THE CALL OF THE WILD   (aka Volání divociny )
PAL 2
ENGLISH AND CZECH LANG (2.0)
CZECH SUBS
1.33:1
LABEL CSFD Czech
Cardboard Sleeve

Adventure / Family
Great Britain / France / West Germany / Italy, 1972, 100 min
Directed by: Ken Annakin
Original: Jack London (book)
Screenplay: Harry Alan Towers, Hubert Frank, Peter Yeldham
Camera: John Cabrera
Music: Carlo Rustichelli
Cast: Charlton Heston, Michčle Mercier, Raimund Harmstorf, George Eastman, Maria Rohm, Sancho Gracia, Rik Battaglia, Antonio Mayans (more)

The story of the dog Buck, a German shepherd breed. We follow his fate and transformation from a sociable carefree dog to a working dog, aware of both his strength and his vulnerability. In the harsh Californian nature, Buck experiences his slow rebirth with all the joys and worries that belong to a dog's life. It wanders from hand to hand and submits apathetically to fate. However, when gold digger John Thornton saves his life, Buck feels true dog love and friendship for him. But what if the voice of nature awakens another urge in him... 

REVIEW:
Making a film that is at least as London as its literary counterpart has never been easy. The apparent directness of his harsh Nordic prose in particular could lead to this feeling. Mistaking it for a classic adventure (action?) genre is tempting, and the road to the hell of subpar and blockbuster in this context is devilishly easy. If we add to these seductions the classic and in many respects also box-office seducing cast (Charlton Heston, Michelle Mercier), the list of seductions and instructions is complete. Despite this - or precisely because of this - director Annakin managed to escape from these imaginary snares and, while maintaining the outer scenes of adventure, develop the basic nerve of London's original even further. It is its ecological dimension, the fact that the main hero is a dog and human characters are perceived primarily through his eyes and evaluation. The testimony offered to us in this way is not of the most flattering kind; however, it captures the genius loci of the Klondijk Valley and the harsh Alaskan and Yukon nature in general, as the Americans gradually began to get to know it after they acquired the former Russian America by purchase. No less interesting is the blending of the world of two closely related animal species: the dog and the wolf, and the celebration of the animal's intelligence, which functions in human evaluation not only as a symbol of loyalty and admiration, but - almost as often - as an undeserved outlet for many unflattering epithets and brutal insults. In any case, the viewer is not bored, and the film remains in his memory long after he has watched it. Quality doesn't always have to come in a flashy package; the best recommendation remains the unique experience it offers.