Highly Overrated But Still Good

Absolutely amazing

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Its not a difficult film to follow. The USA state of Alaska is in Canada. To be specific: USA West Coast-Northernmost state, Washington, borders with Canada British Columbia. Directly above the state of British Columbia, Canada, is Yukon state, Canada. West of Yukon state, Canada, borders once more with USA, state of Alaska of USA. Which is where one of two wolf stories, this one, White Fang, begins. THE OTHER WOLF STORY IS BUCK, aka: CALL OF THE WILD. Its an American story: HOWEVER: the word "Yukon" used by the characters in the film is instead a state in Canada. YOU NEED TO SHOW YOUR PASSPORT TO CROSS FROM ALASKA TO YUKON. Another point is: (Using a map) You will notice that Jack London's story is superstitious: THE OWNER OF THE WOLF ALWAYS IS IN PERIL AT- WHAT PLACE IS NEVER CALLED BY NAME(name of city) "somewhere in the Yukon wilderness". Look at the map of Canada again: "Wilderness" is state EAST OF YUKON STATE what state extends NORTHWARD UNTIL THE NORTH POLE AREA. Once you realize this: You will know that the suspense/superstition is nothing more than walking in the Kalahari desert without using a tour agency. The Canada Government did not built roads nor cities in THAT PARTICULAR STATE OF Canada. HELL! IF THIS WAS WHAT THE USA GOVERNMENT DID WITH California WHAT THE Canada GOVERNMENT DID WITH N- STATE OF Canada THEN THE WOLF OWNER WOULD BE IN THAT SORT OF PERIL IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES CITY!!!

In the 1890's, Jack heads to the Yukon territory to investigate his late father's gold claim. He finds a beautiful but harsh and unforgiving environment, and meets White Fang, a wolf/dog half-breed with whom his destiny will intertwine ...I read Jack London's wonderful book White Fang when I was ten years old and found it a very profound experience. Unlike most animal stories, it does not anthropomorphise its protagonist into a moral or heroic figure, but rather tries to present a narrative realistically from an animal's perspective (as Richard Adams did in his books later). This to me was a real revelation; nature is presented as cruel and relentless, there is no room for stupidity or weakness, yet White Fang's courage and nobility come from his inner strength as well as his physical prowess. It's just a really great tale, a heady mixture of action, travelogue and frontier history about man's relationship with nature. This Disney adaptation abridges and rearranges some of the events but remains extremely faithful to the novel's essence and doesn't shy away from the more brutal and heartbreaking elements of the story. On a technical level it is excellent; shot in the Alaskan boroughs of Haines and Skagway where the novel is set (and where London was inspired to write it), with beautiful landscapes by British cameraman Tony Pierce-Roberts. The countryside, with its ice floes, pine forests, majestic mountains and sparkling creeks is not just part of the story, it really is the story. Combined with Basil Poledouris' fantastic score it makes the far-off place and time come to life with breathtaking immediacy and beauty. There's another reason however why this film should not be missed and it's one of the cast. The human actors are all fine - Hawke is a good goodie and Remar is a good baddie, but the real star is Jed the dog, who plays the eponymous hero. Jed, like the part he plays, was a real life half-breed, part Alaskan Malamute, part wolf, and unlike most animal actors, who for the most part do tricks on cue, actually gives a real performance. He's very still, and behind his eyes he's both wild and intelligent, always thinking. There are amazing scenes, like the one where he builds a trust with Jack by gradually coming closer to him, shot in two or three incredible takes, and he's an incredibly beautiful animal to look at, but he does more than that, somehow inhabiting the character completely. White Fang is an outcast; dogs hate him because of his wolf half, people recoil in fear and yet he doesn't have a pack to run with. He's alone and his loneliness mirrors Jack's and ours. Jed somehow embodies all of this, partly via his training and the filmmakers' skill, but mostly through simply being. If you don't think animals can act, check this out and you will be converted. For bonus points, there's also a great scene featuring Bart The Bear, a huge Kodiak grizzly who is memorable in several other films (notably Legends Of The Fall and The Edge). A truly great family adventure movie from the pen of one of America's greatest writers - please read the book too (as well as London's earlier The Call Of The Wild) - which thrills and entertains us but also gently reminds us always to respect the beauty and savagery of our world.

