source: Shadow of the Wolf

source: Shadow of the Wolf

I like the story and its plot, especially dealing with the cultural clash of what is right and wrong and what is law. We are invited into the thinking of a proud tribe intruded by white people, who install dependence and betrayal. White traders cashing in furs for cheap alcohol, lowering prices so Inuit people can barely live. Agaguk, a proud chief's son gets impatient and kills a trader who wants to betray him. I like how Agaguk gets challenged by life and the attack of the white wolf, learns to respect his wife and let go of his anger. Lots of shamanic principles are to be found in this film, such as young people live alone on the edge of adulthood and the belief that if you take in some of the flesh of the enemy you might inherit his power. Only behind this background the end is understandable to "white" audience. What I did not like at all, the German tape version shows the killing of Donald Sutherlands character, in which there is a part of his private parts being cut off. Ofcause the Canadian DVD version cut the scene out. I think it is severe damage to the cultural picture you may get from this film. Why do "white filmmakers" always want to imply that "white" morals cannot be inflicted by actually showing a stone age still existing tribe's actions. Its like showing a cuddly wild cheetah on the screen without any hunting scenes. I hate how native people are downsized to harmless "pets" when it comes to be portrayed in a movie! Rather leave the shocking scenes in and rate the film for a higher age!

This interesting film results to be a special remake of ¨The savage innocents ¨ the classic film starred by Anthony Quinn and Peter O'Toole and directed by Nicholas Ray . Stars a sensational Lou Diamond Phillips as ingenious Eskimos on the breathtaking and overwhelming Arctic outdoors . This is a co-production by two countries, Canada and France and distributed by Columbia TriStar . Based on the best-selling Canadian novel titled Agaguk and well adapted by Jacques Dorfmann . Dorfmann wrote the adaptation and controlled completely the film , he always considered his best work . Dorfmann investigated about Eskimos life with documentary style and developed a lyric clash among two civilizations : The primitive ,naive of the natives Eskimos and the Anglo-Xaxon civilized . The confrontation between different ways of life originated loneliness, flight and exclusion . This overwrought picture was shot in Montreal , Quebec and Northwest territories , Canada . The technician team traveled looking for the wonderful locations of the Arctic exteriors . Spectacular and colorful cinematography in Technicolor 35 mm by Billy Williams , winner Academy Award for ¨Gandhi ¨ , showing marvelous landscapes from Arctic where wee see all type of animals : White bear , seals ,walrus , oxes , whales ,Arctic fox , among others . Sensible, evocative musical score by the great Maurice Jarre , author of soundtracks as Lawrence of Arabia and Dr Zivago . Lou Diamond Phillips gives an exceptional acting along with the remarkable Jennifer Tilly . The veteran actress from Japanese classic cinema , Toshiro Mifune plays splendidly as the tough father . In a secondary role Donald Sutherland plays a patrolman who pursues to Lou Diamond accused for killing a salesman . The great and stylish producer and filmmaker Jacques Dorfman working at the peak of his powers . The motion picture is professionally written , produced and directed directed by Jacques Dorfmann . He's a good writer and especially producer as ¨Quest of fire ¨ , ¨Bethune¨, ¨ Shock treatment ¨ , ¨ Army of Shadows ¨, and occasionally director as ¨Vercingetorix¨ and this one . Well worth watching for the brooding script and wonderful location . Rating : Acceptable and passable .

When I started this movie I thought OK another story from the frozen north. It sure is that, but as it moved on I found that a great tale was slowly unfolding based on the simple theme of young love & social responsibility or lack there of. There are a number of great actors & actresses in this show & they all deliver. Some of the performances are not "to type" either. I was never a fan of Lou Diamond Phillips but he pays us all by being great in this. Jennifer Tilly, his love interest, wound up being the best character in the show (who knew?). Donald Sutherland plays a fine "Dirty Dan" here. Toshiro Mifune as the Inuit's Shaman is great in a part not written as you might expect. The up-close look at Inuit life is wonderful because it's focused on differences but not overly long. I bought this for my wife who loves these shows & only stumbled into watching it myself. This is recommended for all ages & tastes. A surprisingly good movie, if allowed to develop & one of the best endings to a story in a long time. NO ONE WILL GUESS THE END OF THIS SHOW. My wife & I loved "Iron Will" but this is a half star better. Broadens your knowledge of the world.

I found this film to a little dull but what makes this one accurate is the fact that the way the Inuit are portrayed in it. They are depicted quite well for a Hollywood made flick. I'm very surprised how many actors of actual Inuit background were in this film. I know for a fact that they weren't just actors of other ethnic backgrounds pretending to be Inuit since their last names are actually Inuit names. All the other villagers were truly Inuit except for Lou Diamond Phillips and Jennifer Tilly. I love ANY film that deals with Native North Americans just as long as its not a typical Hollywood made movie that views them as "savages" or "heathens" who like to attack wagon trains!! I personally don't appreciate negative stereotypes like that. But ........... however........ anyways........... this is the reason why I gave this film a 6 out of 10.

Lou Diamond Phillips deserves a lot of credit for even tackling this subject. A well photographed movie about the lives of the Inuit, this just isn't a commercial item. The fact alone that it was shot on location must have cost a fortune. This film shows a lot of loving tender care in the making and the cast is great throughout. Too bad that it just wasn't commercial enough. I happen to meet Lou in my town when he was appearing as King Arthur in a production of Camelot. I told him how much I liked the film and it was unfortunate that it went straight to video. I also asked him how he liked working with Toshiro Mifune. He replied that it was a great experience, that Toshiro Mifune was a great actor and very good to work with and it was an honor to play his son in the film. It must have been one rugged location, those films set at either of the Earth's poles usually are. The performances by Lou as the young Inuit outcast, Toshiro Mifune as his father the medicine man of the tribe and Donald Sutherland as a Mountie are uniformly excellent. Don't miss this very neglected item.

How often do you get to travel to the arctic and live with the indigenous people there who have been living pretty nearly the life of their distant and technologically primitive ancestors? Excellent cinematography, excellent musical score. Very enjoyable experience.

The Far North in 1935 is the setting for this dull film. An Eskimo man falls out with his father, the tribal leader, over which of them gets "the woman". He and the woman must flee to parts unknown after he kills a man in self defense. Soon a mountie is on his trail which forces him to brave the frozen tundra alone while being stalked by a white wolf. All this sounds like it made for a good adventure tale, but it was just plain boring. And who was the moron who cast Jennifer Tilly as an eskimo? She looks about as much like an eskimo as the Reverend Jesse Jackson. This was a been there, done that, lame film from the very outset. Avoid!

I like this movie because drama of the arctic pole are rare! In this point of view, it's very original. But the settings are so Hollywood! This arctic don't seem to be so cold and Jennifer Tilly don't look like an Inuit woman. But the story is good, even if the movie had few to do with the Yves Theriault book AGAGUK (it's supposed to be the movie of the book). But it's a good piece of work. Lou Diamond Phillips is O.K.