Never Cry Wolf

Today we go on another perilous journey into the wild - but this time it’s a bit different. While anticipating an adventure film like A Far Off Place, instead I was treated to something much more fascinating. Here are my impressions of 1983’s Never Cry Wolf.

An adaptation of author and environmentalist Farley Mowat's 1963 autobiographical novel, the film tells the story of a government-employed biologist named Tyler (played by Charles Martin Smith,) who is sent to the Canadian Arctic to discover why the Caribou population has dwindled. Called “Project Lupine,” the central goal of his assignment is to confirm that the Caribou have been slaughtered by Wolf-pack attacks. Following a harrowing flight into the remote wilderness with a crazed bush-pilot (played by Brian Dennehy,) Tyler faces a trial by ice during his first day in the sub-zero temperatures. After receiving assistance from a passing Inuit named Ootek (Zachary Ittimangnaq,) Tyler eventually locates the den of a beautiful white Arctic Wolf, whom he names “George” in his notes. Camping within sight of the animal's den to observe and catalogue it's behavior, a sort of peace is established as George becomes used to Tyler’s not-too-close presence; he even lets his mate (whom Tyler names “Angeline”) and trio of cubs out into the open.

Peek-a-boo!

The majority of the film follows Tyler carrying out his observations of the daily lives of this family of Wolves. Though he has no direct contact with the creatures (other than an initial peacemaking act of territory-marking, in which he and George take turns urinating around the edges of his encampment,) he comes to form something of a bond with them and the wilderness around him. When Tyler observes that the Wolves seem to sustain themselves with a steady diet of mice (rather than Caribou,) he decides to test whether a large mammal can survive on a primary diet of rodents by eating them himself. This also solves the problem of his camp’s mouse-infestation. He comes to admire the Wolves - unlike himself, they seem at peace with their world, and form warm familial bonds amongst themselves and with other traveling Wolf-packs. Eventually, Tyler heads south to encounter a passing herd of Caribou, and discovers that a small pack of Wolves does indeed take down one of them. Upon inspection of the felled beast’s bone-marrow, however, Tyler realizes that the Wolves are hunting down only diseased Caribou, naturally leaving the strong ones to re-populate and thrive - just as local Inuit legend says.

You're next, Mickey...

Of all the Disney films I’ve reviewed thus far, none has taken me by surprise more than Never Cry Wolf. Almost right from the start, I didn’t feel like I was watching a ‘Walt Disney Pictures’ film - and I mean that in the best way. One of only six films directed by Carroll Ballard (best known for 1979’s The Black Stallion,) this is a stark, thought-provoking and deliberately slow-paced film. Every individual element of the piece seems to work in harmony to create a pervading atmosphere of isolation - from the bleakly beautiful cinematography of Hiro Narita (which won a National Society of Film Critics Award) to the sparse, almost ambient electronic music by Mark Isham. The sound design is excellent as well, being bold and overbearing when need be (as when strong winter winds blow, or the Caribou herd thunders across the tundra,) but notable for what you don’t hear. For example, when Tyler is first left alone in the wild, the sound of the departing airplane slowly fades away until there is absolute silence on the soundtrack, finally broken by the gentle rustling of the character’s own parka as he takes in his vast and empty surroundings.

I'm all out of s'mores!

Applause to Charles Martin Smith, who spends the majority of the film as the lone human onscreen. The character actor, familiar from roles such as Terry "The Toad" Fields in George Lucas’ American Graffiti, devoted nearly three years to the film, becoming deeply involved in the production. Smith would spend weeks at a time as the sole on-set actor, which lends the finished performance a very real air of loneliness. The actor became lifelong friends with author Farley Mowat, and ended up writing most of the voiceover narration that plays throughout the film. Smith also garners the cheeky distinction of being the first actor to have his bare buttocks on screen in a Disney movie. This occurs during a bathing scene, as well as a lengthy sequence near the conclusion where the character (and actor) ends up running naked alongside the stampeding herd of Caribou - in temperatures below freezing. Much like his character, Smith also became so enamored by the stark beauty of the Northwest filming locations that he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia a few years later.

I didn't sign up for Naked And Afraid!

This is certainly not a movie for everyone, of course. As stated above, it’s a slow-moving film that makes one appreciate the character’s journey by taking things at a contemplative pace. There are many sequences where we simply observe the daily behaviors and rituals of the Wolves, just as Tyler does, without any unnecessary editing. This lends much of the film the feeling of a docudrama, with lengthy shots of the Arctic landscape interspersed throughout. When Tyler eventually begins to let his mind wander away from the stated goals of his assignment, and begins thinking about life and his place in the world, it stems naturally from the journey that we have followed him through. By the end, Tyler realizes that by seeking and observing the Wolves, he will unwittingly and inevitably lead others there as well. Soon civilization will come and consume the beautiful land and the creatures that dwell there, as surely as the winter will return and cover the lands with frost. He must therefore force himself not to continue watching the traveling Wolf-packs, as perhaps he can help them to live on by not seeing where they go.

I keep missing the Amazon drones...

A critical hit upon release, the slow-burning (but sometimes intense) Never Cry Wolf is credited with leading Disney to create their Touchstone Pictures label to distribute more adult fare, so as not to harm their family-friendly image. There are many other surprises in this film, but I’m hesitant to give away much more. As some readers may have noted, I tend to go into more detailed plot-summaries when reviewing films that I’m certain most people haven’t seen - also comfortable in my assumption that they won’t watch them after (hence my lack of “spoiler” tags, joking aside.) In this case, it actually saddens me somewhat that this movie isn’t a well-known film or held in higher esteem amongst cinephiles. While not the most harrowing or meditative film portraying a “lone wolf” in the wild, for this studio (and this viewer,) Never Cry Wolf comes as a chilly breath of fresh air.

Who's watching who?