Set in the frozen wilderness and frontier towns of the Yukon Territory at the height of Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890's, Randal Kleiser's "White Fang" (1991) is above all a story of love and friendship between two young orphans: Jack Conroy, played by a fresh-faced but precociously talented Ethan Hawke, and White Fang, a lone gray wolf.Loosely based on the classic Jack London novel of the same name, "White Fang" is as eager and hopeful a film as Jack is when he touches shore in the Yukon Valley. But no sooner is Jack mugged by reality in the shape of a sly and malicious Beauty Smith (played a finely villainous James Remar) and his two cronies, than Kleiser begins to unveil the unyielding, unpitying hardness of nature, starting with the shooting death of a she-wolf, mother to the wolf pup White Fang.The story of the film is a journey in more ways than one, and Jack's journey closely parallels White Fang's in spirit and tone. Both are recently orphaned survivors, vital spirits in a barren landscape. Jack's challenges start as soon as he lands: a new land, both harsh and majestic, with potentially unlimited wealth awaiting the lucky and the industrious. The difficult conditions are compounded by the reason for Jack's sojourn: though he claims to want only to work his father's claim, he clearly, ultimately, seeks to redeem his father's death.As their stories progress and Jack and White Fang eventually find each other, their fraternal/paternal relationship seems to take the place of the their absent parents. They care and look out for each other and at different times, rescue each other from certain death. Kindred spirits, both were forced to grow up quickly and they take on the odds of survival with pluck and, mostly, good humor.The photography of "White Fang" matches the beauty of the arctic landscape: underground lakes and grottos, ice caves and vast expanses of snow framed by distant mountain ranges. Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts's impressive use of the wide shot – in some instance with the sled team slicing across the screen, perfectly channel the adventurist spirit of the time and the place. Like Jack, it's hard for us not to be completely swept away by the wide open scenes of nature at its purest. Pierce-Robert's dramatic crane shots, from slow, intimate creeps to quickly rising booms are also beautifully choreographed.According to Kleiser, the film was storyboard from first shot to last. Given that so many scenes involved wolves or wolf-dogs of varying degrees of tameness and training (as well as an astonishing cameo by Bart the Bear in a fight scene) this was a wise decision. Because of the limitations inherent in filming under these conditions, Kleiser bravely relied on the pure visual grammar of film language to tell the characters' story. His economy of shots, matching eye lines, composition and distribution of elements in the screen space were carefully thought out and intelligently, if not painstakingly, executed.On a personal level, I found watching "White Fang" to be a touching, even moving experience, and only very momentarily sentimental. In fact, the director's reserve in not allowing the material to move into maudlin sentimentality is to be admired and appreciated. This reserve is the mark of a great observer.Successful sound design elements also contribute to the film's faithful and creative re-creation of its sensory world: at tense moments like when the ice is cracking under Jack's feet, or when we hear a heartbeat-like thudding in more hallucinatory scenes, as when Gray Beaver of the Han tribe finds little White Fang caught in a game trap. I also very much enjoyed the majestic soundtrack, with its resonant symphonic score: horns, strings, and unusually, wind instruments working together in resonant and harmonic ways to make Jack and White Fang's story truly great storytelling.Finally, the film's faithful and evocative re-creations of the historical era, from the stock photos and maps of the opening credits to the impressive outdoor sets of the Klondike towns, combined with a refined instinct for storytelling, magnificent locations, well-directed actors (including a small, delightful role by the great Seymour Cassel!) and disciplined choreography make "White Fang" a great film experience.

WHITE FANG, in my opinion, is a very touching movie that's well-acted about a special friendship for all ages that will warm your heart. When White Fang became orphaned, I felt like crying. However, I really loved the relationship between Jack (Ethan Hawke) and White Fang. If I could have, I would have loved to have been friends with the animal. In addition, I liked the other animals, too. The score was good, the costumes were perfectly designed, everyone was cast perfectly, and the direction was flawless. In conclusion, I highly recommend this very touching movie that's well-acted about a special friendship for all ages to anyone who hasn't seen it. You're in for a real treat and a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with someone close to you, and watch it. I guarantee you you'll thoroughly enjoy it.