The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon

Customer Reviews:

Most excellent adaptation.......2003-09-18

Gold was found in Alaska, the rush to obtain it required a strong constitution and many dogs to do the work that horses usually did in the states. The environment bred harsh attitudes. Also in the testing of ones mettle one finds their true potential.
Buck (larger than most dogs) 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.
You do not have to have read the book to follow the story. However being film much is accelerated and leaves less time for character and drama buildup. A few characters are removed but the main characters do not have to be modified to fill in the gaps.
For those that have read the book you will notice the narration is word for word extracted from the book. You may also recognize the narrator's voice as that of Richard Dreyfuss. The dialog was modified to cover much of the narration that was left out or the descriptions that were not portrayed.
A few stories were left out or modified for brevity. The main difference is a lot of the blood and guts were replaced with inferences and a story where he gets the stuffing beat out of him is replaced with a threat of being shot. My only disappointment was leaving out the part where Buck, as wild as he becomes, periodically visits the place of John Thornton's demise.

Wonderful Movie and great dog.......2001-07-31

The reason that I purchased this movie was the fact that the dog in the movie was a Leonberger. I personally own this breed and was interested to see how they made it in the movie. It was wonderful to see the basic characteristics of the breed were NOT lost by the actions in the film. They are truly magnificent animals and this movie is a testament to them and the wonderful story that they portrayed.

Beautifully Rendered Film Version of London's Classic Tale!.......2000-06-08

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!

Beautifully Rendered Film of London's Classic Tale!.......2000-05-29

I must admit that I am a Rutger Hauer fan, and have been ever since "Ladyhawke" was made in 1985. Additionally as an English teacher, I am always looking for new videos to augment my literature units. This excellent 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 returning to their wild beginnings has been the perfect visual companion to my teaching the novel "Call of the Wild" for the past 2 years - and it has Rutger Hauer to boot!! Beautifully photographed in muted tones, "Call of the Wild" tells the story of Buck, the exquisite Newfoundland, who is kidnapped because of his massive size from his life of luxury in California and endures tremendous hardships, many owners, and self-discovery as he is taken to the gold rush in the Klondike. Rutger Hauer portrays John Thornton, the 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 previous film versions have been made, this version is by far the best! Not only is Buck actually the breed of dog that was in London's story, but the screenplay follows the book the most closely of all the versions! Except for the brief insertion of a saloon girl to romance Thornton for a moment and the minimizing of some of Buck's many owners, the film visually portrays London's story as accurately as I feel is possible. I do recommend, however, that to fully experience the depth of London's metaphor and themes, the book should be read!! At the very least, it is an excellent way in which to help children understand that film comes from the written word and to help "turn them on" to reading!! Additionally, although the story depicts cruelty to animals which is necessary to the plot's progress, the film exhibits a large disclaimer at the beginning explaining that absolutely no animals were harmed in the making of the movie!! As an avid animal lover and advocate, I could NOT have viewed nor could I recommend the film if it had not! I still cry during "Old Yeller"! However even if the book is not read, this is an outstanding family adventure film after which the topics of greed, love, and sacrifice can be discussed!

Beautiful movie, Lovely dogs, realistic..........2000-03-30

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!

Average customer rating:

Call of the Yukon
Starring: Richard Arlen , Beverly Roberts , Lyle Talbot , Mala , and Garry Owen
Director: John T. Coyle , and B. Reeves Eason
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000286RRK
Release Date: 2004-07-27

{17 Movie Set} Seven Doors to Death, Hot Rod Girl, Blonde Savage, They Made Me a Criminal, the Silver Horde, Bird of Paradise, Outpost in Morocco, Renfrew of the Royal Mounted, Monsoon, Most Dangerous Game, Amazing Mr. X, Swamp Fire, & MORE...

Average customer rating:

{17 Movie Set} Seven Doors to Death, Hot Rod Girl, Blonde Savage, They Made Me a Criminal, the Silver Horde, Bird of Paradise, Outpost in Morocco, Renfrew of the Royal Mounted, Monsoon, Most Dangerous Game, Amazing Mr. X, Swamp Fire, & MORE...

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000BVBLOW

Product Description

Hollywood Adventure Film Series: Prehistoric Women/Call of the Yukon/Scott of the Antartic/Crashing

Average customer rating:

Hollywood Adventure Film Series: Prehistoric Women/Call of the Yukon/Scott of the Antartic/Crashing
Starring: Adventure Classics
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000E1P28U
Release Date: 2005-04-26

[18 Movie Pack] Monsoon, Most Dangerous Game, Amazing Mr. X, Swamp Fire, Prehistoric Women, Call of the Yukon, Scott of the Antarctic , Crashing Thru, Vanishing Point, Dead Ringer, Open Window, Gypsy, to Know the End, the Vision, the Riddle, the Lovers, Anniversary of a Murder, the Sorcerer

Average customer rating:

[18 Movie Pack] Monsoon, Most Dangerous Game, Amazing Mr. X, Swamp Fire, Prehistoric Women, Call of the Yukon, Scott of the Antarctic , Crashing Thru, Vanishing Point, Dead Ringer, Open Window, Gypsy, to Know the End, the Vision, the Riddle, the Lovers, Anniversary of a Murder, the Sorcerer

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000EPHVEE

Product Description

SPECIAL FEATURES: Digitally Mastered, Interactive Menus, Chapter Selections, Digitally Enhanced Audio 5.1

DVD:

DVD

DVD