happens to Charlie and Kanaalaq, how they manage, and how their relationship develops is at the heart of this film. It is the story of two cultures that come together and seamlessly mesh in order to survive out on the frozen tundra. It is an intensely moving and deeply personal film that is simply beautiful. With a minimum of dialogue, this film sends out a major message.

Barry Pepper is terrific in the role of Charlie Halliday, a flawed human being who manages to overcome his shortcomings and become all the better for his ordeal. He infuses the character with a certain charisma, so that when his shortcomings become apparent, the viewer does not dislike him but, rather, hopes that he will see the error of his ways and find redemption. Newcomer Annabella Piugattuk is simply sensational, giving a well-nuanced and very touching performance in the role of the dying Inuit girl, Kanaalaq. Her role is central to the film, and she is a breakout star. They searched for six months, until they found her, having auditioned hundreds of young women in the process, as they were looking for someone indigenous to the area to fill the female lead. The casting director discovered her at a local teen dance in the Northwest Territories, and what a find she is.

This Canadian production was the recipient of numerous Genie nominations, which are the Canadian equivalent of Academy Award nominations, and are conferred by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. I have to say that, in recent years, I have been mightily impressed with the originality, quality, and sophistication of Canadian films. They are sometimes simply the best films to be found. This one is no exception. Deftly directed by Charles Martin Smith, who is also an actor, he fully understands the concept that less is oftentimes more and exacts powerful performances from the entire cast. Moreover, he perfectly captures the majesty, beauty, and sheer bleakness of the landscape that acts as the backdrop for this beautiful story. Bravo!