Customer Reviews

Never Cry Wolf

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Visually stunning, sweet, understated tale of under-prepared young scientist
sent to the Artic region to observe wolves.

With very little dialogue, just some gentle voice over, we trace his path with humor,
tension, and sadness.

Even the ending is surprisingly quiet and gentle for a Hollywood film.

A beautiful, honest portrait of the true complexities of adventuring beyond
our limits.

Frustratingly, the DVD was made from a very flawed print; lots of dirt and print
damage (very visible against all the white snow and ice). But the film
is so strong that its still well worth seeing and owning.

I just wish they'd come out with a remastered DVD and blu-ray.

As a pilot, I thoughly enjoyed the scenes with the de Havilland Beaver and the Bush Pilot played by Brian Dennehy. The film is rated 'G' and is suitable for family viewing. The cinematography is exceptional (in the Walt Disney fashion). The component of the Biologist played Charles Martin Smith was a great thread to keep the story line going. Great value for the money. A good rainy day film to watch.

If you have never seen Never Cry Wolf, you are missing a largely undiscovered gem. Charles Martin Smith's portrayal of author Farley Mowat is an exercise in understated brilliance. I saw this film twice when it was in general release, and have watched it many, many more times since then on video; always rented.

After many years of not having seen it, recently I purchased Never Cry Wolf on DVD. The film is even better than I remember: quiet, thoughtful, respectful, intelligent. All describe Never Cry Wolf.

So, sadly, does deplorable. The transfer is horrendous. In the opening sequences, it is obvious that the DVD is simply a copy taken from a rather well-used print. If that were the only trouble, it would be unacceptable. I can buy well-used videos if old prints are what I want. Instead, it is just the start of the troubles.

The transfer is so dark as to be almost black in large sections (as played on both my DVD player and my computer DVD), especially when the scenes are interior shots. The beauty of sub-arctic light (it was filmed in Atlin, BC) is lost in muddy colors and dullness. The film is almost unwatchable, because the transfer leaves little to watch.

A previous poster has suggested Never Cry Wolf a prime candidate for Criterion. I whole heartedly agree (Criterion. Are you listening?). In the right hands, this great film could get the treatment it deserves.

5+ stars for the film

1 star for the transfer

I'm writing this review for two reasons. The first being that this is one my favorite films of all time. The second being that I find that some of the negative comments to be disturbing, particularly the ones that mention the nudity in this film.

I saw this film in the theatre with my parents when I was 8 years old. Even at that age this movie left me breathless in all the good ways. It was beautiful, funny, touching and inspiring. It treated the subject of nature and conservation in way that I hadn't seen before and rarely since. The haunting silence of this film is mezmerizing and the dialogue is spare but wonderfully written. It is a masterpiece.

In regard to the negative comments refeencing the nudity in this film: Every person (including children) has genitals. We see them when we shower, when we use the washroom, when we change out clothes, etc. Why is it that to some people seing a person's genitals (in a non-sexual way) in a film is considered worse that violence? The scenes in this film that portray nudity do not do so in a sexual way. In fact when Tyler (the main character) is shown in the nude it only helps to re-enforce the plot and the feeling that this scientist is in essence trying to let go of his humization for a time, to be wild, like the wolves and caribou in a place so far from human habitation. Even as a child I understood and appreciated this. Parents who try to protect their children from this kind of learning are doing misguidedly in my opinion. This is an enriching film for all ages regarless of the brief nudity and perhaps to some small extent, because of it.

Compared to other films that children could be watching (including many animated films from Disney and others, this movie has a lot to offer. There is no violence, sexual content, bad language, or anything else that parents often neglect to see in films that are supposed to be for children.

For those parents and movie lovers in general who have not yet watched this film, let me ad my recommendation to the many others here.

This was one of the first (and few) books I read for fun while I was growing up. Then when the movie came out, it was the icing on the cake. Today I'm ordering it for my dad for Father's Day in rememberance of "back then." I can't wait to watch it with him after all these years.

