White Fang (1991)

White Fang is a wonderful look at the relationship between a young man (Jack) and his dog. The Jack London tale tells of this unusual friendship as only he can tell it. Set in Alaska during the gold rush at a time when men were out to make their fortune in gold mining there comes a touching story of how Jack befriends a wolf being abused and used in those ruthless dog fights. They eventually bond with each other until Jack and his partner (Alex) strike it rich. Then it is time to say goodbye to the the wolf as both men return to civilization. The scene where Jack must depart from his dog is so touching it hurts to watch.Ethan Hawke, a young actor I have always admired, plays Jack. He gives a touching performance filled with honesty and reality. His partner, played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, is wonderful as his friend. He too gives a masterful performance, simple and touching as well. James Remar (Beauty) is wonderfully evil as the man using White Fang to bait the dog fights. And of course there is White Fang, played by a dog named Red. He steals the show as they say. A truly wonderful adventure film with excellent acting, gorgeous scenery of Alaska and well written and directed from the Jack London novel. One of the best.

I remember I read the book when I was a kid and I liked it very much. Now that i've seen the film I clearly remembered some of the events from the book (like the last stand in the woods against the hungry wolfs or the dog fights in the town). The ending was definitely different in the book, although i can't remember exactly how it was.This is a pretty good film. I especially liked the nature scenes and the superb Alaskan landscapes, but also the relationship between the boy and his dog/wolf friend. It does have a few boring scenes (involving small talk between humans), but since it's not a very long movie it shouldn't be a problem.

As a film in itself, it's not bad. The story portrayed in the film follows the classic example of an animal film.But as an adaptation of the book by Jack London,it leaves much to be desired. Key areas are missed out entirely, or shrunk to a minor aspect of the film. While some of the original feel of the book is preserved, the relationship between Jack and White Fang is stretched out for the entire film, whilst in the book it only comes about in the last 1/4 of the book. The scenes with Beauty Smith when White Fang acts as a fighting dog are some of the few that remain true to the book.White Fang's early life is completely different to the book, his life with Grey Beaver is not shown or referenced at all, except for a few minutes of screen time.The battle between Beauty Smith's gang, and Jack and Alex, seems to have been completely invented by the script writers. The ending in the film likewise also seems to be made up.If you have read the book, I wouldn't watch it and expect great things.

Prior to seeing this, I remember reading a lot of good reviews on it. Well, the critics were right about this one: it was good. It's an excellent adventure film that really gets you involved with the story. The story, off the famous book written by Jack London, involves a young adult male's adventures during the gold rush days of Alaska at the end of the 19th century.Some of the Alaskan scenery in here is just magnificent. I have talked to a couple of people who have been around the world and they both said Alaska had the most incredible scenery of any place they'd been, and you see evidence of that in this movie. They did a nice job with the action scenes in here: not too much, not too little and pretty realistic. The dog-fighting scenes aren't pleasant, but they aren't bloody, either. The villains, led by James Remar, are nasty but not profane.This is not a typical Disney film, at least at the time of its release, because the violence is intense at times and there is some profanity. It's a rugged story about rugged people in a rugged land. These adventurers had to be rough to survive.Ethan Hawke plays the young man-hero whom we all root for, and the way he builds a relationship to wolf-dog "White Fang" is touching to view. The movie offers everything but humor but they do throw one funny line in at the end, by one of the villains, no less.Summary: a memorable adventure. One of Disney's best films of any genre. I am amazed there are less than 20 reviews of this movie.