I wasn't expecting much from a "family movie" that was awarded only two stars out of four by my TV guide but it's really quite well done. The location shooting in Haynes and Skagway, Alaska, is stunning. The narrative is clear -- parallel stories of a wolfish dog and a young man that come together at the end. Fine performances by everyone concerned. The dog wrangler should get a medal. Jed, who plays the dog, White Fang, deserves an academy award, and Bart the Bear does too for best supporting character. This may be the best adaptation of a Jack London novel that's ever been done.Jack London himself was quite a character in the early 1900s. He was an oyster pirate in Oakland, traveled to Asia, lived in the artists' colony at Carmel, and made his way to Alaska during one of its periodic gold rushes. He later took to hard dope and died at an early age but before that, he produced some marvelously evocative stuff. His sketch of a ferry crossing from San Francisco to Sausalito in a heavy fog could have been described yesterday instead of 1904.That ferry crossing is the opening of "The Sea Wolf," which may show his talent at its best -- until the love interest is introduced, at which point the writing plunges into purple. His short story, "To Build a Fire," is the first short story I remember reading in high school and I was duly impressed."White Fang" is equally gripping. The movie, not the story, which I haven't read. I did manage to run across an excerpt some years ago -- the scene in which White Fang gently closes his jaws around Jack's forearm and signal mute acceptance of their bond. It's a touching moment in a story filled with touching moments."White Fang", alas, has a stereotypical villain in James Remar, a fine actor. He's the bad guy who cons an Indian out of the dog and taunts the dog constantly to keep him angry enough to win the illegal dog fights that Remar has entered him into. The Indians didn't treat dogs with any familiarity. They weren't pets. They were work animals and did what they were told. "We are their gods," says Grey Beaver. They were indifferent but not cruel.Klaus Maria Brandauer deserves applause too. He's an admirable actor whose career may have been stymied by his unprepossessing looks. His eyes are slanted at an odd angle that gives him a sort of feline expression. But he gets the job done and, as Jack the novice, Ethan Hawke pulls his weight, so to speak.Alaska is great. Four time zones. And in the summer the sun never quite sets, yet everything stops just as if night had fallen. The birds stop singing, the forest and the towns quiet down, and everything seems asleep although it's sunny enough for rainbows to form at three in the morning.Dogs are great too. They evolved from European jackals and were domesticated in Europe about 20,000 years ago. It's doubtful that they were pets. They were helpmates, as they were to Jack London's Indians, helping to trap large game animals, guarding the camp against intruders, perhaps saddled with packs, and living on scraps of food. They're social animals. They hunted in packs. That's probably why they're so much easier to "read" than cats, who were solitary predators.Anyway, a nice job.

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.

I've never read Jack London's book, but it's certainly on my wishlist. And after seeing this film I think I might finally get around to buying it.Ethan Hawke plays Jack Conroy a young gold prospector in Canada/Alaska during the gold rush of the late 19th century. His story is without considerable peril and seems to take a backseat to the more intimate story of a young wolf cub who loses his mother and ventures out into the world on his own. Many people (kind, cruel and indifferent) interact and encounter the wolf before Jack adopts him as "White Fang".The scenes of the cub hugging his dying mother are heartbreaking, and the training the filmmakers did with the animals is really impressive. A disclaimer pops up before the film begins to explain that although all the animal cruelty looks realistic is was done safely.The scenery is wonderful, but I am puzzled as to why director Randall Kleiser didn't shoot it in anamorphic Panavision. When filming in breathtaking parts of the world it's kinda dumb to not take full advantage. The resulting picture looks a bit TV-ish. But it's a minor quibble.Basil Poledouris' score is also great. I am convinced Hans Zimmer might have also contributed as there are a couple of tracks that have the early 90s Zimmer sound. But it's definitely Poledouris' show, and it's a shame that a definitive score CD was never released.For those of you who love wolf, adventure and great outdoors movies, this one is a must.

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.