Clash of the Wolves
Clash of the Wolves
| 28 November 1925 (USA)
Clash of the Wolves Trailers

A fire in the mountains drives a wolf pack into the nearby desert where they terrorize the local residents. The leader of the wolf pack is Lobo, actually a halfbreed (Rin Tin Tin). When the pack is discovered hunting a herd of cows, a posse gives chase. Lobo leaves his pack to lead the posse away. He is injured and found by a local prospector, Dave Weston (Charles Farrell). The prospector nurses Lobo back to health and the two become close friends. Meanwhile, Weston has made a Borax find in the area. His girlfriend May Barstowe (June Marlowe), daughter of a wealthy rancher, is pleased. However, the local chemist, Borax Horton (Pat Hartigan), actually a claim jumper, plans to steal the claim.

Reviews
JohnHowardReid

CAST: Charles Farrell (Dave Weston), June Marlowe (May Barstowe), Heinie Conklin (Alkali Bill), William Walling (Barstowe), Pat Hartigan (Horton), "Rin Tin Tin" (Lobo), "Nanette" (Lobo's mate).COMMENT: Excitingly directed by Noel M. Smith (of all people!), this is an action-packed western which not only shows off Rinty's amazing expertise but has an interesting story (concocted by Charles A. Logue) to boot. Not only has Logue contrived some spectacular action sequences, but he has managed to work in a nice romance and even some canine humor as well. All the players except Heinie Conklin (and even he comes good in a kissing scene) acquit them-selves most creditably. The movie is superbly photographed by E.B. DuPar and Allen Thompson, mostly on actual locations. Sharp film editing by Clarence Kolster and attractive art titles by Victor Vance add to the picture's appeal. Electrical effects: F.N. Murphy. Art directors: Lewis Geib, Esdras Hartley. Copyright 26 October 1925 by Warner Brothers. U.S. release: 28 November 1925. 74 minutes.

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Bob Toomey

A tremendous showcase for the greatest of canine performers. The movie only falls short in the idiotic slapstick by Heinie Conklin. A young Charles Farrell does a decent job as the human lead, and June Marlowe is excellent and very natural as his girl. But it's Rin Tin Tin who steals the show and the hearts of the audience as a half breed wolf dog who learns the ways of civilization.I have to dispel a couple of misstatements by other reviewers here. According to Susan Orlean's outstanding biography of Rinty, he performed all of his own stunts in this movie, and he was not injured in any way during the production. It was all acting. His master, Lee Duncan, traveled with the dog and gave live presentations in which he had Rinty demonstrate all of the pain takes and other complex actions from the movie on stage, with Duncan standing ten feet away and controlling the dog through hand gestures. He did this to prove that the dog was never in any real pain on screen. Contemporary accounts describe Rinty's performances as uncanny.In the first Academy Awards presentation, Rinty received the most votes of any actor for best performance, but the Academy decided it would demean the award if it was given to a mere dog, so they gave it to Emil Jannings instead. Bad mistake. There was nothing mere about Rin Tin Tin.

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Snow Leopard

With good action, a likable animal star, and well-chosen outdoor settings, this is an enjoyable movie to watch. The story is made up of some familiar elements, but it moves at a good pace, and the technique is solid and often impressive.The plot has Rin Tin Tin as the leader of a pack of wolves trying to survive near a populated area, and it combines his story with that of a prospector (played by Charles Russell) who's trying to win the daughter of a wealthy rancher at the same time as he has to outwit a crafty claim jumper. It's the resulting action scenes that make the movie so entertaining, and that also display some resourceful filming technique. Rin Tin Tin really is the biggest star, and all of the scenes with him and his stand-ins look very realistic, and work quite well. He even has believable reactions to the rather goofy ideas that the prospector and his comic-relief buddy (Charles Conklin) concoct in trying to domesticate him.There are also lots of other scenes involving groups of animals, and it must have taken a lot of careful planning to make them look so good. At times they capture large-scale action, and at other times the camera is able to capture the speed of its star in motion. Almost all of the story takes place outdoors, and the settings help create the right atmosphere for the story. Overall, this is an entertaining movie with several strengths to it.

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DeborahPainter855

Rin-Tin-Tin was one of more than a dozen dog heroes who thrilled audiences during the Twenties, but he was definitely the most famous. Warner Brothers showcased his talents with fast paced and cinematic ally competent films like this one. Rin did not do all the work himself, as he had a large number of stand-ins and stunt doubles who are hard to distinguish from him at times. Rin's co-stars provide good support for him in this tale of a handsome young borax prospector named Dave Weston who must defend not only his claim but his very life from a claim assessor gone bad. Rin is the wolf hybrid everyone wants to shoot... until one day when Dave finds him incapacitated by a cactus thorn and dying slowly of thirst in the desert. His compassion overcomes his desire to kill him for the bounty on his head, and he takes him to his cabin and treats his wound. "Lobo" becomes his constant companion. From there the story sweeps the viewer in and never lets up until the climax. As of September 2004, Image Entertainment now has CLASH OF THE WOLVES available on DVD as part of a fascinating boxed set of rarities from the first thirty years of cinema, "More Treasures".

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