White Fang

An adventure film adapted from Jack London's novel. The time is the end of the nineteenth century, the Klondike gold rush. After his father's death, young Jack goes north to find the claim the man left. On the way he encounters a half-wolf dog. The film runs two narratives in parallel: on one side the animal's life from the moment of its birth, on the other the boy's effort to stand on his own. The two meet only halfway through. The book's hardness is preserved: dog fights, the cruelty of nature, and the fact that people's relationship with the animal rests mostly on exploitation. The film softens these for a young audience without removing them. Landscape is one of the main materials; it was shot in Alaska and the natural imagery takes up a considerable part of the film. Ethan Hawke plays Jack and Klaus Maria Brandauer the experienced miner who guides him. It was made by Disney. A solid adaptation for anyone who likes outdoor adventure and animal stories. For those watching with small children, the film contains several hard scenes and its register is darker than expected.