Home :: DVD :: Art House & International  

Asian Cinema
British Cinema
European Cinema
General
Latin American Cinema
Call of the Wild

Call of the Wild

List Price: $4.95
Your Price: $4.95
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One other good line
Review: From Winthrop Harrison "winharrison" review:

"Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee!"

There is one other great Heston line in this film. With Buck growling at a malevolent frenchman, Heston says, with rifle in hand, "My dog don't like the way you smell."

There. Now you don't have to watch the movie!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: NOT recommended
Review: I bought this DVD expecting it to be a good one, since Heston starred. I was totally disappointed and wish I would have never bought it. The picture and sound quality is horrible, and so is the music. Way too much swearing too! They could have left those parts out. It's like during the whole movie, all you hear is dogs whining, and loud poor-sounding music. If I wouldn't have read the book before, I would have never gotten the plot. Not to mention it's totally inaccurate. To make my point, I wouldn't waste my money.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: such a shame
Review: i was telling my wife of a film i had seen when i was a child that was both excellent and moving.......CALL OF THE WILD

so i sourced it from australia as the dvd is deleted in the uk.
i thought i had given my money to a con man who had sent me a pirate copy until i read reviews from other buyers.

never have i seen such a rough dvd with the most awful picture and sound quality. the film is also one of the most dissapointing i have seen and i am embarrassed that i admitted to my wife that it made me cry when i was a kid!!!
i can only presume that it was the trauma of sitting through such badly worked material that upset my childhood.....

do yourself a favour and buy white fang instead.

such a shame

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: horrible
Review: If I could have rated this a half star I would.It has the most stupid ending of al the movies I've ever seen.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Heston Saves It from Being a Total... Well, You Know....
Review: Imagine my sense of serendipity when, having just finished reading Jack London's classic "Call of the Wild" with my 9-year-old, I found this DVD release on sale for a dollar! (Some company called Double D has just released a series of "classic" films, TV shows and cartoons at this rock-bottom price.) Well, let me say it was worth the buck (pun not intended), but just barely. My son enjoyed watching it, but mainly because he's just finished the book. He had fun pointing out the incosistencies with the book, too. (It only took a 9-year-old to figure that out.) First and foremost, John Thornton becomes the main character throughout the story, rather than near the end as in the book. (I guess Heston wanted a bigger part.) But enough about that. If it weren't for Heston (not my favorite actor, but by far the best one in the film), this wouldn't be worth the plastic it was burned on. The "international cast" (I've learned to beware of that label ever since watching those Robert Halmi miniseries fiascos on TV) are unknowns, and rightfully so, and the dubbed-in dialogue for the foreign-speaking actors is even worse. The soundtrack - early 70's bad electronic - is atrocious. And the DVD was apparently copied from a scratchy print. Lastly, as mentioned by other reviewers, this is not a film (or story, for that matter) for very young children. There is mild profanity and moderate violence, particularly the dogfights, which were so vicious that I hope "no animals were harmed in the making of this picture." It desrves at least a PG. But it is, apparently, the only version of the story on DVD (or VHS?). So if you really want a rather bowlderized version of a classic story for a dirt-cheap price, or if you'll watch Charlton Heston in anything, by all means buy it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not worth it
Review: It's never a good plan to make a film where the dog is named Buck and the star is called Chuck, but this film's got more problems than that. Silly acting, weak photography, and a mediocre script that only sparks when it turns violent and nasty. In Charlton Heston's thoughtful 'In the Arena' autobiography, he considers this film "a total failure". He may not know good politics, but he has enough taste and sense to avoid film debacles most actors of his age have lived off for decades. So if Chuck actually writes "please don't watch this", listen to the man. Or listen to Paramount Studios, which shelved this film after they saw it.

"The Call of the Wild" is not unwatchable, but it's bad enough, one of the worst movies in Heston's career. Place this on the Turkey shelf next to Heston's equally bad "The Awakening", a ridiculous 1980 Exorcist/Omen knockoff. I haven't read Jack London's book, but this movie seems, um, a very loose adaptation.