I find the one star reviews of this movie amusing.Its sad that people condemn this movie just because they are hyper and easily bored and entertained only by blood and violence.The same movie that bores the aforementioned fools will satisfy more intelligent and philosophical individuals that have more interest in the natural world.As an animal lover and animal welfare activist,I enjoyed this film and can recommend it to anyone thats ever had an interest in nature and wildlife.Remember to order the wide-screen version,you`ll see the film as it was meant to be seen.

Well, at least, I get the same sort of feeling from both films. I am biased--I love Alaska, the wilderness, and hate people. So the setting of this film works for me--something I picture in my mind when i am stuck in rush hour traffic. There is some slow moments in the plot. The movie has some feel-good undertones to it. However, the sound in most movies is merely a backdrop. In this, it really serves to move the film along, to connect on a different level. Sound plays into the plot. My favorite scene is when the scientist is sitting on a hill playing his oboe to a midnight Alaskan sun. There is something transcendent about that very scene. I almost see it as the connection of two worlds. Regardless, I would highly recommend it.

I saw "Never Cry Wolf" when it was released in 1983, mostly because I'm a fan of the actor Charles Martin Smith. I was not prepared for the power and depth of the film, which seemed to speak on several levels at once -- native culture, conservation of natural resources, and a man's journey of discovery.
When the VHS release was available, I bought it, and have not only watched the film many times, but also loaned it to friends. With each watching I learn more about myself and the incredible world we've been given, and the stupidity of choices motivated by greed. I also learn more about the power of story, myth, and belief. Watching this film is a healing, energizing, and nearly mystical experience for me. And I'm not alone in such an assessment. The widescren DVD version is a delight, highly recommended. This isn't just another "nature" film, or a glorified Disney or Discovery Channel sort of thing. This film touches the spirit as well as the mind, with its beautiful images, haunting sounds, and subtle performances that never put the actor ahead of the story.

I finally got around to watching this movie. I had heard great things about it for a very long time. But I found myself thinking that the way the scientist gets set down in the middle of the Arctic was either a bit of artistic license or an indication that he and his employers were absolute morons.

Think about it. How much sense does it make for someone in the 1970s or 80s or whenever the story takes place in to go up to an extremely remote and bitterly cold place with no real survival plan? I mean, he didn't even have a sleeping bag!! And he let his pilot toss his gear out of the plane at random.

The movie is beautifully filmed, and I may watch the rest of it for the scenes with the wolves. But the opening makes me think of the following:

Vilhjalmur Stefanson, a famed explorer, said, "An adventure is a sign of incompetence . . . If everything is well managed, if there are no miscalculations or mistakes, then the things that happen are only the things you expected to happen, for which you are ready and with which you can therefore deal."

Never Cry Wolf is an adaptation of Farley Mowat's unforgettable autobiographical novel. Charles Martin Smith plays the protagonist, a biologist dropped (literally) into the Canadian wilderness to study the question of whether wolves are responsible for the depletion of the caribou herds. What begins as a scientific adventure turns into a life-changing experience as Smith is rescued and taught by an aged Eskimo, then begins to learn the perfect harmony and balance of the wilderness by a neighboring wolf herd. The pissing contest (again, literally) occurs as the alpha male marks his territory; then Smith drinks TONS of tea and sets about peeing at the perimeter of his own territory. There are other wonderful scenes, such as when Smith traps and eats mice to prove that the wolves don't need to kill caribou to survive: they do just fine with mice. Lots and lots of mice. Another unforgettable scene is Smith stripped naked and running with the pack through the green tundra of spring, back and forth, back and forth; to watch that scene is to experience his exhilaration firsthand.
At its most basic, Never Cry Wolf is an adventure tale. But at its most serious, it's a bittersweet lesson on the effects of hunters, tourists, and government programs on the fragile natural world.