Never Cry Wolf (film)

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For the original book, see Never Cry Wolf.
Never Cry Wolf

Theatrical Poster
Directed by Carroll Ballard
Produced by Executive Producer:
Ron Miller
Producers:
Joseph Strick
Jack Couffer
Written by Book:
Farley Mowat
Screenplay:
Curtis Hanson
Sam Hamm
Richard Kletter
Narration:
Charles Martin Smith
Eugene Corr
Christina Luescher
Narrated by Charles Martin Smith
Starring Charles Martin Smith
Brian Dennehy
Zachary Ittimangnaq
Music by Mark Isham
Cinematography Hiro Narita
Editing by Michael Chandler
Peter Parasheles
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s) October 7, 1983
Running time 105 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Inuktitut
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Never Cry Wolf is an American drama film adaption of the Farley Mowat (1963) autobiographical book of the same name, and released in 1983. The film, directed by Carroll Ballard, features Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy, and Zachary Ittimangnaq.[1]

The motion picture was made during the 1980s when Walt Disney Pictures was experimenting with more mature plot material in its films.

The premise of the film is that the Arctic's caribou population is rapidly dwindling, and wolves are being blamed. Yet, no one has seen a wolf kill a caribou, so authorities send Tyler (Charles Martin Smith) into the wilderness to study the wolves. Yet, Tyler is a biologist and not a survival expert.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

With a small amount of supplies and lots of beer, Tyler (Charles Martin Smith) is dropped off by bush pilot Rosie (Brian Dennehy) and he makes his way into the cold arctic. Tyler discovers that unlike the world he is accustomed to, man is meaningless in this area. Every evening, he hears the wolves, but never sees them. Not long after, he is having nightmares about being attacked by the ravaging wolves.

Yet, the animals in the arctic pay little attention to him. He is, in fact, just another creature in the vast chilly ecosystem. Worse yet, he is the freshest piece of kill for the next predator who finds him.

One evening, an Inuit dog sledder named Ootek (Zachary Ittimangnaq) finds his camp and helps him find the wolves. Tyler soon finds the target of his investigation, a white wolf he names George, his mate Angeline, and their young pups.

Tyler and "George the Wolf" engage in a battle of wits and wills as he tries to study the animal and his habits. He grows to respect George and hopes that it is not the wolves killing off the caribou.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Background

The film's fundamental premise is that life in the Arctic seems to be about dying: not only are the caribou and the wolves dying, but the indigenous Inuit people as well. The animals are losing their habitat and the Inuit are losing their land and their resources while their youth are being seduced by modernity. They are trading what is real, true, and their time-honored traditions for the perceived comforts of the modern world.

Never Cry Wolf blends the documentary film style with the narrative elements of drama, resulting in a type of docudrama. It was originally written for the screen by Sam Hamm but the screenplay was altered over time and Hamm ended up sharing credit with Curtis Hanson and Richard Kletter.[2]

Never Cry Wolf is also noteworthy for being the first Walt Disney film to show naked adult buttocks. The buttocks shown are those of actor Charles Martin Smith.[3]

Smith devoted almost three years to Never Cry Wolf. Smith said, "I was much more closely involved in that picture than I had been in any other film. Not only acting, but writing and the whole creative process." He also found the process difficult. "During much of the two-year shooting schedule in Canada's Yukon and in Nome, Alaska, I was the only actor present. It was the loneliest film I've ever worked on," Smith said.[4]

[edit] Filming locations

The film locations included Nome, Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia, Canada.[5]

[edit] Exhibition and box office

Tagline: They Thought He Couldn't Do the Job. That's Why They Chose Him.

The film opened in limited release October 7, 1983 and went into wide circulation January 20, 1984. The film was in theatres for 192 days (27 weeks) and the total US gross sales were $27,668,764. In its widest release the film appeared in 540 theatres (2/17/84).[6]

[edit] Critical reception

The film was generally well received. A review in the Los Angeles Times when the film opened called the film, "...subtle, complex and hypnotic...triumphant filmmaking!"[7]

Film critic Brendon Hanley also liked the film, especially the work of Smith. He said, "Wolf's protagonist, wonderfully played by the reliable character actor Charles Martin Smith...The result is a quirky, deceptively simple meditation on life."[8]

Ronald Holloway of Variety magazine gave the film a mostly positive review and stated, "For the masses out there who love nature films, and even those who don't, Carroll Ballard's more than fits the commercial bill and should score well too with critical suds on several counts."[9]

Some critics found the premise of the film a bit hard to believe. Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times, wrote, "I find it difficult to accept the fact that the biologist, just after an airplane has left him in the middle of an icy wilderness, in a snowstorm, would promptly get out his typewriter and, wearing woolen gloves, attempt to type up his initial reactions.[10] Canby added, the film was "a perfectly decent if unexceptional screen adaptation of Farley Mowat's best-selling book about the author's life among Arctic wolves."

Currently, the film has a 100% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on eleven reviews.[11]

[edit] Cast and ratings

Ratings
Australia:  G
Canada (Manitoba):  PG
Canada (Ontario):  F
Canada (Maritime):  A
Canada (Quebec):  G
Finland:  K-8
Iceland:  12
Sweden:  7
United Kingdom:  PG
United States:  PG

[edit] Comparisons to book

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

There are several differences in the film when compared to Mowat's non-fiction book. In the book, Ootek and Mike's roles are reversed, Mike is actually Ootek's older brother (Ootek is a teenager) and Ootek speaks fluent English and communicates openly with Mowat while Mike is more reserved.

The film adds a more mystical element to the story while the book was a straight-forward story. The film also isolates the characters while in the book, Mowat meets several people from different areas of the Arctic.

Also in the book, the wolves are not killed and neither did the bush pilot bring in investors to build a resort.[12]

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Awards

Wins

Nominations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Never Cry Wolf at the Internet Movie Database.
  2. ^ NNDB/Soylent Communications web site.
  3. ^ NNDB/Soylent Communications, ibid.
  4. ^ John Carpenter web site, Charles Martin Smith interview.
  5. ^ IMDb, ibid.
  6. ^ The Numbers box office data.
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, October 7, 1983.
  8. ^ Hanley, Brendon. All Movie Guide, film review.
  9. ^ Holloway, Ronald. Variety, film review, September 1, 1983.
  10. ^ Canby, Vincent. The New York Times, film review, October 14, 1983.
  11. ^ Never Cry Wolf at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: January 12, 2007.
  12. ^ Mowat, Farley. Never Cry Wolf, Back Bay Books: 2001. ISBN 0316881791.

[edit] External links

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