The extras in the Alaska town are played by an assortment of German/Italian/British/American/Spanish actors, mostly overdubbed. What gems they say: one jumps onto a bicycle and yells "Yippee! Yippeeeee!" (Note: "Yippee!" will never be acceptable in a Hollywood script, and is punishable if done in real-life.) Heston's human co-star runs into that same town, yelling "Hi! Hi! Hi!" like a stoner coming down from the mountain commune. If all of the movie was as corny as the townspeople, we might have had a comedy for the ages. Alas.

As amusing as the vomiting town drunkard was, it was Charlton Heston, always a powerful presence, who kept me watching. He looks a little grumpier than usual, perhaps he noticed that the many wolves in the film are actually hybrid dogs that don't look much like North American wolves. However, his scenes with Buck are touching, against all odds and logic. I never thought of actors having on-screen chemistry with animals, but Heston proves it does exist. Those scenes keep the film from being a complete waste of film stock, but there aren't nearly enough of them.

Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Only Charlton Heston could keep me watching a dog like this
Review: It's never a good plan to make a film where the dog is named Buck and the star is called Chuck, but this film's got more problems than that. Silly acting, weak photography, and a mediocre script that only sparks when it turns violent and nasty. In Charlton Heston's thoughtful 'In the Arena' autobiography, he considers this film "a total failure". He may not know good politics, but he has enough taste and sense to avoid film debacles most actors of his age have lived off for decades. So if Chuck actually writes "please don't watch this", listen to the man. Or listen to Paramount Studios, which shelved this film after they saw it.

"The Call of the Wild" is not unwatchable, but it's bad enough, one of the worst movies in Heston's career. Place this on the Turkey shelf next to Heston's equally bad "The Awakening", a ridiculous 1980 Exorcist/Omen knockoff. I haven't read Jack London's book, but this movie seems, um, a very loose adaptation.

The extras in the Alaska town are played by an assortment of German/Italian/British/American/Spanish actors, mostly overdubbed. What gems they say: one jumps onto a bicycle and yells "Yippee! Yippeeeee!" (Note: "Yippee!" will never be acceptable in a Hollywood script, and is punishable if done in real-life.) Heston's human co-star runs into that same town, yelling "Hi! Hi! Hi!" like a stoner coming down from the mountain commune. If all of the movie was as corny as the townspeople, we might have had a comedy for the ages. Alas.

As amusing as the vomiting town drunkard was, it was Charlton Heston, always a powerful presence, who kept me watching. He looks a little grumpier than usual, perhaps he noticed that the many wolves in the film are actually hybrid dogs that don't look much like North American wolves. However, his scenes with Buck are touching, against all odds and logic. I never thought of actors having on-screen chemistry with animals, but Heston proves it does exist. Those scenes keep the film from being a complete waste of film stock, but there aren't nearly enough of them.

Still, this dull film contains one classic Chuck Heston line - words he was born to speak: "Mister, if you touch that dog again I'm gonna shoot ya!" Yippee!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not worth it
Review: My mom purchased the video for my viewing pleasure, but I wasn't pleased. The music in the beginning sounds sort of alienated, the picture quality is horrible, and you actually see dogs tearing apart an animal and leaving its blood everywhere! I could only watch twelve minutes before I decided that it was not worth it to watch. If you ever, for any reason, actually WANT to watch the movie, then I recommend you read the book first, because the book is MUCH better than the movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Poor quality DVD...
Review: Not having seen the film version of this movie I can't say if the poor video quality comes from the DVD only version or not...but I can say that the DVD version isn't too good. The audio is also very poor. The story is basically the same as the book with some typical Hollywood alterations. Also, no interactive DVD features at all. All-in-all disappointing, but my 9 year old son liked it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: poor quality
Review: Sorry ragmuffin, for being honest, I thank you for your 1 nice email,
but object to your other 2 " not so nice email's "
I will give you 100% for very good delivery very quick to the uk...thank you.
picture cover on dvd was different to advertised on amazon. very weary on buying again on amazon.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates